February 16, 2013 - 3:03pm
Large Rye Loaf Splitting/Cracking
This is a large loaf of rye bread -9 lbs. made today. Today and the last time it has developed the large splits that appear in the photo. Prior to these last 2 cases it has not split. I realize that it is advised to score a loaf such as this prior to baking but we have not done so in the past and have had no issues. Any thoughts on why we are suddenly getting these splits/cracks would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Dasmueller
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My off hand guess it that it fermented longer so that it was more fluid than previous loaves. I don't find this unusual or bad and it does have a decent rise. What's the recipe? Looks like a soft crust.
Hello mini 0ven-a little history-i've been using this recipe for 40 years-got it from a Czech friend-his recipe came to me with flour measured in "shakers" (sifters)-that's how i did it-about a year ago i decided to measure it out in cups-subsequent 1 or 2 loaves cracked-in total it takes 16 cups of flour-4 of them white flour-it's a dense loaf but packed with flavor-it raises in a wooden bowl about 12 inches in diameter and then is flipped onto a baking sheet-i butter the crust when it comes out of the oven-this loaf was awesome-not as dense as others-has a marvelous chew-my sifter doesn't have cup markings on it so i'm not really sure if the cup measure is accurate-on my next loaf i'm going back to "shakers" and see what happens-do you still want the recipe-thanks for taking the time to respond
into the curve of the bowl? The rip looks very much like a folded flap of dough. Rye has great memory for such markings. It is also possible to score the unrisen dough, throw it top side down into the bowl, let it rise and then tip out to bake. The bread separates on those score lines while baking. Also folds can be planned to open later. Experiment and see.
Yes, I'm still interested in the recipe. :)
Mini
Combine 3/4 shaker (sifter)-4 c. of unbleached white flour and 1/4 shaker (1 c_ medium rye flour
Add one full shaker of rye flour, 3 1/2 tbs of caraway seed and 3 1/2 tbs of coarse kosher salt
Heat 3 cups of milk (i use 2%) and 2 cups of water until warm
Combine the flour mix and the liquids
Mix 2 packages of dry yeast,a pinch of sugar in 1 cup of water to proof-add this to the flour mix above and raise to double
When it's double, punch down to original size and sift in 1 full shaker of rye-mix the flour in with a spoon or your hands
Knead the mix adding extra rye flour to make a dry dough
Form the dough to a circle and put it into a well floured wooden bowl,folds facing up-my bowl is 12-13 inches in diameter, sort of like a big salad bowl
Cover and raise until dough is slightly domed and doesn't spring back
Turn dough out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet-have the oven preheated to 425-bake at 425 for 15' and 375 for an hour or until internal temp is 200
The loaf is 8-9 # and takes hours to cool-we cut it into quarters-
Please let us know if you make it and how it turns out-it has a wonderful flavor and great chew-enjoy
thanks for your response
Lots of variables! Hard to pinpoint the cause of tearing. I would scald the milk to cut down on that shifting variable, easy to cool with cold water/ice water to get the right temp. Thank you for the recipe although I have to admit, I am having trouble with the "sifter" size and "dry" dough. :)