February 26, 2008 - 10:53am
even crumb in loaf pan breads
While I don’t post too often, I’m a regular reader (and huge fan!) of TFL, so thought I’d finally ask a question I’ve been wondering about for months. I bake a lot of loaf-pan sandwich breads (50% to 100% whole wheat), and while they taste great, I have trouble getting an even crumb—the bottom of the loaf, especially to bottom 1/2 inch or so, is usually most dense, while the top is much airier. Do people have any thoughts about the best way to get the crumb more even? Is it a matter of shaping? proof times? something else?
Also is there any consensus how many ounces of dough is optimal for an 8 x 4 ½ pan? I’ve seen suggestions from anywhere from 16 oz to 32 oz. Is it just a matter of how big you want the loaf to be?
Thanks!Share
what you are seeing is absoulty normal for pan breads . i have a diagram od the this showing the diferent names for the sections yor are refering to. i need to look for it and scan it. i will post it wnen i do this.
as for weight an 8 by 4 1/2 loaf pad is a standard size and should hold about a 1 pound loaf. you should weght you bread 18 oz.
2 oz of water will evapoate during the baking which will leave you with exactly one pound loafs.
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