September 12, 2021 - 10:28am
Air pockets under the crust of the loaf
I've been using this yeasted milk loaf recipe for some time now but yesterday's bake gave me these large holes under the crust. I proof inside a proofer at 30 C and make sure the dough doesn't dry out. The crumb of the loaf is as it should be. I'd say everything else about the loaf is fine except for these holes.
Could this be a shaping issue or a proofing issue?
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Just a little over proofed. Nothing serious! Enjoy!
Probably missed it by a few mins. Still get confused sometimes if it's over or under. Thank you!
Yes, it is over proofed, but not bad. I have always like the saying that his is "where the baker sleeps". This usually applies to Ciabatta because of its very high hydration but it can happen with any bread with just a little over proof. What it didn't do is for the top to collapse which happens sometimes with over proofing.
Looks great, I will take any loafs you reject.
That little bit on top is there so you can tear it off after slicing and munch away on it while rummaging around for the peanut butter or whatever!
Must try next time. Haha!
Was confused about it being over or under since like you said, the top didn't collapse. I'll make sure not to fall asleep next time, haha! But still very much enjoyed this loaf. Thank you!
Typical of over fermentation of the dough. Weakened gluten that can no longer withstand the stretch of the expanding gases during baking result in, most often, the crust separating from the crumb as in your loaf.
Benny
Appreciate the detailed explanation.
You make bread like this when the in-laws visit so the jam plops out onto their laps and they get upset and leave early.
In the midst of a lockdown that has seen me bound to a 9pm curfew and a 5km radius for months on end and caused no little disruption to my lifestyle, finances and, it must be said, mental health*, that genuinely made me 'LOL', which is a term I nearly never use as it is nearly never true. In this instance; early morning, hair unkmept and bloodstream uncaffeinated, you have given me reason to use it without irony or sarcasm and that's a fine gift in 'these times'.
* - I am always aware, of course, that my experience, whatever the complaints against it, is privileged in the extreme, enjoying as I do a middle-class existence in an affluent country and thus a level of comfort, ease and security that, even when things take a turn for the worse, is so far away from the situations of so many as to be nearly unimaginable. I have my health and the roof over my head - such as they are - and, when I look outside the sun is shining and what few clouds there are in the sky only serve to make the scene that much more picturesque. There are people struggling and dying and yet I still find the ability within my petty self to be annoyed that the particular brand of the particular variety of cheese I want - on a whim - is not available.