making this sourdough VENEZIANA middle uncooked

I think 88 is too low, normally bread should reach 95C or so. But anyway, just bake longer... And generally, thermometer is not the right way to check for doneness, check by tapping and making sure the sound is hollow.

Sorry Ilya, I have to disagree with you (for once!). I have always found the tapping method unreliable; I used to use it before the days of Thermapens and the like, but I found that you could get a hollow sound even if the loaf wasn't fully cooked.

For me the internal loaf temperature is the best guide to when a loaf is cooked, but I think the temperature range quoted by r0bz is too low. Internal temperature for panettone (surely a very enriched dough) is generally quoted as about 92C, eg see here. So I would aim for that.

Perhaps it's important to make a distinction between a loaf that is cooked and one that is done. I would say a lean loaf is cooked when it reaches 95C internal, but maybe the crust is still pale and not to your taste, so the loaf isn't done to your liking; in which case you simply leave the loaf in the oven until it is as bold as you want it to be.

But at least by checking the internal temperature you won't end up with a soggy middle. Of course once you have cooked a few similar loaves in the same oven you don't need to use a thermometer at all, but I still find it useful if baking a new type of loaf, eg a big miche or a large tin loaf.

There should be no shame in using a thermometer to check that something is cooked - Michelin starred chefs use them!

Lance

 

Are you sure you had proper thermometer placement?  You want to aim for dead center.  Also, what is the quality of your thermometer?  Was it a Thermapen?