HELP! Sticky Pan Bread Crumb
Haven't posted in a while, but need some advice, so sharing this over a number of forums for advice.
I've been finding my pan loaves are coming out tacky & sticky in the middle. I don't encounter this problem with my free-form loaves.
Did a batch of my house bread (formula below), mixing a soupy "sponge" with some of the flour & placing the rest on top like a blanket. I left it to ferment for about 3-4 hours at 18-20C/64-69F until the flour blanket started showing cracks from the sponge poking thru. Mixed the dough & kneaded it for a few minutes, then left it @ room temp overnight (14-18C/57-64F).
After the ferment, I shaped the loaf and placed it in a heavy loaf pan to proof (~60 minutes @ 20-22C/68-72F) until it was about level with the top of the pan -- no, I didn't do the poke test :)
Into the oven at 450F for 55 minutes, where it's at 200F internal temp. The sides of the bread felt a bit soft, so I took the loaf out of the pan, and left it in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Below are the results -- darkish crust (which I don't mind) and what the thermometer says is done, but still a tad sticky in the middle after cooling for 7 hours at room temperature.
Had this happen to a previous pan loaf, so I thought I'd bake it a bit longer to make sure it was cooked. This loaf is better, but tackiness inside not down to zero.
All input appreciated - thanks in advance!