August 8, 2006 - 6:41pm
Large French bread-boule
What should the internal temperature of large French bread be? 205-210 degrees F?
(About three cups of flour or so in the dough)
I have finally learned to make good baguettes!!!! Yay!!!!! Now onto larger bread.
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205-210F. is what my books say and what I bake it to.
Good luck!
I don't use temperature - if it sounds hollow, looks cooked and has a good firm crust - I turn the oven off, leave the bread in there with the door closed while it cools down and it is always just fine. Very hard to overbake bread
And all those cenuries when bread was made in an earth oven, or in the UK a wood fired hearth oven (also known as faggot oven due to firing with faggots of wood) where there was no thermometer for miles, colour and hollow sounds worked fine.
I'd love to know what proportion of home bakers do the look and feel, and how many use a thermometer!
I've checked the temp and done the knock. I think sight and sound is the easiest and the most accurate.
There are so many thermometers, how accurate are they? how accurate is your oven temp? how accurate is the weight of your loaf? Seems to me, our senses are the best, just as with kneading.
I try to ferment at 70F. as I think this is best. Slower is better with bread. Makes tastier crumb and better crust.
I measure the temperature of the dough and try to make it no warmer than 80F. after all kneading.
Why would I trust knocking bread when I can test the temperature and make sure?
I don't want to overbake or underbake my bread. Yes, you don't need a thermometer but if you want to do a great job, temperature is so critical that without a thermometer you are baking half blindly.
The bottom line is whatever works best for you. I have never over or underbaked my bread. I'm comfortable using my eyes and senses. I guess I like to walk on the wild side and take chances : )