Oblong loaf has huge holes and dense in the middle
This is my 3rd bread ever. The 1st two were boules and turned out fine, this was the 1st oblong and as you can see the crumb didn't spread out leaving a dense middle and I have two large caves opposite to each other.
I use my own starter. I do the initial 30 mins of flour soaking up the water. Then every 30 mins for 3.5 hours I turn. Then shaped, 30 mins rest, shaped into a loaf and put in fridge overnight for over 12 hours.
When I shaped into an oblong loaf I stretched left and right ends out, folded in and rolled and tucked from top to bottom. The membrane did split a little when I did the roll, is this a big problem?
Also, when I do overnight of 12+ hours my dough doesn't increase in volume much if at all and the top feels hard and dry. Should I rest it overnight on the counter (kitchen is about 60 degrees) instead?
Are there any videos you recommend for shaping oblong loafs?
Thanks!
Under proofed. Bulk ferment longer or use a livelier starter.
I updated my comment to include the steps I took. I folded every 30 mins for 3.5 hours, shape, rest 30mins, final shape, then in the fridge for over 12 hours.
I feel when I pull the loaf out of the fridge it hardly has risen. Since my kitchen is in the 60's should I just do final rest on counter overnight instead of fridge?
It's underproofed. Bulk ferment longer or use a livelier starter. Use warmer water since your kitchen is cold. I dislike the warm final proof because it always sticks to the basket for me.
If not you need to leave it alone until it has, then carry on as you did. Nothing wrong with overnight proof in the fridge - I do and get good oven spring most of the time. Do you cover it with cling wrap or place in large plastic bag for the overnight retard? if not this will contribute to the crust drying out.
Good luck and happy baking
Leslie
I leave it in a banneton in the fridge with tea towel wrapped around it. Next time I will try saran wrap placed touching the top of bread to prevent drying out. Thanks for that!
I will try extending the fold another hour since it is cold in the house at around 65 degrees. On this loaf I did put a heat pad on low on bottom of bowl to raise temp to about 80 degrees, is this a bad idea?
Thanks!
doesn't stick to the loaf though. I haven't used a heating pad so don't know how that will affect it. Hopefully someone more experienced can answer that.
Leslie
and before baking, touch the loaf a bit to see if there are any large bubbles to be popped before baking. There are almost always a few if the shaping trapped air in pockets. Popping them should help. The loaf doesn't look under-proofed to me me but if the crumb seems too damp after cooling and setting up, I might try a little longer in the oven with just a little less heat to dry it more. How was the moisture distribution after a day or so?