Loaves rising in the center, but no the ends
I've been making sourdough loaves for a few months and I've had a recurring problem and I haven't been able to figure out a solution to it. First of all, I've taken a really long time to get to where I am. I'm kind of a self-learner and stubborn and so I'm not a real recipe guy. I do a mix of flours that's roughly 30% white, 20% rye and 50% whole wheat. My starter is awesome. Very active and reliable. I'm not sure what my hydration is, but I'd guestimate it's generally in the 65%-75% range. I don't really measure. I just go by feel. And like I said, because of my stubborn method, it's taken a while to get to the point where I can make reliable loaves and boules...
My boules actually come out excellent. I'm perfectly pleased with them, but I don't make them very often because I'm a sandwich guy and I like loaf shaped slices for sandwiches...
So my loaves get a really great oven spring in the center, but the ends generally don't spring nearly as much, so I generally have shorter, denser slices at the ends, and tall, lighter slices in the middle. One of the issues I have had, is that I sometimes don't score deep enough on the ends, and they're kind of constrained as it springs, and so as the center rises, it pulls the ends a bit towards the center. I've fixed this by using a knife to score deeply on the ends and this seems to have mostly addressed that issue.
One possible source of the problem is how I get it in the pan. I lay it out on the counter in a rectangle, with the width equal to the length of the pan, roll it into a log, and throw it in the pan seam side down. I score, then cover with tin-foil (sprayed with cooking spray) to retain moisture and bake at 450 for 15-20 mins. Then I remove the tin foil (if the oven spring hasn't yet popped it off) and drop the temperature to 430 and cook for another 40 mins or so.
The attached photo is a typical result.
Any tips on getting a more even loaf?
So that's pretty much
A few things I missed about the process: I mix my flour with salt and water and let it autolyse for an hour or so (I know some say don't salt in autolyse, but it doesn't appear to matter in terms of final result). I add a tablespoon or so of malt after the autolyse when I add my starter. I do a stretch and fold style of kneading for about 10 mins. Then I usually do 3-4 sets of stretch and folds 20-30 mins apart before loading into a loaf pan for final proofing.
And possibly the dough is underproofed. The expansion in the middle happens because the dough has no where else it can go, because of the small loaf pan.
Do you have a photo of the internal crumb?
Try a larger loaf pan, or two loaf pans of the same size used in the photo.
Try cutting the flour+water weight in half.
Try bulk fermentation for a longer time.
Try less starter.
Try eliminating malt, this feeds the bacteria making them more active.
Or try all of the above.
I actually don't have pictures of the internal crumb. I've got one proofing now and I'll bake it in the morning and post a photo.
I'll try increasing my bulk fermentation time. I considered this as a possibility. I also did about 25% less dough this time, so maybe that'll help too.
The malt is a recent addition and honestly, I haven't noticed any difference since I started using it. If increasing bulk fermentation doesn't work, I'll try reducing starter and not using malt next time.
Thanks so much for the tips.
Dittos to what semolina-man said about too much dough in the pan. Bigger pan, or less dough.
But more directly....
about half the problems that bring newcomers here are due to baking bread in a convection oven.
You need a fully enclosed vessel, such as a dutch oven, or a "Pullman pan", to bake bread in an oven where you can't turn off the fan.
The browning pattern on your loaf indicates convection/fan mode was on: browning at the upper corners/edge, but not the bottom corners. I could be wrong, but that's my guess.
Your foil protects the center, but not the ends of the loaf, from the moving air. Therefore the semi-exposed ends crust over and "set" (harden) before the better-protected middle. the set crust prevents expansion, so the bread expands where the top is still soft, in the middle.
Bake with fan off. If it won't let you turn it off, you need to use a much bigger pan, so that you can effectively seal the top with foil, or a lid, and use a small enough amount of dough so the dough does not push the foil off.
After the loaf is done rising, maybe 15-20 minutes into the bake, you can take the foil off so that the top crust can brown. When you take the lid/foil off, you usually have to lower the oven temp, 30 to 50 F.
also note, that when using convection mode, you "usually" have to lower the temp 20 F from what is called for in the recipe. Some ovens do that automagically, some don't.
Good luck amigo.
Most of my breads are in a loaf pan for the same reasons - and it fits the toaster. I actually size a loaf just for bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches - the perfect size for an egg.
Also looks like you've got a pan similar to mine. I think I saw a post about too much dough. That may be part of the problem, but the method to shape the loaf would be the real cause. Rolling out up like that (croissant style I'll call it) isn't recommended. Try pulling it out to a rectangle like shape a little smaller than the pan, a kinda letter fold length wise, pull till taught, then stretch of a bit on the ends and fold into the middle. Seam side down, pull till taught again and into the pan. You really want to start with an even distribution of the dough before it goes into the pan.
Sometimes I'm in a rush and get sloppy and get a loaf a bit lopsided, it happens! Oh, do try to start with enough dough to only fill the pan half way or so (you'll have to experiment). Between rising and oven spring it'll grow into a loaf no problem. Enjoy!
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I am also new to pan baking and had a somewhat weird result this week, and seeing as you are mostly baking pan loafs, maybe you could have a look, phaz? Thanks! http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/66228/maurizios-whole-grain-spelt-pan-sourdough-loaf
C other thread
The problem is that the dough on the outer edges is cooking faster than the dough on the inside. The inside is still expanding and rises up. The dough on the outer edges gets cooked faster an then loses the ability to rise further. When making a cake in around 9 inch pan (2+ inches tall) I'll wrap a cold/wet strip of cloth around the pan so that it keeps the outer edge of the cake from heating up too fast. That gives me a nearly flat cake top. If I don't do that, then I get a dome in the middle. Same principle at work here. Good luck!
4 bakers, 4 viewpoints/opinions.
Pdavis: Please report back about which proposed solution(s) work.
my tip, should you decide to try it, is to double the thickness of the foil. Then shape it into a cover using the empty loaf pan upside-down. Carefully remove from the pan, put dough in pan and when proofed, crimp the foil onto the edge of the pan making lots of head space under the foil. If careful, can be used again and again. :)
Going by feel is fun. Try this....start doing folds after the dough has puffed up just a little bit. Not a lot but enough to know that the yeast is putting out gas. Fill the pan just under half with dough. Less with all white dough and more with more whole wheat and rye in the mixture.
So:
1> Thanks for everyone who offered advice. I'm still learning and experimenting, so I'll use these to tweak going forward.
2> I used less dough for this loaf (about 25% less than normal)
3> I gave it a longer rise and for the last 2 hours, I kept it in my office, which is significantly warmer than the rest of the house.
I didn't notice much difference when I put it in the fridge last night, but when I pulled it out this morning, it there was a noticeably larger rise.
It's currently in the oven about 35 mins in and though the oven spring isn't ripping it apart as usual, the entire loaf has risen pretty evenly. It's only slightly higher in the center than on the ends. Obviously a bit of a way before I see the crumb. I probably won't slice until tomorrow morning because my crumb tends to come out a bit gummy in the center if I don't let it rest overnight (I cook 450F for 15-20 and then 430F for 40.)