Soft crumb & Soggy Bottoms
hello bakers,
it looks like my breads tend to have a very thin crust that softens when the breads cool down.
They sometimes also have a soggy (wet, soft, super fragile) bottom just after coming out of the oven.
the breads are 2kg sourdough (no yeast) loaves at 71% hydration baked on a stone deck with manual steam for 23min damper closed 23min damper opened. the dough has about 8% (baker %) levain, 71% water, 80% white wheat, 20% WM wheat, 2% salt nothing else. bulk fermented for 4h and cold retarded 12-16h.
Any idea / suggestions?
I seem to understand that the soft crumb comes from the water of the dough moving to the crust when cooling down and making it become soft, but i dont think my hydration is very high, so might be something else, no? My crumb is generally still quite dense (for a Country Loaf style bread) and would ideally bring hydration higher...
Thank you!
Doesn't sound like enough leaven. About the same time table I use but I use 20% leaven. Underproofing makes for a very dense bread. Also changes the crust a bit. And assuming you're baking hot, like 450-500.
Michael,
thanks for this. have drop leaven because dough is too active due to hot weather and using bad (domestic) fridges struggling to cool down. my normal recipe has 17% leaven. Am baking at about 450F. xx
from the oven do you place it on a cooling rack? If you take bread out of an oven and place it directly on a cold surface like a granite counter top you would get condensation under the loaf.
Gerhard
Gerhard,
yes, the breads are cooled down on a metal wire rack.. thank you! xx
It sounds like it needs a little more time to bake off moisture and if you have steam going for 23 minutes, it may not have that chance. The crust sounds dumpling-ish, like a steamed bread crust, doesn't it? Try 10 min. steam.
Final proofing may have an influence,also but hard to tell without looking at the crumb.
And do cool off on a rack.
hello,
the steam is done by hand (garden spray) for about 5sec, so prob not a huge amount of steam i guess.. Your description sounds correct, i ll try with less steam time.. My breads are usually over (shitty fridges).. i ll cut one up next time this happens, thank you! xx