Shiny Crumb
Hi all,
I've been experimenting with home baking for a while now, but I have one recurring issue that I just can't resolve. My bread almost always turns out with a crumb that has a shiny, slightly gummy texture. You can see a bit of the glisten in the holes of the crumb below. I'd like a much drier crumb with a "matte" rather than a "glossy" finish (to use a picture metaphor), but I like the degree of openness in this crumb. Here's my recipe:
Poolish of 80 g WW flour and 95 g water, add to
Doug of 180 g water, 303 g bread flour (KA), 1 t yeast, 1 t diastic malt, 1 t salt, 1 t olive oil (I usually autolyse)
(72% hydration)
Knead 2 minutes, fold 3 times. Bake at 450 with steam for 10 min on baking stone then about 20 min at 375 with convection. Bread registers at 210 degrees before I take it out to cool completely.
Any ideas or suggestions on how to get that drier, matte texture for the crumb while retaining some of the openness?
Thanks,
BBB
Actually, a shiny, glossy crumb is a sign that you've done things correctly. In terms of gumminess, if you don't wait for it to cool for at least an hour, you could run into that problem.
Hamelman talks about glossiness in this video.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/videos/techniques-for-the-professional-baker-6-evaluatingfinished-product
Your loaf is small and may be just baking fast, and browning before the center is fully cooked (though the photo shows a thin crust that is not excessively brown so it could probably stand an additional 5 min in the oven). One teaspoon of diastatic malt in such a small batch seems excessive (I would expect something closer to 1/8t), and if you feel like you are over-browning with 375°F oven there is perhaps either excessive sugar in the dough (liberated by the malt), or your oven may be hotter than you think (check it with a good oven thermometer).
You might leave the malt out for one batch and see if the crust color is light enough to allow you to bake it longer. If it is still too brown, reduce the oven set point by 25°F and add 5 min to the bake time (also use a good probe thermometer to check the crumb temperature when it comes out of the oven - it should be at least 95°C). And let it cool completely before you cut it - like down to 75°F in the middle.
Very pretty! I've had similar concerns, as the glossy crumb sometimes has a 'plastic-ey' feel to it. I find that trading out some or even all of the BF for AP flour, the glossy gelatinized crumb is reduced and the crumb has a drier and softer texture, such as you requested. I think it has to do with the protein level in the flours.
Happy baking!
Cathy
Thanks for the advice. It is definitely cooked all the way through and completely cooled. I'll reduce the malt though as you said. After researching more, I can see that the shiny, somewhat plasticky texture is what many people are going for, but it's not to my taste. I'll try the all purpose flour and see how that turns out. With a lower protein flour, should I lower the water a bit as well? I'll try it both ways and report next week. Thanks again!
And old thread, but just in case it may help:
The internal temperature may be all right but that doesn't mean all the moisture has been driven out yet. For that size of loaf, The bake temperature seems low to me. I would be using around 425 deg F for around 38 minutes for a loaf of that size (for a non-yeasted, sourdough loaf).
It's hard to tell by the view of the cross-section but my impression is that the crust's color is pale. Anyway, if the crumb seems moist and gummy the loaf needs more baking time. If that would overcook the crust then either cover to top with foil or reduce the temperature so that the loaf can continue to dry without over-cooking the crust.
TomP
I know this is old, but this is very excellent crumb and in fact I've seen much glossier, AND glassier. My problem is NOT getting the glossyness I see in others. Grass is always greener. I don't have an answer, sorry.