For those who bake, lightness......

andya700 said:
I have some Sainsburys pizza flour in the cupboard, so I can see myself having a go at that. I haven't got any sundried toms, so will probably go for a pesto one.
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It's nice but quite oily for obvious reasons. We just ate the second just under half (first half was shared between 4) after a reheat under the grill and it was pretty good still.

Make sure your pizza flour has enough protein content. It doesn't really matter what you top it with, as long as you like it. Next time I'll sprinkle salt too.
 
That looks really good. Sourdough? I find that a serrated knife does the job for me but it needs to be sharp.
 
John 2 said:
That looks really good. Sourdough?
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Thank you. Ordinary bread dough - life is too short for messing about with sourdough. ;) This is a 1:1 mix of granary and normal bread flour with pre-soaked sunflower seeds added. First 4 hours were fermented in the fridge because I was out this morning, then 4 rounds of stretch & fold before shaping and baking.
 
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Tagging on to this older thread. I've just started home bread making but having trouble getting a decent crust on a standard white loaf to stay. When it comes out of the oven the crust is OK but it softens as the loaf cools.
Ingredients are 500g white flour, 1 sachet yeast, 2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil and 300ml water mixed using a stand mixer.
I'm baking for 30 mins at 220 on a baking stone with a tray of water at the start and misting the top of the dough with water just before it goes in. I'm happy with the taste and texture of the loaf otherwise but any suggestions appreciated please
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I feel my oven doesn't get hot enough for a lasting crust at 230 max. Presently away and the kitchen here has an oven that goes up to 250, so I'll try that and let you know.

BTW you're baking in a tin aren't you, judging by the shape? No need for a stone in that case.
 
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ancient_mariner said:
I feel my oven doesn't get hot enough for a lasting crust at 230 max. Presently away and the kitchen here has an oven that goes up to 250, so I'll try that and let you know.

BTW you're baking in a tin aren't you, judging by the shape? No need for a stone in that case.
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Thanks for that. It is a tin loaf I'd obviously misunderstood what I'd read about the stone.

Just checked my oven goes up to 275 so would be interested to see the outcome of your trial.

Am I likely to experience the same with a free form loaf as well?
 
Sorry for dipping in, for the crust on white bread, are you using boiling water in the oven before putting the dough in??

Also, I think allowing the bread to 'rest' in the oven with the door slightly open for a few minutes after the bake helps? (Oven off)

Sorry if I'm repeating something you already know :)
 
My oven goes to 300°c .... guess who turned it on and left a fat pan in there :runaway: :headbang::LOL:
 
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I find it hard to get a crisp crust that lasts, even making ciabatta. Pretty sure a partial cause is water vapour from the crumb rehydrating the crust, not helped by cooling under a teatowel.

FWIW I see supermarket bread also getting a soft crust after a couple of days.
 
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Gav. said:
My oven goes to 300°c .... guess who turned it on and left a fat pan in there :runaway: :headbang::LOL:
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That works great for seasoning bare metal utensils, but your house will smell for a long time after.
 
I season my cast iron Dutch oven occasionally, but try to do it in the Rayburn so smells go up the chimney.
 
Gav. said:
Sorry for dipping in, for the crust on white bread, are you using boiling water in the oven before putting the dough in??

Also, I think allowing the bread to 'rest' in the oven with the door slightly open for a few minutes after the bake helps? (Oven off)

Sorry if I'm repeating something you already know :)
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As I said I'm a novice so all tips greatly appreciated I was using cold water but poured into a hot tray
 
Having watched a few channels (faves Chainbaker and Emma's goodies) there's a whole variety of ways to make steam. Emma throws ice cubes into her oven for ciabatta for example.
 
Well, baking at a higher temperature makes no difference to crust longevity. Nice bread though.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Well, baking at a higher temperature makes no difference to crust longevity. Nice bread though.
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I ran out of white flour so made a couple of loaves using malted flour. I'd been reading up and followed a suggestion of giving the first rise in the fridge overnight plus I baked at a lower temperature for longer, as well as leaving the oven door ajar as suggested above. This did give a better longer lived crust.
Obviously not a scientific test as I'd changed too many variables but will try another white baked at a lower temperature using the same recipe and will report back
 
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