Ok guys basically as in the title my wife believes that I burned my bread. I tried to explain her the caramelization of the sugar and starch and how this brings out the additional flavors in the bread but couldn’t convince her. I even showed her the tartine bread’s book cover and accused those guys also messed up lol.
Anyway I accepted the fact that she likes i golden brown more than dark brown.
My recipe of this loaf is, as you can guess, from tartine bread with a little twist.
500 gr strong bread flour (doves farm) 13.4% protein. 390 gr room temperature water. Autolyse for 30 mins. Add starter (1:1 rye/white bread flour mix) by 100 gr and rest 30 mins. Add salt rest 30 mins and lamination. 4 times stretch and fold in every half an hour.
Dough was very billowy, wiggly and easy to handle after all these steps.
Took the dough on bench gave a round shape by folding on the center and tucking the bottom with scraper and let it rest for 20 mins on the bench.
Fold the dough from the sides and rolled from top to bottom on itself, took it in the banneton, pinched the bottom to seal and let it rest for another 20 mins then took it in the fridge.
8 hours after took the dough into the freezer and turned on the oven. 30 mins after took it out of the freezer scored, put it in the dutch oven along with 2 ice cubes.
Took it out of the oven 5 mins after and saw the dough became flat (i honestly need your opinions why would it be. Is it bc of 2 ice cubes ?). This was a huge disappointment to me however i scores it once more and closed the lid and put it back to oven. Backed 15 more minutes. Opened the lid and baked until the e bread has the dark brown color (appr 30-35 more mins).
I am happy i could achieve an ear (even though it is a small one) thanks to second scoring however crumb is kinda dense at the center. Do i still need to proof i a little bit more ?
Thanks.
by dxbatas
10 Comments
This is normal colour for me, your wife doesn’t like flavour?
35 minutes is on the far end of uncovered baking, she isn’t entirely wrong – you’re cutting it a lil’ close – but if you like the flavor and it isn’t completely black then you do you.
The crumb is fine, Jesus I think people would cut open a boule and it’d be entirely hollow and they’d say “Nailed it”
Many breads have an even darker crust and are great that way. Your crumb looks absolutely fine in relation. So it’s perfect!
I, like your wife, also prefer my bread much less brown, more golden. I bake 25 minutes with steam and I find my loaves are baked through after only 7-10 minutes uncovered (210 f internal temp) and that’s when I pull them from the oven. Just my personal preference
Looks great to me. I usually bake lighter because that crust ruins the roof of my mouth.
Wow nice inner view! Looks so full and fluffy
Looks good to being maybe a little too done for my tastes. Your wife can like what she likes.
That being said, divorce.
Your wife is a wise woman. This one was taken a bit too far. You don’t say what temp you used, but I’d peel it back a few degrees.
You may be absolutely right and her wrong. But unless you are literally making only for yourself, this might not be the hill to on. I too prefer my bread on the golden brown side, but as a terrible baker end up where you are accidentally more often than not. It’s still delicious browned like that. But I too prefer it golden. To each his own. Personally I’d keep it covered of coupme more minutes and uncovered a couple less.
After baking my first loaf I realized I like the more cooked bottom of the bread. So now I bake them a little longer. There is definitely a fine line, but I enjoy that “burnt” taste. To each their own I guess.