How do I get a nice floured surface on my homemade bread?

crusty

I know this is a dumb question but I am just learning. How do you get that nice white or brownish white flour-covered crust that i see on top of some of the sourdough breads?

After I shape my dough, I flour the outside and then let it proof. Then I slash and place in the oven. I mist the top of the bread. But I don't get that flour look on the top after baking. What am i doing wrong?

Jeremy Shapiro has some nice pictures of floured tops in his gallery. Can someone help!

chuck

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191 users have voted.

Replies

baxter SA 2007 March 26

Jeremy, Couldn't of said it better myself, I QUOTE: Machine are my ten fingers!

"IF YOU FEED IT, IT WILL RISE"

Pab's picture
Pab 2007 March 6

I think you need to prove your bread seem-side down. I mean upside down on a well floured towel, bannetton etc. Some sprinkle flour on the top of the loaf just before baking.

If anything, I find too much flour left on the surface of my bread and tend to rub it off a bit after cooling.

Pete

Jeremy's picture
Jeremy 2007 March 6

Don't mist the bread directly if it is floured, mist around the sides of the oven or you will get splotchy mud on your loaves! Also proof as Peter described seam side down or up, if up you won't need to slash the loaves there will be a rustic bursting effect that is pretty neat too!

Cheers!
Jeremy

Pab's picture
Pab 2007 March 7

I think I meant to write '[i]seam side up[/i]' but meant, as I went on to say, upside down.

Apologies for the confusion.

Pete

Jeremy's picture
Jeremy 2007 March 7

Peter you were right seam side up, but i can also be down for the volcanic look!

cheers

Papakon 2007 March 7

I had this problem too. Follow what has been mentined already. line your bowl with a dry clean tea towel. Dust well with flour. If you're using a high hydration % then you'll need to dust a little extra to compensate, as the flour will absorb into the dough as it's proving. Shape your dough and place it in the lined bowl no need to dust the top of your dough, you can if you wish, then cover the dough with a damp clean tea towel and allow to prove. when you're ready to bake dust a wooden board or peel with flour and rub it in. Remove the tea towel off the bowl and dust the dough. Place the board floured side down over the bowl and flip it over, board down, bowl now on top. Remove the bowl and the tea towel. If the tea towel has stuck to the dough, carefully p-e-e-l it off, DO NOT attempt to lift the towel as this will pull the dough. Once you have the towel off dust your dough surface with whatever flour you desire, remember your darker flours (rye) will give you a darker result after baking. Slash your dough and slide it to the oven, i'm asuming that you have a baking stone. No need to spray the dough or oven with water.

Things to prepare before baking.

Ensure your oven and baking stone has been preheating for at least 45 min at the highest temperature. 450-500 deg C is ideal.

Boil aprox. 3-4 cups of water and before you're ready to place your dough into the oven pour the boiling water into a baking dish or tray that has been sitting in the bottom of the oven, a couple of minutes before you put in your dough, to get some steam circulating in the oven. No need to spray the dough or oven with water during the baking process. The water in the tray will take care of all that.

Bake till you get the desired color.

Jeremy's picture
Jeremy 2007 March 7

[quote="Papakon"]
I had this problem too. Follow what has been mentined already. line your bowl with a dry clean towel. Dust well with flour. If you're using a high hydration % then you'll need to dust a little extra to compensate, as the flour will absorb into the dough as it's proving. Shape your dough and place it in the bowl no need to dust the top you can if you wish, cover the dough with another damp clean towel and allow to prove. when you're ready to bake dust a wooden board with flour and rub it in. Remove your damp towel off the bowl and dust the dough. Place the board floured side down over the board and flip it over, board down, bowl now on top. remove the bowl and the towel most probably will be stuck to the dough. Carefully p-e-e-l the towel off, DO NOT attempt to lift the towel as this will pull the dough. Once you have the towel off dust your dough surface with whatever flour you desire, remember your darker flours (rye) will give you a darker result after baking. slash your dough and slide it to the oven, i'm asuming that you have a baking stone. no need to spray the dough.

Things to prepare before baking.

Ensure your oven and baking stone has been preheating for at least 45 min at the highest temperature. 450-500 deg C is ideal.

Boil aprox. 3-4 cups of water and before you're ready to place your dough into the oven pour the boiling water into a baking dish or tray that has been sitting in the bottom of the oven, a few minutes before your dough to get the steam happening. No need to keep spraying the dough or oven. The water will evaporate eventually.

Bake till you get the desired color.
[/quote]

Wow, that seemed like a high tension and lots of of work, try some rye flour first instead of white flour, maybe corn, semolina or bran (rye) on the bottom of your peel and avoid the wet towel,defeating the purpose me thinks?

Ta!

Papakon 2007 March 8

Jeremy, if this is too much work maybe Crusty should consider using a bread machine, throw it all in and push a couple of buttons, eh? By the way that was damp tea towel not wet. Why does using a damp tea towel defeat the purpose, what purpose, i've been using a damp tea towel to cover my dough while proving, never had any problems.

Jeremy's picture
Jeremy 2007 March 9

Sorry thought you meant a towel inside the bowl! I use a linen cloth or plastic(not bio sorry!)
Machine are my ten fingers!

Jeremy

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