Hello there,
I am new to baking and have just baked my 2nd lot of bread. My problem is that when I put my loaves in the oven, they seem to subside, rather than rise. The dough proves nicely and rises to the top of the tins before I bake them - things go wrong once they go in the oven. I am not adding water/steam to my baking... Will this help?.... The bread makes ok eating, just a bit heavy.
Any help would be most appreciated - thanks and I look forward to any advice.
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It sounds like the doough is over proofed. Cut back on the final proof time 30 min each time until you get a nice oven spring.
Thanks Shasta, I will try that next week - much appreciated
Hello sarkos,
I would say that Shasta is right on the money with the over-proved diagnosis. How long were you proving for and do you know what temperature you were working at?
You have to keep in mind that the timing depends quite strongly on the temperature so you should be learning to judge the state of the loaf by other means than the clock alone particularly if you don't have a temperature controlled environment.
As part of your experimentation, you might try the 'poke' test to see if you can assess the situation that way as well. Some people have difficulty with it but I think it is worth a try as it gives you a fall back position for different recipes as well.
Good luck with your projects.
Farinam
Thanks Farinam,
I think I am over proofing in the first rising before I shape my loaves, I will cut this down and I think this will make a big difference. Thanks for your suggestions.
Farinam makes an excelent point. Many factors play out in the way a final loaf of bread comes out. You will want to try to duplicate all other factors in you process so that the only thing that changes is the timing of the last proofing. The poke test is a great way of knowing when a loaf is ready to bake. I suggest you do a poke test on each loaf you do as you adjust proofing times so that yo can see the diffrence. When you get a loaf that comes out as you like, it will be easier to recognize when future loaves are ready. Then it will be easier to play with the other factors in the process because you will know what a nicely proofed loaf should look and feel like.
Just keep in mind that its not as hard as it may sounds, it just takes practice and patience. Good Luck!
Thanks again Shasta.
Just wanted to update you on the progress... The loaves worked perfectly this weekend! I reduced the proving time on the first rise, spritzed water on the loaves before placing in the oven and added a tin of water to add steam to the baking. I could actually see the loaves rise in the oven. A chewy crust, and a lovely even crumb. So thaks for your advice Farinam and Shasta, it has helped. Happy baking, Sarah :)