Gallery of Regrettable Breads

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh

I have a feeling I'll monopolise this thread........

Here's today's Barley Rye Sourdough. I toasted the barley some...and it smelled gooood. However, after bulk fermentation last night and forming, it was a bit late to bake...so I popped them into the fridge. At that point, it looked ripe for baking. Well, today's sad story is that the breads have been overproved...oven spring was not much. Thankfully, the bread tasted alright...sour and flavourful.

*kicking myself for not following my instinct*

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Bill44's picture
Bill44 2006 May 10

Ah well TP, as they say, we live and we learn. You are not the first to do this, I have done it myself.
It looks like it would have been a really good loaf.

northwestsourdough's picture
northwestsourdough 2006 May 11

Gee...Gallery of regrettable breads sounds like a gallery Graham should have up permanently. We all have such pics we can post. Luckily, many such regrets still taste good!
Teresa

chembake 2006 May 16

[quote]
I have a feeling I'll monopolize this thread........

Here's today's Barley Rye Sourdough. I toasted the barley some...and it smelled gooood. However, after bulk fermentation last night and forming, it was a bit late to bake...so I popped them into the fridge. At that point, it looked ripe for baking. Well, today's sad story is that the breads have been overproved...oven spring was not much. Thankfully, the bread tasted alright...sour and flavourful.
[/quote]

Hi TP....You should not despair....every baker had that experience (occasionally in his baking life) that he or she is ashamed of his products as it its not good or does not reach her /his standards or expectation for quality

On the bight side ...you seldom learn from you success but mostly from your mistakes
Keep up the diligent baking and soon you will become a top notch baker!
In the past
I have been observing your work and
I think you have the talent and the enthusiasm for such craft,,, there is no doubt about it!
You just need more practice to get things the way you want it to be

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2006 May 16

It's nice to know that you have a baker-guardian-angel looking over your shoulder.........

Thanks, y'all, for the great encouragement. Crossing fingers (and toes) that today's wholemeal loaf won't end up here.

Bill44's picture
Bill44 2006 May 16

[quote="TeckPoh"]
*kicking myself for not following my instinct*
[/quote]

For instinct read experience. You are an experienced cook in many fields TP, and as others will find as they bake more, you will develop "the feel".

The experience for when the dough "feels" right when mixing and kneading, the experience for when a loaf "feels" proofed enough, the experience when reading a new recipe that you "feel" that special care may need to be taken with some of it.
As Chembake wisely said, you will learn far more from your mistakes than you will from your successes.
As is often said, experience is a great teacher but unfortunately it gives the lesson before the answer.

chembake 2006 May 18

[quote]
It's nice to know that you have a baker-guardian-angel looking over your shoulder.........
[/quote]

And possibly the devil as well

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2006 May 18

Well....[i][b]somebody's[/b][/i] been quite an 'angel' lately....

*** [i]Everyone heaving a big sigh of relief[/i] ***

chembake 2006 May 19

[quote]
Well....somebody's been quite an 'angel' lately....

*** Everyone heaving a big sigh of relief ***
[/quote]

Hmmn,,,,its likely a dark angel hovering with cudgel made of yeast raised French stick in his right hand?
and shield of wheat sheaf decorative bread on his left ?:o

Adam T's picture
Adam T 2008 March 5
This is what happens when you leave the dough in a hot sweaty box too long, and lacking properly dusted linens

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2008 March 7
and YIKES!!

I'm so busy oogling at other people's breads, I forgot all about my starter! Looks like I've to keep feeding it till the morning. I'm no midnight baker.
nowonmai 2008 March 8

mate, that bread looks stunning to me, i'd still eat it. I'd love to know where you learned to take pics like that as well!
Danubian's picture
Danubian 2008 March 10
Here's an example of a finished loaf exhibiting several external faults, almost all can all be traced back to excessively cool finished dough temperature (FDT). The faults could have been mitigated by allowing a longer DTO, but more specifically longer bulk rest/recovery prior to final moulding. This bread will also exhibit poor eating qualities due to excessively cool FDT, however, this exercise focuses on external appearance.

  • darker crust colour than desired (cooler FDT results in excessive residual sugars at the time of baking)
  • insufficient cracking (cooler FDT prevents proper protein maturity - protein excessively elastic - during final proof )
  • poorly distributed cracks (cooler FDT prevents proper protein maturity - protein excessively tough not able to give freely - during final proof)
  • excesssively deep cracks (cooler FDT prevents proper protein maturity - protein excessively tough not able to give freely - during final proof)
  • poor colour contrast between cracks and dusted areas (incorrect top surface dust application)

80% Rye, 45% FTA

[IMG]http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/plutrach/IMG_5049.jpg[/IMG]

This is how it should appear externally

[IMG]http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/plutrach/IMG_3010.jpg[/IMG]



TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2008 March 10

I've lost count of how many times I've expressed my gratefulness today. You people are incredibly sharing.

Boris, won't the breads in the 2nd pix turn darker at the cracks given a longer time in the oven? If so, how can you tell that the 1st one is undesirable bread whereas the 2nd is perfectly fine, other than the cracks which don't appear uniform?
Danubian's picture
Danubian 2008 March 10
[quote=TeckPoh]
Boris, won't the breads in the 2nd pix turn darker at the cracks given a longer time in the oven? If so, how can you tell that the 1st one is undesirable bread whereas the 2nd is perfectly fine, other than the cracks which don't appear uniform?
[/quote]

It's what we bakers call "bloom" - the 'brightness' or character of the colour. If the top had been withdrawn from the oven earlier it would not have exhibited the same colour qualities as a loaf from a 'ripe' dough, like the bottom loaves. Also it would have been excessively moist (underbaked) with an inelastic gluey crumb. As it is it will be a little sticky due to the excess residual sugars. Conversely, if the bottom loaves had been baked longer, yes they would have been darker but the character of the colour would still not be the same as the top loaves.

This dough was a trial to illustrate failure to calculate the correct water temp to achieve the correct FDT of 28-29'C. It finished at 23'C. Of course , at home with considerably less demand on oven space etc, home bakers can allow a couple of extra hours recovery/rest prior to final moulding/shaping which would mitigate the cause and flaws. In a bakery oven space is in high demand and dictated by prodcution scheduling , there's less room for errors.
nowonmai 2008 March 16
can someone tell me how to post photos in the blog? can get them into the gallery, but cant seem to get them up on the blog. cheers!
TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2008 November 5

I thought I'd add today's bake, a barley bread, recipe from Dan Lepard's Handmade Loaf, except, this is fully sourdough. I was thinking what bread to bake, when the smell of the barley/mung bean drink which was on the stove drifted over. I used 240g of the boiled grains. Things were looking good until I snagged part of the dough on transfer. It was like looking at a tyre tube being deflated. *ppooooofffff*

It's really delicious.....mmm... I don't seem to be able to go without sourdough bread for more than 10 days. Sorry, mate, but I still think you belong in this thread.  



TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2008 December 31


1. Fold a nice 6" high origami bowl.
2. Prove the dough for 7 hours and watch it triple.
3. Prove the second dough mixed with the first and wake up to see dough more than doubled and sticking to the cloth.
4. Yank sticky mess of a cloth off, say goodbye to a smooth top.
5. Pray that all will be well....the webwork from the mangled top looks good.
6. Underbake the bread and not know it. Blame it on last night's Jack Daniel's ribs.
7. Skewer bread and turn it upside down to have half of it plop out.
8. Scoop mess back into case and continue baking.
9. No miracles happened.
10. Now jab more stakes into ttone, and lay him to rest.


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