Toasting Loaf

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Toasting Loaf

Postby lemonD » Tue Jul 07, 2009 7:52 pm

Our every day bread is coming out very consistently and great for sandwiches, with a soft open crumb and good crust, however once toasted if like chewing a carpenters rasp. Plus when it's toasted it tends to burn round the edges very quickly before the middle is browned.

I've tried slowly increasing the dough weight and proving to the same height to try and get a smaller crumb but no joy.

LD
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Postby wheels » Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:30 am

LD

Are you toasting it the same day that it's made, or a couple of days later?

What sort of tooast are you after? I like almost a crispbread texture with a few burnt bits, but I'm guessing that you're after something more like a toasted commercial sliced loaf?

What hydration is the recipe you are using? Or, can you post the recipe?

Phil
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Postby lemonD » Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:42 am

Phil,
It's the same however old the bread is, it does have a crispbread texture, it toast's all the way through but I would like it to be softer in the middle.
I'm not after commercial type sliced bread toast (thin & doughy) but more like the toast you get from a bakery farmhouse loaf.
I have had slightly better results using fresh yeast but that's rarely available.

Recipe
600g bread flour (Lidl)
338g water
30g lard
13g improver
8g salt
7g Allison's quick yeast or 15g fresh

So 56% hydration.

In your soft rolls what is it that gives them the softness?

LD
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Postby jenny_haddow » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:04 am

Does it make any difference if you cut the bread thicker, or reduce the time setting on the toaster?

If you have a fresh bakery in your Tesco they will sell you a bag of fresh yeast for 20pence. It used to be free.

Jen
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Postby MickHeaton » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:10 am

It may be worth looking at the amount of improver as it seems a little high? If you are using a 'regular' or traditional/all rounder then they are usually used at 1% on flour weight for white bread and 2-3% for brown. Given your 56% water I would say you are making white perhaps?

I also read somewhere that Lidl bread flour has an amount of improver already in? I cannot verify this or otherwise but if true that would count towards things.

You could be getting to much of a rise with these factors and as such your bread is getting a good bake but not completely through (although it will look fine). Although your centre of loaf is lovely and soft etc it could have retained some moisture which is preventing your bread toasting more evenly?
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Postby wheels » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:27 am

I'd increase the hydration of the bread to at least 60% (well I'd increase it to at least 63% - but try 60% first given that you're starting at 56%).

This is just a gut feeling based on the thought that the less water in the bread, the drier the toast?

Phil
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Postby MickHeaton » Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:15 pm

LD - PM me your address and I'll send a bit of the improver I use for you to try/experiment with, I'll pop some fresh yeast in to! :wink:

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Postby Spuddy » Thu Jul 09, 2009 7:08 am

MickHeaton wrote:
I also read somewhere that Lidl bread flour has an amount of improver already in? I cannot verify this or otherwise but if true that would count towards things.


Yes I can confirm that it does contain improver already according to the ingredients declaration.
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Postby lemonD » Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:31 am

Mick,
Thanks for the kind offer however I already buy my improver from you.
But as Dave will attest free samples are always welcome :D

I have some of your soft loaf improver I was thinking of mixing it with the traditional ?

Spuddy
I making one today so I'll try less improver. Lidl's flour has ascorbic acid

Jen Thanks for the info re Tesco yeast, thicker slices means it just burns around the edges long before the centre gets cooked. :(
LD
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Postby beardedwonder5 » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:40 am

Always happy to throw a spanner. Maybe it's the toaster setting. Not the timing, perhaps an element gone? Perhaps low voltage? Try weighing a just-cut slice, drying it in the oven, and reweighing it. Just off the top of my head - it sounds as if the toaster is in effect oven heating the slice, which means that the moisture evaporates concurrevtly with the brownibg - whereas you wish browning to occur before any significant drying.

Try turning your oven up high, letting it reach temp and then popping a slice in on the grid. Observe frequently. When the surface colour is to your liking, remove slice and test If crispbread, it's the recipe. If the centre is moist, then your toaster's set for a commercial, moisture-laden crunb. (I.e., the heat radiated can't evaporate the inner moisture before the surface burns.)
GOS, yeah!!!
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Postby lemonD » Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:51 pm

BW5,
I wish it was as simple as that, me thinks the quest for perfect toast is far more complicated :)

LD
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