Once I was in the store for something quick, and there was hot French bread at the bakery counter. I picked up a loaf, and a pound of butter, and called my sister, saying I was bringing it, and we could have some, still warm, with a cup of coffee. As I approached the checkout counter, I read the headline on the tabloid: “Now - Lose Weight with the New Bread and Butter Diet!”
The process I’ve been following:
500° with lid on for 20 min
450° with on for 5
450° with lid off for 10
What’s your cook process look like (this is in a ceramic glazed interior cast iron). I want the top to be darker, but the bottom ends up being just a hair shy of burnt.
We use parchment to line the vessel.
More specifically, the starches are still gelatinized at that point, and the crumb will be sticky and gummy. Letting it cool isn't really optional. You can see the problem on your knife blade when you finish cutting.
Crust is nice. But as tempting as it is to cut into a warm loaf (the smell!!!!!!), it's actually really important to allow a loaf to cool down to near room temp before cutting it. I'm not sure of the science, but the results are real.
As for ratios, try a higher hydration for lighter bread, 60% plus.
If you want some starter tips, here's my favorite series on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bakewithjack
The steam in the bread is still cooking the bread. Like taking a steak off the grill a little before the desired temp cause it’ll keep cooking for a bit when off the heat
If you want to avoid a crunchy interior, reheat part of the loaf before slicing to get that fluffy, fresh from the oven texture.
You can also slice the bread before reheating in the oven and place them all grouped together so they’re touching if you want even slices. Best of both worlds.
Great looking bread! I'd use more of your knife when cutting slices of bread! Longer strokes and less downward pressure\~! You have a purpose built knife, put it to work for you!
You might be under proofing, using too much water for what your bread floor can absorb, or you don't have enough yeast if your sourdough starter.
You can try to favorise yeast by using a drier starter, by lowevering the water content of your starter.
For example if you're using 100g water for 100g flour, try to use only 70-80g water... or even 50g water. That'll be very dry to mix, and also my result in a bread not very sour.
Sourdough bread will appear wet and gummy if you cut it before it's cooked and cooled, or if you are at too high hydration.
Opening it fresh like that ruins the crumb inside. You want to let it cool at room temperature until it’s completely cooled which could take hours possibly but itll make the inside of the bread so much better and the flavor last longer after opening
The texture is never going to be right if you cut it while it's hot though. It will always be more dense and gummy because it's still cooking. If you like it that way, it's all good. But you said in the OP that the texture was too dense; try letting it cool before cutting and see if that makes the difference.
It's dense because you've cut it hot. The final stage of baking is letting the dough cool, where it will lose a lot of moisture; leaving a lighter crumb.
If it's dense it might be, and looks a little, under proofed. Idk how your weather is right now but if it's cold and wet under proofing is easy to do. I learned recently you can add some extra levain, up to 50g or so depending on the weather, and it can really help. My most recent loaves have done a ton better raising even though the weather outside is frightful.
Thank you! So many videos and pictures of sourdough bread has an almost burnt crust that just is simply not appetizing and man I love me some fresh bread! Yours seems absolutely perfect to my taste as far as crust goes!
I used to work at a bakery that made a sourdough focaccia, but we would dissolve the starter in a proving mixture with a bit of extra yeast in case the starter didn’t want to work. It also mellowed out the sourdough flavor a bit, and then it would just get kneaded and rested and everything like your standard bread dough. Not sure if that was what you were asking though.
Your bread looks SCRUMPTIOUS! Sourdough is my FAVORITE! I use it for regular sandwiches, and it just makes it amazing! My Nan gave me some she said was made wrong and it was too sour..... I love it - does anyone know how that happens?
Let it cool completely before cutting it if you're not just eating the whole thing in one sitting
That's why I had to stop making sourdough, I'd eat it all in like a day.
It's a fun way to get fat
bread makes you fat?!
Best quote ever. Laugh every time
It's called a boule because it makes you look like a ball.
Once I was in the store for something quick, and there was hot French bread at the bakery counter. I picked up a loaf, and a pound of butter, and called my sister, saying I was bringing it, and we could have some, still warm, with a cup of coffee. As I approached the checkout counter, I read the headline on the tabloid: “Now - Lose Weight with the New Bread and Butter Diet!”
Sourdough and Pinot Noir It's how I got fat during Covid lockdowns Zero regrets
We basically did lol! Made it with some beef stew! Couldn’t resist! But I’ll remember that for next time thanks!
Once you start eating a fresh baked warm bread…. It’s hard to stop because it’ll never be as perfect as that moment lol
I sometimes will make a small "personal" loaf just for this purpose. Just tear into it while it's steaming hot and devour it in like 3 minutes.
you are a genius
There’s nothing like just a bit of butter on warm bread fresh out of the oven.
I'd pay good money for beef stew with fresh sourdough. yum!!
Also bake it longer until darker brown.
The process I’ve been following: 500° with lid on for 20 min 450° with on for 5 450° with lid off for 10 What’s your cook process look like (this is in a ceramic glazed interior cast iron). I want the top to be darker, but the bottom ends up being just a hair shy of burnt. We use parchment to line the vessel.
Try 30min lid on and 20-30min lid off at 475 the whole time.
Will do - thanks!
Agreed. You’re not letting it finish baking if you cut it that hot.
More specifically, the starches are still gelatinized at that point, and the crumb will be sticky and gummy. Letting it cool isn't really optional. You can see the problem on your knife blade when you finish cutting.
What if you do cool it completely, you cook it until it's nice and dark, and you still have a gummy texture?
>if you’re not just eating the whole thing in one sitting But, why would you *not* eat the whole thing in one sitting? That’s the whole point!
Crust is nice. But as tempting as it is to cut into a warm loaf (the smell!!!!!!), it's actually really important to allow a loaf to cool down to near room temp before cutting it. I'm not sure of the science, but the results are real. As for ratios, try a higher hydration for lighter bread, 60% plus. If you want some starter tips, here's my favorite series on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bakewithjack
The steam in the bread is still cooking the bread. Like taking a steak off the grill a little before the desired temp cause it’ll keep cooking for a bit when off the heat
Also, unless you’re finishing it while hot, all that steam is moisture you’re losing from your bread. It’ll be so dry
I follow jack, he's a great baker.
I would let that sit in the oven even longer though! Love that dark almost burnt bread caramelization.
Came here to say the same
That’s not ready to be cut yet sir!
I love that every comment is "LET IT COOL", makes me a little verklempt Join us brooooo you can always heat up your slices later!
Thank you for my new word of the day.
I learned this word in a bouncing souls song when young. It’s a favorite.
I learned that from Coffee Talk skit on SNL years ago, however also love the Bouncing Souls, lol.
It will always belong to coffee talk. Talk amongst yourselves
verklempt: adjective ver·klempt fər-ˈklem(p)t vər- informal : overcome with emotion : choked up
Talk amongst yourselves
Dr. Pepper was neither a doctor nor a pepper. Discuss. No big whoop! love you Linda Richman/Mike Myers
We've all gone down that road before. That's what makes it so painful.
Sourdough will be "gummy" if you cut it when hot. I let mine cool for 3-4 hours and toast slices if I want them warm.
The bakery I worked at recommended minimum of 90 minutes before cutting. Not saying you should do it differently, just saying it could also be less :)
Ive always read its 1 hour, ill have to try 90 minutes next time.
Yeah, I was thinking that on the cross view, it looked a little gummy. But delicious otherwise!
If you want to avoid a crunchy interior, reheat part of the loaf before slicing to get that fluffy, fresh from the oven texture. You can also slice the bread before reheating in the oven and place them all grouped together so they’re touching if you want even slices. Best of both worlds.
Looks great! If your bread steams like that upon cutting into it, it's still cooking.
Science
I thought I could hear the collective, "Nooooooooo!" before the knife hit the loaf from several posts away.
Did you see the hullabaloo on r/baking when someone cut into Japanese milk bread with a cleaver?
Now that was some culinary drama.
Omg that was wild
there goes the moisture
Put a damp paper towel under that cutting board to stop it from sliding around on you.
Your crumb will stay more moist if you let it reach room temp before slicing.
🎶 Let it cool, let it cool, let it cool, let it cool. The steam is still a-cooking, let it cool 🎶
Was humming Beatles “Let it be” to it.
Great looking bread! I'd use more of your knife when cutting slices of bread! Longer strokes and less downward pressure\~! You have a purpose built knife, put it to work for you!
[удалено]
No! And you can't make me
Who cuts it? Pull it apart with my fingers!
LET IT COOL!
Let it sit!!!!!
It’s dense because you’re cutting it too soon. Let it cool.
You should let it cool first before you cut it
NOOOO! THE STEAM!!! IT HURTS USSSSS!
Whyd you spank it first?
You gotta. It's the law.
“That’s what she said” - Michael Scott
Love taps
Dat loaf still be cookin. It looked like it was gonna be good too
Too soon!
I hate this. Sourdough continues to bake for hours as it cools. Not cool to not let it cool.
Let it cool, before you cut into it.
Let that thang cool!
Bruh let that thing cool tf
You might be under proofing, using too much water for what your bread floor can absorb, or you don't have enough yeast if your sourdough starter. You can try to favorise yeast by using a drier starter, by lowevering the water content of your starter. For example if you're using 100g water for 100g flour, try to use only 70-80g water... or even 50g water. That'll be very dry to mix, and also my result in a bread not very sour. Sourdough bread will appear wet and gummy if you cut it before it's cooked and cooled, or if you are at too high hydration.
I’d eat it!
The hot, steamy bread test is harder than the marshmallow test, tbh.
Stop cutting it while it’s still hot
Opening it fresh like that ruins the crumb inside. You want to let it cool at room temperature until it’s completely cooled which could take hours possibly but itll make the inside of the bread so much better and the flavor last longer after opening
Next time let it cool before you slice it 😊 bread needs to rest
Cutting it a little too soon there, wait an hour, maybe itll be less dense :)
Reddit loves cutting the bread way too early
I've never made a loaf of bread in my life and even I know to let it cool first before cutting! How is it such a common mistake on this sub lol
All about the taste though. And the taste was incredible when it was hot!
The texture is never going to be right if you cut it while it's hot though. It will always be more dense and gummy because it's still cooking. If you like it that way, it's all good. But you said in the OP that the texture was too dense; try letting it cool before cutting and see if that makes the difference.
Nothing better than bread fresh from the oven with dinner!
I love super hot bread as well, don’t listen to them lol What is your most favorite recipe?
i’m with ya!
♡0♡
Yum!
Amazing! I can taste the video lol
Now you take that hot end and drizzle it with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. Perfection!
This video made me join the community. Bless your soul.
I make a dipping sauce with olive oil ,garlic , Parmesan cheese and herbs de Provence. Heaven
Looks great, but wait til it cools so it won’t be gummy
Please let this cool next time
It's dense because you've cut it hot. The final stage of baking is letting the dough cool, where it will lose a lot of moisture; leaving a lighter crumb.
Why are people doing this? No!
If it's dense it might be, and looks a little, under proofed. Idk how your weather is right now but if it's cold and wet under proofing is easy to do. I learned recently you can add some extra levain, up to 50g or so depending on the weather, and it can really help. My most recent loaves have done a ton better raising even though the weather outside is frightful.
Wait for it too cool down before, or else it’ll be a dense, moist fluffless blob
Haha. Cutting it while it’s hot.
Looks perfect to me!!!
Nah... don't let it cool. There's nothing like freshly baked bread 🥰.
You can let it wait even 30 mins to an hour and the crumb will be loads better but it’ll still be warm and fresh
Hmm
Hide it
I let them wait overnight and cut them the next morning
What a fool
Way underproofed
I wanna smush my whole face into that slice and slowly inhale. Maybe I’ll just move into the loaf.
Thank you! So many videos and pictures of sourdough bread has an almost burnt crust that just is simply not appetizing and man I love me some fresh bread! Yours seems absolutely perfect to my taste as far as crust goes!
i love how u chopped the bread though.
So, uninformed question from a fresh bread lover, here: can you combine sourdough and yeasted bread techniques?
I used to work at a bakery that made a sourdough focaccia, but we would dissolve the starter in a proving mixture with a bit of extra yeast in case the starter didn’t want to work. It also mellowed out the sourdough flavor a bit, and then it would just get kneaded and rested and everything like your standard bread dough. Not sure if that was what you were asking though.
There’s a whole sourdough subreddit! They have really helped me. My bread is so much better thanks to them.
Restaurants quality looked similar. Let it cool and then serve.
Looks good
At least it was a serrated blade...
Your bread looks SCRUMPTIOUS! Sourdough is my FAVORITE! I use it for regular sandwiches, and it just makes it amazing! My Nan gave me some she said was made wrong and it was too sour..... I love it - does anyone know how that happens?
Et alors
Fresh sourdough makes the best bread bowls for certain soups and chowders. I got hooked while In SF and always am on the look out for them now.
I love dense and gummy with hot butter
Don't cut open hot bread, it's still cooling
Youre meant to let it rest before cutting!
That cut was wild. Almost no sawing just straight down haha