Ever wondered how to bake the perfect loaf? Here are the answers to some of the challenges you may experience.
Bread Staling
How bread becomes stale
- Drying out: Loss of moisture causes bread to become tough and leathery, with a dry crumb
- Moulding: Moisture in the bread allows the growth of moulds. Mould appears as white, green, grey or black hair-like spots. Bread which is packed when warm becomes mouldy
- Rope: Hot temperatures promote the growth of rope, which is caused by spores in bacteria. The bread forms yellow, sticky strings, known as rope. Rope formation can be stopped by lowering the pH, by adding a little vinegar or lemon juice
- Souring: An extended rising process causes the dough to become sour
A Good Loaf
Appearance
- Well rounded, smooth upper crust, even colour, not too dark
- Sides and bottom crust, without folds or cracks, light brown in colour
- No deep crack or overhanging upper crust
- Light in mass in relation to size
Texture
- Easy to cut with a bread knife
- Light, elastic and spongy
- Fine and even air bubbles
- Soft, elastic with slightly moist crumb
- Ingredients well mixed, not streaky
Colour
- Even and not streaky
Taste
- Typical of bread type
- No strong yeast taste
- Completely baked, not raw
- Fresh taste, not stale
Baking Faults and Reasons
Small Volume
- Flour with poor gluten content
- Too much sugar or shortening
- Underproofed
Tough Crust
- Poor quality flour
- Not completely baked
- Too much salt
Heavy Bread
- Poor quality flour
- Too much salt
- Dough too stiff or soft
- Underproofed
- Underbaked
Volume Too Great
- Overproofed
- Pan too small for quantity of dough
- Oven temperature too low
Deep Ridge On Side
- Flour with low gluten content
- Underproofed
- Dough too cold
- Sticky dough with poor gluten content
Bread Sticks In Pan
- Underbaked
- Pan not greased enough
Uneven Shape
- Bad moulding
- Pan too small for quantity of dough
- Over – or underproofed
- Pans too close together in oven
- Uneven temperature
Dark Crumb
- Quality and type of flour
- Overproofed
Cracked Crust
- Dough too stiff
- Underproofed
- Oven too hot – crust baked before dough had finished rising
Thick Crust
- Baked too long at a low temperature
- Underproofed
- Oven too hot
Holes Under Thin, Hard Crust
- Overproofed
- Oven too hot
Streaky Texture
- Poorly mixed ingredients
- Flour added after dough had risen
- Surface of dough dried out during rising process
- Too much salt
- Poor quality flour
Coarse Texture
- Poor quality flour
- Under kneading
- Overproofed
- Dough too soft
- Oven temperature too low
Stale Bread
- Loss of moisture
Sour Taste
- Overproofed
- Dough too hot during rising
- Oven too slow, prolonged rising in oven
Tasteless
- Not enough salt
Mouldy
- Warm product packed in container
- Rope – overripe melon flavour
Other
- Poor quality ingredients
- Musty flour
