August 10, 2019 - 9:13am
Trying for a loaf but get a bun
Hi folks,
I'm trying to make a simple loaf but it always comes out more like a hamburger bun.
Soft, with white sides and a browned top.
I hand-mix the ingredients, wait an hour then re-mix and shape into a ball. Wait another hour, then place it into a cast iron dutch oven and into a pre-heated oven (400F) for about 10 mins (uncovered)
Here's the recipe:
88g Water (at 105 - 115F)
2g Yeast
3g Salt
125g Bread Flour
Any suggestions would be welcome!
Cheers!
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This seems like a recipe for a very very small bread, is that your goal? Just because you mention it, hamburger buns are around 50-75 grams unbaked weight, and your recipe total is 218g.
If you can, pictures would be a great help.
Dan
Can you take a photo? It's hard to know what is the problem without a visual.
Thanks for replies!
Yes, I'm trying to make a loaf that is just enough to make sandwiches for 2 people.
Here are photos of one I just made:
A longer bake (15 min at 400F) Thermometer shows 203F.
Your bread looks good!
But, if your goal is a loaf, then you'll want to use a loaf tin. This may be too small a quantity to fit even the smallest tin.
Julie,
Ha! yes, it is good. Excellent as a bun.
It is not a loaf though, in that it only has a paper thin crust on top and is generally a very soft bread.
I'm think maybe kneading it 3 times (instead of just twice) to give it some strength to retain a ball shape, rather than collapsing into a flat bun.
Cheers!
Ok, I think I got it. You're trying to bake a crusty loaf and it's 1) coming out as a large bun and 2) not crusty...am I right?
Sometimes it's just a matter of deciphering what people in different parts of the world mean.
If your goal is producing utilitarian sandwich bread these videos may give you some ideas. You could use your same recipe, but bake it in in a can instead of a pot.
If the crust is not crispy enough, you could remove the bread from the can before the cooking was complete and finished baking it in the open oven.
https://youtu.be/4nA8fVAGWoU
https://youtu.be/xN7vHyc29S8
Julie and Dan,
I'm not really looking for a sandwich bread - I'd like a very crusty, old fashioned boule bread. Not a soft bun that you get when you order a hamburger.
I'll try taking it out of the dutch oven after 15 min of baking and put it back in the oven on a tray or pizza stone.
Cheers!
yep, it took me a bit to understand..
My first recommendation would be to up the temp on your bake. It's a small loaf, so it will bake fast. But even so, I'd start the bake at 450 and after about 10 minutes take the lid off your dutch oven and lower the temp to around 430 till it reaches the color you want.
an even three strand braid? That might shape it longer and lower if you want to split it lengthwise into a top and bottom to hold goodies.
Julie,
Thanks for the advice.
It turned out much better!
Mini Oven,
Thanks for the suggestion but I think I'll try the basic sstuff first.
Cheers!
nice colour too! Cool, almost a perfect sphere!