February 25, 2008 - 7:46pm
crust problems-help please
Hello Friends
Somehow when I bake my no-knead rye bread the crust does not stay crunchy. When I pull it out of the oven it's nice and hard, then I put in on a rack to cool for about 3 hours before I slice it. But somehow even just 1/2 hour after being on the rack, the crust has already turned soggy !!
otherwise the bread is delicious.
any ideas to fix this ?
Thanks
Rod
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I forgot to mention, I bake in a 500 degree oven, I steam during the first 5 minutes.
It sounds like it's undercooked. If there's still a decent amount of moisture in it when it comes out of the oven, the steam will come out when it's cooling, making the crust soft. I'd try one of these:
a. lower the temperature after 15 minutes to (450?) so you can bake it for longer (maybe 7 minutes) w/o burning it.
b. use a lower temperature for the whole time and cook it for longer (450 for 10 minutes longer)
c. keep the same temperature, but crack your oven open for the last 15 minutes, so it can 'bake in a dry oven' and therefore cook longer without burning.
I usually go with the 'b' option, just because it requires the least 'babysitting', however it may take a couple of tries to get the temp and timing just right.
Hope this helps.
-Mark
http://thebackhomebakery.com
Thanks Marc, I will try one of those.
Rod
Thunder Bay/ Canada
You could try reducing the water in the dough by a tablespoon or so.
I haven't made any no-knead bread yet, let alone no-knead rye, but I do want to point out that the bread at Sullivan Street bakery that kicked off this whole movement is all very soft. Spongy, even. So don't sweat it too much--even the no-knead guru doesn't make crackly crusts.
Interesting, thanks
Rod
Thunder Bay/ Canada
Well, I reduced the amount of liquid and increased the oven time, at 450 degrees, the loaf was fantastic, great crust and chewey crum.
Thanks everyone
Rod
Thunder Bay/ Canada