June 3, 2008 - 8:34am
White bread texture
I have been making bread of various kinds for more years than I care to remember, but lately have a problem.
The crumb of the finished bread is coming out coarse textured.
Could this be some thing different in the flour, I am useing the same as always, but I have been using all milk instead of water in the dough to give a little more nutrition.
I know, I should go back to just water again and see if that will solve this problem.
But I wondered if any one has any other idea as to what it can be. The bread does not have that nice soft texture that one associates with new bread, also it seems to stale quickly.
Thanks,,,,,, qahtan
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What else is in the recipe you use? The sandwich bread recipe I've been working with includes a not-insignificant amount of vegetable oil, which, as I understand it, helps to soften up the crumb and generate the more "wonderbread"-like texture that I know I associate with a standard loaf of bread.
Flour, milk, sugar, salt, butter, same as normal other than the milk. But I thought
milk kept the crumb soft. Iam beginning to think it is the flour.
I always use Robin Hood Bakers flour in 10kg sack, now I see it has Smuckers on it...
qahtan
I've found using softer, lower gluten flours (AP flour performs very well in this respect) will give me a softer, 'fluffier' result which I think you're looking for.
--FP
Is Smuckers written in bold on the bag, by which I mean, is it now called Smucker's flour, rather than Robin Hood? If so, then Smuckers, being an American company, would be putting out US standard flour instead of Canadian. But you're in Canada, qahtan, so surely they'd have to keep to Canadian standards. Five Roses is now the same price as RH; you could try that. I always thought milk softened the bread.
Maybe there is a new enzyme present that wasn't there before, or some new kind of protein reaction with the flour and milk. Maybe scalding the milk might solve it. Just a thought.
Mini O
Thanks one and all for your ideas,
I have made a smalll amount of bread this morning , just 1 loaf and 4 cheese rolls, this time I used all water, and soft butter not melted, and made the dough a little softer.
and now wait to see how it turns out...... qahtan