I know that the Open Crumb is all the rage and the all new challenge but I was wondering what kind you crumb you guys prefer regardless. Don't get me wrong. I love the challenge of working with a wet dough and obtaining that open wide crumb, but when it comes to the bread I like to eat, I like breadier bread. I prefer a more even uniform crumb. It's still fun to play around with this though. Lately I've been practicing getting an open crumb with low hydration dough (60-65%) just to try to build up my dough handling skills.
So in terms of crumb preference, what would you guys enjoy more in terms of eating and not in terms of obtaining?
The "ideal" crumb is different for different types of breads and different purposes. In general, you want a crumb without huge holes for sandwiches made with sliced bread. But, even for sandwiches, a roll or baguette with huge holes is great for egg salad, tuna salad, etc. where the holes provide a network to contain the filling and the structural integrity is provided by the crust.
For eating with soup or a stew, I prefer an open crumb. For open-face sandwiches, a dense rye is wonderful.
I could go on, but the simple answer is "it depends." And every generalization I could think of has exceptions.
Both these breads were baked yesterday. Which has the "better" crumb?
Berliner Landbrot (90% rye) - better than bagels for creamcheese and lox, IMO.
San Joaquin Sourdough - My favorite for toast, French toast, eating with salads, soups, stews, etc., etc.
David
Brioche and challah have specific crumbs for example. Or in a ciabatta, the goal is basically having a a chewy open bread. But what I mean, and let me know if i'm not making sense, is specifically sourdough "style" breads. Not general breads that use levain/starter. With the rise of the tartine style loaf different fermentation and dough handling methods done to promote more open crumbs in sourdough bread, have really been on the rise these last few years.
I guess I am personally open-minded. If it is enjoyable to eat, it's good bread. But some types of bread are just better suited to some applications.
The only "bad" crumb structure is one that represents poor fermentation, poor gluten development or poor dough handling.
I am not aiming to bake "fashionable bread," but then I bake for myself, family and friends, not for sale.
David
I make and sell a variety of sourdoughs - about 200 a week, but don't deliberately aim for those big glossy holes. They are trendy in city/hipster regions though, but I live in ruralistan, so my customers prefer traditional bread (and to think that as it's over 50 years old, the Chorleywood bread process is now traditional )-:
My "blonde" is the closest to an open hole type of loaf, but I don't do anything terribly special to get it that way. 64% hydration.
-Gordon in Devon, England
Yeah, I'm more on the side of 'open but not huge holes' crumb, generally. I like the very webby, glossy crumb if it's a bread for dipping (and even then, I prefer a focaccia-type crumb - soft and moist but not too open or gelatinous). I also find many of the really webby breads to be a bit tough to chew, so if I have a sandwich made with one, I get a sore jaw at the end of it and make a mess because biting down on the chewy bread squeezes all the fillings out (of the sandwich, not my teeth). Here's what I think is a 'nice' crumb:
and how open or closed the crumb is matters far less except for those occasions when I'm aiming for a particular result.
I am trying my best to improve my handing skills.