bottom end concavity | The Fresh Loaf

Good afternoon from the deep south.

First, I offer thanks to the individual who, on TFL, has noted, "the tail wags not for you but for your bread." Indeed this I have found true. Sometimes there is even a protest fast until the bread is offered.

http://flickr.com/photos/leviathonlevain/2091903166/

Second, the gentleness that my wife has been teaching me has finally transfered to bread. Gentle Gentle to maintain the holes. Finally after 2 bleak months of hockey pucks coming out of the oven, open crumb has been achieved with 100% WW sourdough and the no kneed technique.

Thanks to MiniO for the pointer sometime back to fold some more.

This is 100% WW fresh ground Wheat Montana Prarie Gold

100% Hydration

1Tbl Salt

a wee bit of refreshed 100%WW starter

2hrs folding every 15min

overnight fermentation

bake: cold start on marble tiles till 425deg for 1hr.

http://flickr.com/photos/leviathonlevain/2091858496/

However, these loaves have had a tendancy to develop a bottom end concavity while cooling.

http://flickr.com/photos/leviathonlevain/2091858706/

Any thoughts on why this happens?

Kind Regards.

I've never seen anything like that. No offense please.They've got some weird lines ,though the picture is difficult to see. I'd think it would have to do with the cold start on tiles or the forming of your loaves. Possibly both. Try pre-heating tiles and see what happens. When forming loaves, gentle is O.K., but firm. You want to have a smooth skin and no big "belly button" on bottom. I could give you some more help on forming but I have to go now. Somebody else may be able to help.

A loaf will always shrink a little when cooling, while the area on the bottom is quite large, this could result in concave shape. I get the idea the dough is running sideways until the heat can stop it. One solution would be to preheat the tiles as mentioned, the other would be to put the dough into a form, like a flour dusted 8" frying pan (remove handle if not ovenproof) and bake on the rack, that way the rim of the pan will hold the outside edge and give the dough the chance to rise up.

Mini O

this seems sounding like actually following the directions for no-knead bread.

throw into preheated dutch oven.

i have also found that wet dough on cold marble tile results in bread stuck to tiles vs. wet dough on 515deg tiles that removes easily when cooked.

the next experement will be to cook the bread in a dutch oven in a 4x4ft cast iron stove.

thanks,

from further observation, the lines have resulted from the wrinkles that result, in the parchment paper, from super wet dough