I just made Paul Hollywood's bloomer twice. Was trying to get a shiny crust but failed and am perplexed about the swirls in crumb.
The first time, I halved the recipe and got a dull crust despite having the tray of water underneath and spraying the unbaked loaf with water. I also might have overbaked it as I was afraid it wasnt cooked.
The 2nd time, I made the whole recipe and got a better colour but still not shiny. I used a thermometer and got an internal temp of 97C (206F) each time.
Am I doing this correctly? What is the funny swirl I get in my crumb... is it a shaping problem or a proving issue? The loaves taste fine but I dont think they are meant to look like that. And is the crumb too close-textured? Thank you for your help!
Just a newbie but I think that the streak you point to in the first loaf is incompletely incorporated ingredients.
The apparent collapsed hole in the second loaf that you point to may be evidence of overproofing?
Re the relatively tight crumb, how much and how vigorously did you mix the ingredients? What's the hydration? Were you aiming for an airier crumb? It's hard to know if there is a problem, what it might be without more info.
In any case, I defer to the much more knowledgeable regulars who will chime in soon.
Thank you for your reply!
The recipe was 500g flour and 320ml water. Does that work out to 64% hydration? I have not yet started working with baker's percentage ?
The ingredients were worked in thoroughly, or at least I thought so. What signs should I look out for then, regarding incorporation of ingredients?
The 1st loaf on the right was hand-kneaded for 20mins, left to rise for 2hrs then proved for 45mins and baked. My weather is tropical and humid so proofing times seem to be shorter.
I used the slap and fold technique for the 2nd loaf, done over four 15-min intervals,then left it to retard overnight in the fridge. Next day shaped and proofed for 1 hr then baked.
In your kind of climate (I live in the same kind of climate), 64% hydration functions a little more like 65-67% because the flour has absorbed more water from the humid air than it would in a drier climate. If your desire is to achieve bigger holes, increasing the hydration is one factor that can promote an airier crumb.
Regarding the mixing--make sure you aren't leaving stray bits of unincorporated flour. This can happen with handmixing or machine mixing.
Mixing on medium speed (anything greater than '1') can promote a tighter crumb. Handmixing/folding just until you have the balance of extensibility (stretchiness) and elasticity (strength) you want, and no further, can promote a more open crumb. Do you track the changes in dough consistency as you knead?
For a hydration <70%, I'm surprised you're not finding the 15 minute intervals to be too short to let the dough relax enough.
Hopefully some veterans will chime in here.
How close to the top (roof) of the oven is the loaf? It appears that the bread may be placed high in the oven. This could lead to a external appearance of doneness, while the interior is not fully cooked. This is only part of what could be improved. Shaping and mixing as previously noted could be improved.