Well, i'm back...been a long 5 years of no bread baking (at least none with a starter), and I decided my first bake back would be my Seeded Danish Rye. My starter that was in the fridge for 5 years came back to life!! That makes it 8 years old now...so proud of the little bastard.
I baked my Danish rye. Things look good so far but cant cut into it for anither 24 hrs. One thing I noticed was the top middles of the loaves have depressed a little. I recall this topic touched on here years ago. Could this be a sign of over proofing? Under baking? I will post photos tomorrow, but any thoughts?
John
We're ready for the crumb shot! :)
If your starter has been parked for five years with no maintenance, it is one tough son of a gun.
Yep, a sinking top can indicate overproofing. Or, perhaps the loaf wanted a bit more rounding on top when it went into the pan so that the after-bake shrinkage while cooling came back to a flat or somewhat rounded profile.
Paul
Thanks Mini and Paul. Good to hear from you guys..been a while.
Here are the crumb shots. One loaf sank but crust didnt separate...the other sank and crust separated.
I am glad you think it may be over proofing because that is exactly what I suspected. Unfortunately, I was in a bit of a hurry and instead of letting the loaf cold proof in fridge overnight, I proofed in a warm oven for almost 2 hours at 35 degrees C. My first loaf back and I'm having delusions of grandeur...I know.
Now seeing the photos, do you still think it was overproofing?
John
In addition to the depressed top crust, you can see that the crumb is more open near the top of the loaf but looks compressed at the bottom—another indicator of over fermenting.
The flying crust can be prevented by docking the loaf before baking. Use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes one-half inch to an inch deep in a dozen or so spots on the top of the loaf. That will deflate any large bubble lurking just under the crust.
That, by the way, looks like some seriously tasty bread.
Paul
Thanks for the feedback Paul. Yes, I even had the darned skewers next to the pans, but forgot to dock!
I had a feeling it was just too much bulk ferment time, especially at that temp. I was better off leaving at room temp for 2 hours.
I have tried a few slices, and so far, the verdict is yes, very tasty. No tang at all. Custard like crumb. Hearty as it needs to be. Healthy as can be, so slathering on a chunk of butter or cream cheese is ok, right? ;)
John
Hi John,