How to avoid soft bottom of home-made bread?
The bottom of my bread is not hard. When I knock the top of the loaf, it gives a beautiful hollow knock sound but when knocking the bottom part -- it's not. I wonder what is the reason? How could I improve my baking procedure?
- Bread baked in a baking tray with baking paper. Maybe it is the baking tray that blocks the heat supply?
- ~450F for 15 minutes, with top and bottom heaters turned on and a fan turned off, then ~420F for 30 minutes; all the time with baking tray sitting in the middle of the oven; the original recipe requires some 15F more but that's beyond my oven capabilities. I did not want to extend the time too much, because the top of the bread is already well-baked.
- At the bottom of the oven I keep an ovenproof dish with water to increase evaporation. Maybe it limits the heat flow from the heater to the bottom of the bread?
In the first photo you can see a corner of bread. The left side is better baked, has larger "holes" in the crumb than the right side, because the left side was closer to the crust, and the right side was cut in the middle of the bread.
Best Answer
The bottom of your bread looks a little underbaked, by maybe 5-10 minutes. You can see that the crumb is tighter A few tips:
- There is no need to keep the dish with water in the oven past the point where the crust of the bread is set. It is possible that water vapour from the dish interferes with the bottom of the bread cooking. Try taking out the water when you drop the temperature of the oven.
- Times in bread recipes are a guideline, not a rule. If your bread comes out (a little) underbaked, put it back in the oven and/or adjust your cooking time next try. When you put the bread back in, you can also put it in upside down to encourage the bottom of the bread cooking properly.
- To encourage the bottom of the bread cooking, you can use a pizza stone/steel, or even a baking tray. Leave it in the oven while preheating, then put the tray with the bread on top.
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Quick Answer about "How to avoid soft bottom of home-made bread?"
To encourage the bottom of the bread cooking, you can use a pizza stone/steel, or even a baking tray. Leave it in the oven while preheating, then put the tray with the bread on top.Why is the bottom of my bread soft?
This is because the steam that was trapped inside while baking still needs to escape. This "sweating" will make the crust softer at first but will harden up again after it is fully cooled. If you cannot wait until the bread is fully cooled, then just be prepared for a damp crumb. (Rolls cool much faster.)Why does the crust on my homemade bread go soft?
The main reason for making your crust go soft is moisture. This moisture comes from inside the bread so when cooling, you must give your bread enough room to breathe. Keep your bread on a cooling rack with enough space under it. Sugars, milk and other ingredients can also contribute to a soft crust.How do you keep the bottom of bread crusty?
The best way to brown and crisp your bread's bottom crust \u2013 as well as enhance its rise \u2013 is to bake it on a preheated pizza stone or baking steel. The stone or steel, super-hot from your oven's heat, delivers a jolt of that heat to the loaf, causing it to rise quickly.How do you keep bread crust crispy after baking?
Simple: a long, slow cool helps keep things crisp. And your oven can do all the work: first baking your favorite crisp/crunchy treats, then finishing the job by drying them out, too.The 7 Most Common Breadmaking Mistakes You’re Probably Making
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Images: Klaus Nielsen, Klaus Nielsen, Daniela Constantini, Daniel Torobekov