How to slash bread to let steam out
I'm trying to make loaf bread with filling swirled into it.... I had issues with the chestnut paste because it had butter so it left gaping holes...the redbean paste held up better..but it was really dry and I need to make it wetter...
On an other thread, Why does bread with filling separate and how do I prevent it? they mentioned using slashes but I don't know how it would work? Do you slash before you let it rest for the final proof or after? If you cut after, wouldn't it deflate everything?
help please
Best Answer
A major problem (that I have had, and sounds like you're having) with filled-and-rolled bread is that the filling (e.g., if it contains water, butter, etc.) will steam and expand, yielding gaping holes in the middle of the bread. You want this in things like, e.g., croissant and pastry, but not in stuff like cinnamon swirl bread or so. It will also be very different between a batter bread (e.g., quick breads) versus yeast-leavened breads (which it sounds like you're using here).
I don't think slashing the loaf will be effective in this case. You've got a rolled bread, which might have many layers -- you'll need to slash through every layer in order to have the steam escape. Here are some other possibilities, depending on the nature of your loaf:
- Try docking (poking the loaf with a bunch of holes); I can't find any good link on this. Use a chop-stick or wide-ish skewer to poke many holes, all over the loaf, all the way through the bread, after you have panned it. This can be effective for breads where you want some steam to escape without slashing the top. Poking LOTS of holes all the way through may allow steam to escape during oven-spring.
- Try a Russian braid. Roll, then cut through lengthwise, then and twist or braid, then put into loaf pan. For example, ATK did this with their cinnamon swirl bread, and this yields a similar swirl but without trapping as much steam. Do an image-search for more examples.
Aside from slashing/cutting etc.,
- If you roll very tightly with minimal trapped air, you may be able to improve the situation. But this is tricky and may not be effective anyway.
- How about mixing in the paste into the batter or dough? If you do this at the right time in mixing, you'll end up with chunks of the filling (similar effect as swirl) with perhaps less steam-trapping effect.
Hope it helps. Let us know how it comes out!
Pictures about "How to slash bread to let steam out"
How do you slash the top of bread?
As you will see in the video below there are a few quick tips to cutting through the wet, soft dough more easily:How do you steam when baking bread?
Steam in bread baking: Method #1 The simplest method of adding steam to your oven is to spray the loaf with warm water prior to putting it into the oven. Spray the oven once the bread is loaded, and then again about 5 minutes into the bake.Can you score bread with a knife?
Scoring bread is easiest with a sharp implement. You can use a sharp paring knife or kitchen scissors to snip lines into the top of the unbaked bread boule. Or you can use a tool that professional bakers use to score, called a bread lame.Do I score the bread before or after proofing?
Scoring is generally done after the bread's finally rise and just before the loaves go in the oven. These intentional splits give the bread more room for their final rise in the oven without splitting the carefully closed seams. Slashing can also be done for purely decorative reasons.How to Slash 'n' Score 'The Ear' on a Sourdough Bread
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Cats Coming, Anna Shvets, Darry Lin, Polina Kovaleva