Undercooked bread - does temperature over 165 mean it's food safe?
I made a white bread recipe with whole spelt flour, probably didn't knead it enough, etc. and it didn't rise much. So it was undercooked inside and very cooked outside. I stuck a meat thermometer in the bread and it was 160-165+ degrees. Does the temperature mean it was food safe while at the same time being undercooked/heavy in the middle? (Because I kept tasting it in the vain hope it was getting edible as I cooked it again and again). What I am trying to understand is can something be undercooked tasting and in consistency but be food safe due to temperature? Thanks!
Best Answer
First off, there's not a lot in the ingredients you list that is likely to pose a hazard anyway. (It is possible for flour to be contaminated with bacteria, and if the bacterial count is high enough, it could pose a risk in raw dough.)
However, pasteurization to safe levels at 160F doesn't take more than a few seconds in most foods, and it's likely the interior of your loaf was above 130F (where bacteria will gradually start dying off) for quite some time.
I'd definitely consider it safe to eat right after baking, though it may not be particularly pleasant. However, underdone bread sometimes is prone to earlier spoilage, since it generally has a higher moisture content that might promote some mold, bacterial, and yeast growth after baking. The chances of it becoming actually hazardous without noticeably spoiling are probably rather low, but it's possible, particularly if the moisture content is high enough. It's much more likely that the bread would just spoil normally through the appearance of surface molds, etc., though. If you wanted to be extra cautious, you could store leftover bread in the freezer or fridge.
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Is it OK to eat slightly undercooked bread?
Germs can find their way into raw flour during harvesting, processing, or shipping, and in your grocery cart or at home. Raw eggs may contain Salmonella bacteria, and should never be consumed raw or undercooked. Breads, cookies, cakes, biscuits, and any other baked good should always be fully cooked before it is eaten.What temperature bread is safe?
Use a thermometer (I like the Thermapen) to assess the doneness of pan breads, freeform loaves, and soft rolls. A temperature of 190\xb0F at the center will yield bread that's fully baked (soft and moist) but not over-baked (tough and dry).How do you tell if bread is cooked all the way through?
Use an instant-read thermometer and be absolutely sure when your bread is done. The internal temperature of a loaf of crusty yeast bread when it is cooked to perfection should be 200 to 210 F. Soft breads and dinner rolls should be 190 to 200 F.Can you eat undercooked baked goods?
Do not taste or eat any raw dough or batter. This includes dough or batter for cookies, brownies, cakes, pie crusts, tortillas, pizza, biscuits, pancakes, or crafts made with raw flour, such as homemade play dough or holiday ornaments. Do not let children play with or eat raw dough, including dough for crafts.What's that??? Gummy, raw dough, under-baked or bread not rising???
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