Fallen Bread

[DebbieM]

I baked (or tried) to bake some zucchini bread last night. I used shredded zucchini that I had shredded this fall and frozen in 2 cup batches. I thawed it. Squeezed all the liquid from it. Mixed all my ingredients and put it in the oven. Everything was looking great until the timer went off and when I saw my bread it had all fallen to the center. What the Heck happened?

 

[ChesterV]

Could be several things. Could be to much moisture, especially if it's humid where you are. Could be too many heavy ingredients and not enough structure to hold the lift. Could be over fed yeast or over risen dough.
If it's moisture. Try cutting back by one tablespoon and see if that helps.
If it's heavy ingredients. Try developing the gluten a little more with more kneading or add some vital wheat gluten.
If it's over fed yeast. Try cutting back on the sugar or temper the yeast with a little more salt.
If it's over risen dough. Try cutting back on the rising time.


Hope this helps.

 

[Becky]

I'd agree with the advice from @ChesterV, it's difficult to pin down the cause with this type of thing. Could you post a link to the recipe?

 

[cupcakechef]

My first guess was a moisture issue, but you mentioned you squeezed all the liquid from the shredded zucchini. I still find that frozen veggies often tend to still retain more liquid than fresh - even when I've squeezed as much as possible before I've had recipes still turn out more "gloopy" than normal for lack of a better way of describing it!

Please do post the recipe though - it'll be easier to ascertain what may have happened that way!

 

[ChesterV]

Best way to combat this kind of issue when making breads with veggies in them, is to grate or chop the veggies as you would use them in the bread making, but before using them in the bread......

Spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake them for about 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven, and dump them in a strainer and wait for them to cool off in the strainer. While cooling in the strainer, a lot of the liquid will seep out and drain off. Once cooled, roll veggies in a tight knit towel to soak up any of the left over liquid.

The veggies should have enough of the liquid cooked out of them then, and shouldn't be an issue in making bread.

 

[Bakers12]

Sounds like it will turn out better next time. Looks like it would be pretty appetizing though. I think Chester's idea about grating the veggies would work out fine.

 

[djordjem87]

It is the moisture probably and I do not know what type of bread you are making. With yeast or baking soda? Anyway you should probably leave the zuchinnies to drain over night and reduce the amount of water in the mix.
On the other hand maybe some cold air went into your oven while baking and cause the problem.

 

[Myrtle]

Did you open the oven door while it was in the middle of baking? That can cause the middle to sink. It is best to wait until the bread is fully baked before opening the oven door.

 

[ChesterV]

Did you open the oven door while it was in the middle of baking? That can cause the middle to sink. It is best to wait until the bread is fully baked before opening the oven door.

Good catch on that Miss Myrtle!!

You can definitely deflate bread if you open the oven door at the wrong time!
There is a specific time while the bread is baking in the oven, where it is like a souffle.......if you open the oven door, you destroy the built up heat, which makes the bread deflate. You have to wait until after that time period, to when the bread is hot enough it is actually starting to solidify from the heat...THEN you can open the door!!

Depending on what bread you are baking and how long it is to be baked.....I would guess the worst possible time to open up the oven door is 5-30 minutes after you have put it in the oven.

 

[Winterybella]

Did you open the oven door while it was in the middle of baking? That can cause the middle to sink. It is best to wait until the bread is fully baked before opening the oven door.

That's what I was wondering as well. I have zucchini pinned to try some time down the road but when I was baking a banana bread recently I wondered if breads like that ever fall. It's because I open the oven all the time around the 50min mark. Like @Becky said I would be curious to see what that recipe looks like.