So today I created a loaf of Muffalatta, an extremely large Italian bread. I followed all the steps needed to create it, the bread baked beautifully. smelled wonderful. However when it cooled the bottom although it was golden brown was extremely hard, I did put it back in the oven just to keep it warm after I made the muffuletta. It was disappointing to see the bread is too hard to bite through or saw through, meaning it was too hard to cut through without sawing, has anyone have any tips on keeping the bread soft?
I’ve never baked a muffalatta, but it’s similar to focaccia and ciabatta. These breads cannot handle a lot extra flour after mixing. So use flour very sparingly on the work surface.
Also, take the temperature of the bread to test for doneness. The only way to bake bread to proper doneness is to take the temperature.
Too hot an oven, and baking too long will create a crust so hard a chainsaw will barely cut through it. I don’t like to bake bread beyond an internal temperature of 190°. The exception is a very enriched dough. But even with an enriched dough I will not bake it beyond 203°.
Once bread is baked, do not put it back on the oven to keep it warm. You’re just overbaling the bread. If you want warm bread, preheat the oven. Place bread in a paper bag. Secure the open end. Then spray the bag with water to lightly moisten. Then put the bag of bread in the oven for about 5 minutes.
To keep warm bread warm, buy a ceramic or terra cotta bread warming disk. I think I paid $5 for mine some years ago from Sur La Table. Place the disk in in the oven before warming the bread. And leave it in while you warm bread. Then wrap it in a clean napkin thin cloth and place it in the bottom of your bread basket. Place the bread on the bread warmer, then cover the bread with a clean cotton or linen napkin.
