Undercooked loaf issues

[Deadlydecapod]

I've been in this house for 8 years and have been making bread for all that time without any issues that I couldn't solve, however.......that all changed about 6 months ago when my loaves which looked and sounded cooked actually weren't. The really weird thing is that when you start cutting the loaf everything is fine until you get to the last third which is moist, sticky and smells very odd but it has never happened that the "uncooked " part is at the end that you start cutting. It happens with round loaves, batards and tins. Not with baguettes, rolls or pizza.
I used the same flour, yeast temperature and timings ( we changed the oven 6 years ago to a Smeg ) until this started to happen. I played around with temperature and timings, changed my flour and yeast and recipe but to no effect. I started using a large , cast iron Dutch oven but again this changed nothing. I rotate the loaves part way through. No change.
The recipe I use is adapted from the French Institute:
Flour 500gm
Water 365gm
Yeast 1.8gm (Dry yeast)
Salt 6gm
Baked at 225C in a fan oven in a Dutch oven for 25min, then, lid off, reduce temp to 215C for 25 min. Oven off and left with door ajar for 10 mins.
Any ideas ? It's driving me nuts.
Cakes and pizzas all cook pretty evenly and a thermometer shows the temperature to be accurate.

 

[retired baker]

it looks like you could use a yeast increase , i'd say its way too low .

350g cold tap water
12g Fresh cake yeast
500g Strong white bread flour
10g Salt

 

[Jackamus]

I would agree and say that you are not using enough yeast but you say you haven't changed your recipe! This is very strange! I don't have an easy answer for you.
I have been using 7g of fast acting yeast for all my bread for the last 12 years. I bake in a tin.
Also use a fan oven at 245ºC, with a small tray of water at the bottom, and bake for 18min, then remove from tin and bake for a further 7min in order to get a good outside crust.

 

[retired baker]

I would agree and say that you are not using enough yeast but you say you haven't changed your recipe! This is very strange! I don't have an easy answer for you.
I have been using 7g of fast acting yeast for all my bread for the last 12 years. I bake in a tin.
Also use a fan oven at 245ºC, with a small tray of water at the bottom, and bake for 18min, then remove from tin and bake for a further 7min in order to get a good outside crust.

low salt can allow yeast to runaway and burn out.

 

[Jackamus]

How do you calculate the correct amount of salt?

 

[Bakingtime3]

Maybe try a different brand of flour? Perhaps something about the flour you are using has changed. If you have used the recipe successfully for many years, that is one thing I would try. Doubt the yeast would make the loaf come out underbaked as you described. Here in the US, cake yeast is not readily available since it has such a short shelf-life. The standard packages of dry yeast (instant or rapid rise) are recommended for UP TO 4C of flour.

 

[retired baker]

How do you calculate the correct amount of salt?

2% salt is typical.
flour is 500g, 2% of 500 is 10.
I looked at the original recipe, it calls for 10g salt, not 6.
salt regulates yeast action. if salt is low the yeast will run away and burn out .

The yeast measure is also way too low unless doing a cold proof overnite 2 day bread, but thats the wrong recipe for that.

 

[Jackamus]

When I make my tin loaf I use a proofing box that I made myself and usually do my first proof at about 30ºC for about 45min - 1hr. I do the second proof for about 45min at the same temp.

 

[Deadlydecapod]

Ok. That's interesting. I reduced the salt purely for health reasons but I shall increase it and see what happens. The most recent loaf was a complete failure with two thirds of it being sticky and odd smelling. The wife ( who doesn't normally make bread) made a perfectly acceptable loaf the other day. Same yeast but different flour and technique. Maybe I'll change the flour after I try adding more salt.

 

[retired baker]

There ya go, lack of salt impairs proper gluten development for sure, the dough comes out "ropey".