Z-shaped bread

[wh1988]

Hi. I moved about a year ago, and I felt like I went from an expert home baker, to an awful baker.

Here's what changed:
- San Francisco (dry, cold, 0 elevation) to the suburbs of Boston (usually humid, extreme temperatures, ~300 feet elevation)
- GE Profile electric oven to a GE Monogram built-in electric oven

Other than that, not much. And to me, I would think those changes don't matter, but I list them in case someone thinks otherwise.

Attached is a recent problematic example of a baking failure. I used the goldtouch williams-sonoma pan, and out came pretty good bread (it's Hokkaido milk bread if that matters).

I used the aluminized steel pan, shown here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DDNDUY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Both were the same dough, made the same way, in an oven on Bake (not w/ convection on), and cooked at the same time for the same length of time. I also used a thermometer on each and ensured both had an internal temp of >190F.)

With a cover. It was a failure. See the "Z" shaped bread. What went wrong?

(On a side note, I like the idea of the longer pan w/ a cover, because then there isn't a top-crust. However, the bread came out Z-shaped, which is pretty problematic for obvious reasons.)

Help.

Thank you!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hi. I moved about a year ago, and I felt like I went from an expert home baker, to an awful baker.

Here's what changed:
- San Francisco (dry, cold, 0 elevation) to the suburbs of Boston (usually humid, extreme temperatures, ~300 feet elevation)
- GE Profile electric oven to a GE Monogram built-in electric oven

Other than that, not much. And to me, I would think those changes don't matter, but I list them in case someone thinks otherwise.

Attached is a recent problematic example of a baking failure. I used the goldtouch williams-sonoma pan, and out came pretty good bread (it's Hokkaido milk bread if that matters).

I used the aluminized steel pan, shown here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DDNDUY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Both were the same dough, made the same way, in an oven on Bake (not w/ convection on), and cooked at the same time for the same length of time. I also used a thermometer on each and ensured both had an internal temp of >190F.)

With a cover. It was a failure. See the "Z" shaped bread. What went wrong?

(On a side note, I like the idea of the longer pan w/ a cover, because then there isn't a top-crust. However, the bread came out Z-shaped, which is pretty problematic for obvious reasons.)

Help.

Thank you!

Interesting problem. I don’t think it’s the oven. I think it may have to do with volume of dough due to using the lid. When you bake without the lid volume of dough does not matter since it does not need to rise to the top of the pan, expand into the corners and square off.

But when you use the lid, not only does the dough need to rise to the top, but it needs to expand to fill out each corner. But it also has to have enough dough strength to support the walls. I think what is happening is when you put the lid on and it’s causes the dough to fill out to the corners, which is what it should do. But that expansion into the corners is causing weakness on the sides because the recipe was made for an amount to be baked in an open pan. In other words the recipe is scaled for an open pan, not s closed pullman.

When you don’t have the lid on you’re not getting the expansion into the corners so you’re not weakening the sides of the bread. So try adding more dough to the pan. Just a theory. You’re using the same recipe and it’s working fine in the pan when you don’t put the lid on.


I’m in the Napa Valley. I use a William Sonoma Pullman. Not the goldtouch line, just not a fan of that line of bakeware. I’ve not had a problem with Hokkaido milk bread. But I do not bake with the lid. I use Christine Ho’s recipe, the original Hokkaido milk bread recipe on the internet from 2010. I mix 50/50 Central Milling Artisan Craft 11.5% protein and their Beehive 10.5 % protein with good results.


Central Milling supplies the flour for the top bakeries in the country including Tartine, Josey Baker, and Acme. They make some of their flowers available in to the public at their distribution center in Keith Giusto Bakery Supplies in Petaluma or online at Central Milling.



http://www.kgbakerysupply.com


https://centralmilling.com/product-category/central-milling-organic/

I get a tall and soft Hokkaido loaf in north SF Bay Area

I use a Williams-Sonoma brand pullman which I’m pretty sure is a Chicago Metallic since few manufacturers make pullmans, and the commercial pullmans in the US are all Chicago Metallic