Bread baking ? My bread is in the oven, it is a free-form loaf,?!
Answers: it has a split on the side. Why do you think this has happened? Did I not punch it down enough before I put it in the oven? Other suggestions?
I can think of 2 reasons the bread might split on the side. # 1-- are you sure when you placed the loaf on the pan that the seam was on the bottom. # 2 did you proof the bread the right amount of time before placing it into the oven. It is natural for the loaf to bloom in the oven wheather it be a free form loaf or in a loaf pan. This means
that there will be a tare in the loaf on one side of the loaf. In a loaf pan the bloom is
even with the top of the pan. In a free form loaf the bloom will be about half way between the pan and the top of the loaf.
when bread is finished baking the bloom will look more like a scar about 3/4 to 1 inch wide running most of the leingth of the loaf.
to stop this from hapening give the loaf a full proof before placing in oven. By the way old bakers thought that the bloom was a sign of the perfect loaf of bread.
Just remember that a bloom is ok a split is
not so good. But you can't taste the differance. I hope this helped jim b
think...did you fold the dough at all? It could just be where a 'seam' is splitting.
when shaping it or kneading it the bread was not completely formed into a ball or shape
Just remember the first part of the word gluten which is in flour to hold flour together and add stability. GLU in gluten is like glue. You may not have kneaded it enough to get all the air out. this is one reason why it could split. But still edible.