Baking bread require an understanding of the relationship between oven temperature and time. A person may find that a loaf of bread has a gummy or doughy texture even if the person followed the recipe correct. This gummy texture occur because the interior of the bread has not cooked completely.
Baking is a process that require a balance between the setting of the crust and the cooking of the interior, and a person must manage the oven temperature so that the crust and the interior cook at the correct rate. You must understand that every oven operate differently because every oven has unique hot spots and different thermostat behaviors. Therefore, you cannot assume that the temperature on the oven dial is the exact temperature inside the oven.
How Oven Heat and Time Affect Bread
You must distinguish between the oven heat and the internal temperature of the bread. The oven heat provide the environment for the bread, but the internal temperature of the bread indicate whether the bread is finished. If the oven temperature is too high, the crust of the bread will brown too quick, and the interior of the bread will remain raw.
Different types of bread requires different oven temperatures. For example, enriched doughs contain high level of fat and sugar, and enriched doughs brown much faster than lean doughs. Because enriched doughs brown quick, you should use a lower oven temperature for enriched doughs so that the heat can reach the center of the enriched doughs without burning the crust.
Conversely, artisan breads like sourdough or baguettes requires high oven temperatures. High oven temperatures create oven spring, and oven spring is the rapid expansion of the dough that occur when high heat exposes the dough. Many people relies on visual cues to determine if the bread is finished, but visual cues can be deceptive.
A loaf of bread may appear golden brown on the outside, but the interior of the bread may still be undercooked if the internal temperature is too low. Because the starch in the bread must gelatinize to create a proper structure, you should use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the bread. Using an instant-read thermometer allow you to confirm that the bread is finished by measuring a specific temperature range, and using an instant-read thermometer remove the need to guess based on color.
The environment inside the oven affect how the oven heat is delivered to the bread. Many bakers use a Dutch oven to bake bread because a Dutch oven can trap moisture. When you use a Dutch oven, the moisture from the dough stay inside the Dutch oven and create steam.
This steam keep the surface of the bread supple, and this suppleness allow the bread to expand fully before the crust of the bread hardens. Additionally, you must consider altitude when you bake bread. At higher altitudes, the atmospheric pressure are lower, and lower atmospheric pressure cause gases to expand faster and water to evaporate faster.
Finally, you must allow the bread to cool before you slice the bread. If you slice the bread while the bread is still hot, you will release the steam that the bread need to set its structure. If you release this steam too early, the crumb of the bread will become gummy.
You should place the bread on a wire rack so that air can circulate around the bread. Allowing the bread to rest on a wire rack ensure that moisture does not stay trapped against the bottom of the bread, and allowing the bread to rest ensure that the texture of the bread is correct.