WHat could be the reasons for my bread to be too dense? It tastes like it contains too much flour, although I used the amount the recipe called for. Is it a problem that I didn't sift the flour? I used regular nonbleached flour to make the bread.
Could it be that I kneaded the bread too much?
Judith
The amount of flour in a bread recipe should be considered a general recommendation. You should only use enough to achieve a workable dough. Less is better than too much. Sticky is better than dry. Your bread might be under proofed or under baked also.
Hi Judith,
Others have given you great tips, but here is another thought...
It sounds to me as if the loaf did not rise sufficiently.
That said, there are a ton of variables that affect the results when baking. The amount of flour, the amount of liquids, the amount of yeast, the degree of kneading, the temperature of the ingredients, the temperature of the surroundings, and more, all matter.
Many recipes specify the amount of rise by describing an appropriate amount of time. ("Knead the dough, form the loaf, and allow it to rise for two hours...") But that approach makes things difficult unless one knows the impact of all the other variables.
I find it best to allow the dough to rise to a specific increase in volume ("Form the loaf and allow it to rise until doubled in volume...") rather than by the clock.
But even that simple matter has a hitch because evaluating the increase in volume is extremely difficult when we are looking at typical loaf shapes.
And so, this suggestion:
Get some sort of small, clear, cylindrical plastic container (a pill bottle might work well.) Be sure that it is a cylinder, that is, that the sides are parallel.
When you have kneaded your dough next time, tear off a lump about large enough to fill 1/4 of the plastic bottle. Toss it in, and tamp it down gently. Mark the top line of the dough in the bottle (a rubber band, or piece of tape works well.)
Then, form your loaf in any way you choose.
Put the loaf and the bottle in the same location and allow them both to rise. Try to ignore the increase in volume of the loaf (remember that it is extremely tough to estimate accurately) but focus on the rise of the dough in the bottle. It will tell you very clearly when it has doubled, or tripled. It will be rather like reading a thermometer...
Again, different breads want different volumes, but try to triple the loaf volume and I'd bet that it won't be dense...
I hope that this is useful, and wish you the best with your baking,
Please don't take this personally: keep it simple, stupid.
For the purposes of the original poster, there are only two actions to take. If the impression remains, it is fully risen and ready for baking. If anything else happens, let it rise (slowly) some more.
Howdy,
Please don't take this personally...
We disagree on the best way to describe this to a beginner.
All the best,
Check the experation date on the yeast packet, then, bloom the yeast in a quarter cup of warm water before you use it. To do this, put a quarter cup of warm water into a small bowl and stir in the yeast. If the yeast is good, it will start growing in about 10 minutes. If the yeast doesn't do anything, you need to get new yeast. Also, was your bread dough hydrated enough. Wetter is better. If the dough is too dry, it will not rise properly.
By what magic is this?? My dough is frequently too sticky and wet! That means it rises all pretty, but as soon as I touch it, it deflates like a balloon with a slow leak! I'd in a million years rather have too dry than too wet.
Which brings me to MY question, which is related so I feel okay about sticking it into this thread.
I just switched from my bulk whole wheat co-op bread flour to North Dakota Mill Stone-Ground Whole Wheat Flour. And suddenly I'm back to about 6 months ago (when I started using my bread machine to make dough) where it's always too wet. I'm spooning it the same way into the same cup I used with the other flour, using the same recipe except adding gluten. I don't own a scale, it may be a future expense but for now I need to do without.
Has anyone used this flour? It seems wery fluffy, I even added several tablespoons extra and this batch is deflated again. :(
Can anyone suggest a whole wheat flour that's a bit more forgiving? Are there any that work okay with a bit more or less water, or do they each have a certain amount that's just the key?
I threw out the first deflated batch, but now I'm out of flour so this batch will have to be eaten one way or the other. :/
sl
PS my recipe as it stands is
1 1/4 c water, 1T oil and 1T honey, 3C flour, 3 heaping tsp gluten, 1 1/2 t salt, and one package Fleischman's Active Dry Yeast.Obviously I may have to modify it. :/
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