tearing loaf

There are some reasons why bread tear during baking... You check if any of these apply to your bread.

1) the dough was baked while still underproofed(needs more rise) 2) there is not enough humidity( in the cupboard of proof box whatever appliy) during proofing 3) the dough was bit stiff 4) it was baked at higher temperature( higher than what is recommended) at the start of baking 5) the dough was scaled higher weight was not an appropriate size for your bread pan. There are other reasons but the ones I mentioned are the most common causes of the fault. Roy

Thanks Roy, that's very helpful - I'll look into those. (1) and (4) sound like possible culprits. Regarding no. 5, the recipe used 550g flour (400 white, 150 rye) and 340ml water - does that sound about right for a 2lb (sorry to mix metric and imperial) tin?

- guy

Your dough I estimate as given your ingredients weights as 890 grams then I reckon that you add about 10 grams both salt and yeast will weigh approximately 900 grams after mixing. Then bulk fermeniting it will alllow for at least 5% weight loss due to fermentation you will end up with approximately 850 grams of molded dough prior to proofing. Now you said that you are using a 2 lb loaf tin size( 908 grams). It looks like you do not even have enough dough for your loaf tin. Are you sure that it is a 2lb tin? Even with 100% bread flour the dough amount is not even enough. A 2 lb tin was designed that the loaf weight will come ouit approximately two pounds. Hence the dough weight put in it should be more than 2 lbs to accomodate the bake out loss. Now your bread if the recipe quantities are right then adding a bake out loss of say at least 5%you will end up with around 800 grams loaf( barely 2 pounds).. Sorry IMO I think There is something askew in this recipe and tin size. But anyway that is not related to your problem, .... But be reminded this rye bread loaf tends to promote wild breaks( like what happened to your loaf). you have to look at the problem carefully considering the possible reasons I enumerated above. Roy

I don't see any scores (cuts) in the top. Try a sharp razor and score several diagonals across the top. You control where the dough will expand instead of the loaf.

Hey, I would be delighted to know how you solve this.

I think so ... measurements in cm, taken roughly halfway up the tin (it tapers from top to bottom): 18 x 11 (w) x 9 (h). I bought it ages ago, and it's certainly bigger than the 1lb tins I usually see in shops.

Thanks again for the help.

- guy

I just checked the recipe - on p.256 of Elizabeth David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery - and I have used the right quantities, and it does say use a 2lb loaf tin. I did another loaf to the same recipe last night, but with wholemeal instead of rye. I also left it to prove very well, so the unbaked loaf was well domed. I prove under a semi-rigid plastic bag with a cup of near-boiling water next to the loaf, so it's very moist in there. The tearing still happened, but not so badly as before. I'll try slashing the top as another poster suggested.

Cheers,

- guy