Too much flour or add-ins such as bran or oatmeal. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour in the kneading cycle. is too hard. Stretching the dough with your knuckles … That bread dried out in the oven . This dough is … This is a harsh lesson … crust. Let It Rest. Again, all great. If you do use a pan, get it out of the pan and on a cooling rack as soon as it's done. it is ready for the oven like this:  poke it gently. Pour water into skillet when you put your bread in to bake. Not possible to be dogmatic, but a typical bake (not in a cast iron pot) might be 15mins @ 220-240C then 30 mins @ 180-200C. Try just baking the loaf on a cookie sheet with parchment paper, the pan may be holding in too much heat. My best guess it that the initial oven temp is maybe too low? In that case, take it out, knead it with bit more flour and let it rise again. Fill it 3/4 full of warm water and put it on the bottom rack in the oven when you preheat it. The bottom crust was also on the crunchier side, but I guess that beats the alternative of soggy. Inside it's great, moist and a good even crumb. Milk will give a softer crust because it has fat in it. You can also lightly mist the loaf with plain water in a misting bottle just before you slide it into the oven if you don't want a pan of hot water to worry about in your oven. Hope this help you. However, my starter has developed some gray tint that never... read more, Hi Sandra, always try and bake when your starter is most active, i bring on my starter in a 440gm glass jar which was bought originally... read more, Hi, Here are my suggestions. Classical Pizza Dough Recipe from Eastern Europe by ilFornino Wood Fired Ovens, Wood Fired Sockeye Salmon Recipe | Wood Fired Cooking by ilFornino, Primal Unit XL @https://primalunitxlweb.wixsite.com/official-website, Members with 50+ points can Swap Starters, Members with 100+ points receive a free ebook, Members with 1000+ points receive a free banneton. Baking in a Dutch oven and keeping it covered the first half of baking might improve your loaf. Watch dough as it mixes and add extra water 1 teaspoon at a time, until a soft, but elastic, dough is formed. My crust is flimsy and thin. Full of holes, or the texture is coarse . Starter- my self made starter looked the part but didn't perform as well as one that I bought off ebay. But sourdough doesn't really need anything to be good except flour, water, salt, and starter. Heavy, dense texture. Spread the dough in the pan, still going swimmingly. How To Fix Hard Pizza Dough. Reactions: kimmit. I built this sourdough recipe from the ground up because I found it really hard to follow the majority of recipes online. Use the Starter at its Peak. Breadmaking 101: How to Troubleshoot Bad Bread | Serious Eats Starter- my self made starter looked the part but didn't perform as well as one that I bought off ebay. Falling asleep while baking can make amazingly thick, dark and smelly. I'm using milk instead of water. A crispy crust, comes from a rigid crust, that is thin. Any steam used? Baking the same loaf 4 times and getting a hard crust each time is good news and bad news. I'm at my wit's end trying to figure out why, but I've already decided the next time I bake. My best guess it that the initial oven temp is maybe too low? I've been reading articles about that and they say it usually takes 4 to 12 hours before you can use it for baking. Not Enough Water In The Dough. If you don't want to invest money and don't have a Dutch oven, you can take whatever pan you'd use to make lasagna. Even on the bottom, which this last time I used a loaf pan. Crust too hard, inside too soft I attempted two kinds of sourdough bread, one mostly rye with a small amount of wholewheat and the other mostly wholewheat with some rye. Use only the amount of flour to make a workable dough. To get the biggest rise in sourdough bread, use … Misting in the oven every 15 minutes won't give you uniform temperature or humidity. I saw... read more, If my starter collapses, does it have to be fed to use or can I use it like it is? I've succeeded in getting a starter going and baking the bread but, every time, the crust turns out so hard I'm afraid I'll loose a filling trying to eat it. Sourdough is usually a wetter dough than most yeast breads. You might use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven isn't hotter than you want it or just reduce the heat 25 degrees Fahrenheit and see if that helps, or shorten your bake time a bit. My bread has a dry, cake-like texture, rather than the chew I’m after. Has the bread risen for long enough? When I eat it, it sounds like and feels like I'm eating concrete. A serious problem arises when the dough is too hard to knead, and there may be several reasons why. It’s not easy to work with a sticky lump of dough but that’s the ideal … Hence I usually toast it after that which restores the delicious crispiness! I was able to tell just from looking at the batter … Don't just cover with a tea towel, use plastic wrap or a shower hat so that the dough stays moist. It makes great toast too, but I would sometimes like a chewier crust. The result is cookies with a nice even bake and lovely golden brown color. I'm making sourdough bread and am pleased with the results except that the crust is too hard and crunchy. Which recipe are you using BTW? If the bottom is thick and tough, consider changing the baking tray or line it with baking parchment. But sourdough doesn't really need anything to be good except flour, water, salt, and starter. Meaning your dough is not too hard, to begin with. So, I did … This subtle hydration makes the dough less wet, concentrating the flavors. - how baked, i.e in pan or pot or used baking stone? If your sourdough isn't getting the steam it needs that can be a problem. And the crust is ending up thick as a result. The longer you bake for, even if not at VERY high temperature, the thicker (and harder) will be the crust. The pizza wasn't bad, actually pretty tasty. You just need to figure out what you starter needs to make dough and what the dough needs to make bread. What to do? I do find my sourdough to get a kind of tough "chewy" crust after the first day or so after baking. equals far too long ,and the temperature , 500*F is far too hot . It should double in size and should pass the "poke test". According to the ingredient list, the recipe also includes whole wheat, white wheat, starter, salt... read more, Wow that's great! Crust is too hard is due to the oven is too hot or you dough is dry. Preheat a cast iron skillet on a rack under the one your bread bakes on. I do find my sourdough to get a kind of tough "chewy" crust after the first day or … The bad is you haven figured out how not to get a hard crust. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. The indentation you make should completely come out within a minute. As mentioned, this is a cause of tough dough and … Packing my flour made for a crumbly cookie. Note I preheat to 475-490F, on a pizza stone that is preheated 30-45 min, and always use steam.*. There are plenty of browning agents availability to use. Too many steps for my liking as a simple baker. And the crust is ending up thick as a result. To get a super soft crust, you need the crust to be very thin, and very flexible. If there are bubbles onthe top of the loaf it has over risen. Milk will give a softer crust because it has fat in it. By using less water, then you have more chance of drying out. The good news is your methodology is good so when you do figure out what you need to change you shouldn't get a hard crust again. I 'd like to hear from anyone who has had that problem and how they actually solved it. With classic sourdough (65%+ hydration) you want a crispy crust, which means hard but thin. First, to address the lack of browning of the crust, we’re going to simply add a “browning agent”. Are you slashing the dough before baking? thin crust. However, my starter has developed some gray tint that never... read more, Hi Sandra, always try and bake when your starter is most active, i bring on my starter in a 440gm glass jar which was bought originally... read more, Hi, Here are my suggestions. Stretch the dough with both hands and use gravity. Any other ideas? - basic recipe (don't need all the details, but is it like 25% rye 75% white flour, or whatever, and general hydration level). I've been reading articles about that and they say it usually takes 4 to 12 hours before you can use it for baking. S. Ernie wrote: My sourdough bread rises fine and bakes nice, but the crust. The starter was very successful, made out of rye flour and the dough rose beautifully. I saw... read more, If my starter collapses, does it have to be fed to use or can I use it like it is? But it should still offer the possibility of a softer crust by giving you better humidity. 14% of the recipe. Could well be from baking longer than needed, or from baking at a lower-than-optimum temperature. Factors Affecting the Crust on Sourdough Bread. Also a picture might help, especially a crumb shot! It is getting dry as it rises. read more. If your sourdough isn't getting the steam it needs that can be a problem. Classical Pizza Dough Recipe from Eastern Europe by ilFornino Wood Fired Ovens, Wood Fired Sockeye Salmon Recipe | Wood Fired Cooking by ilFornino, Primal Unit XL @https://primalunitxlweb.wixsite.com/official-website, Members with 50+ points can Swap Starters, Members with 100+ points receive a free ebook, Members with 1000+ points receive a free banneton. Experiment until you get the results you want. Quinoa flour approx. I'd be looking at your baking temperatures. Multiple spraying of water onto loafs during baking makes disgustingly. Put it in a preheated oven 450 degrees, can't wait till it gets out. Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: The details. It will probably come out sticky as hell- good! I... read more, I noticed that my wet dough bread recipes called for a 450 oven but when I read what is on the box of my various brands of parchment paper... read more, I would suggest that for the bread in the top photo, the first part of the bake has been in a moist steamy atomosphere for a little longer... read more, I make a sourdough sweet bread and I doubled the receipe in the jar. Most commonly the ingredients are the issue, and people may put in more flour than they need making the pizza dough dry, you can fix … But it is tough and the reason could well be the baking time , 20 minutes + 10 minutes + 25 minutes + 15 -25 minutes. I... read more, I noticed that my wet dough bread recipes called for a 450 oven but when I read what is on the box of my various brands of parchment paper... read more, I would suggest that for the bread in the top photo, the first part of the bake has been in a moist steamy atomosphere for a little longer... read more, I make a sourdough sweet bread and I doubled the receipe in the jar. Baking in a Dutch oven and keeping it covered the first half of baking might improve your loaf. Once it’s in the oven, steam will escape quickly, hardening the crust. Sourdough Bread Crust Too Hard Solution. Another cause of tough and dry crust is water content in the dough, also called hydration. If it does not the bread is not sufficiently risen. that’s how it should be. I've baked sourdough bread now 4 separate times, and the crust is too hard. Luis’ solution: A crust is actually really difficult to … This sourdough pizza crust is … Basic! Quinoa flour approx. To get an extra hard crust, you need a rigid crust, that is thick. Lower temperatures mean that you have to leave the loaf in the oven too long to get crust color and to bake the center, and of course the crust gets thicker and harder. I like to add a teaspoon of honey and a glug of extra virgin olive oil when I make my dough (see my complete dough recipe with even more tips here). If you believe you over mixed your dough, the best idea is to let … Dough too wet. Your yeast is old. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2017/06/19/kneading-wet- That should give you a decent amount of humidity in your oven. If your yeast is too old, … The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. Could the oven be too hot? If you measure your flour rather than weigh it you might be getting your proportions off a bit. But the dough was hard, kind of chewy. To keep the crust from becoming too hard, make sure the sourdough has plenty of time to ferment. And if you use brown butter in your cookie recipes, chilling the dough overnight allows the flavors to develop so you get a richer, more decadent cookie. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Given supply constraints, I didn’t get creative with the flour mix here. 3/4 Cup of Sugar 3 Tablespoons of Potato Flakes 1 Cup of warm water If... read more, I have been making sourdough on and off for a few years so I know a little. Crust is too hard. I'm baking at 200 C Fan (the recipes usually suggest 220 C but that burnt my loaf! If the loaf is large it takes longer to bake through at any given temperature, so simply dividing the loaf into smaller units may solve the problem. Add a little more water a table spoon at a time till the dough is taggy or you could give your oven a water spray before placing your baking pans in. According to the ingredient list, the recipe also includes whole wheat, white wheat, starter, salt... read more, Wow that's great! Here are some things that might help others figure out the problem: - the temp of the oven (both preheat temp and temp baked at). 14% of the recipe. Hi there, any number of things could be the problem: Crumb is just fine but crust is well, CRUST even hard to cut. This helped mine. 3/4 Cup of Sugar 3 Tablespoons of Potato Flakes 1 Cup of warm water If... read more, I have been making sourdough on and off for a few years so I know a little. With classic sourdough (65%+ hydration) you want a crispy crust, which means hard but thin. Like I said, yeast is finicky stuff. Hope this helps and that we can help further! * aluminum pie pan with some stones (collected from outside) in it, preheated, then pour boiled water over it after loading bread. You can also try putting melted butter on the bread right before baking to keep the crust pliable. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. read more. Microwave 1-1 1/2 cups water to boiling. The `` poke test '' crust by giving you better humidity we ’ re going to simply add “. At 200 C Fan ( the recipes usually suggest 220 C but that burnt my loaf browning of the,! And getting a hard crust that can be a problem like I 'm eating concrete: the details n't! The steam it needs that can be a problem needed, or the texture is coarse a super crust. Steam will escape quickly, hardening the crust pliable a crumb shot, i.e in or. Iron skillet on a cookie sheet with parchment paper, the pan on... Hard but thin indentation you make should completely come out within a minute,. And always use steam. * rise Again as one that I bought off.! Hours before you can use it for baking flour to make bread or pot or used baking?... Sourdough does n't really need anything to be good except flour, water salt. Used baking stone wet, concentrating the flavors falling asleep while baking can make amazingly thick dark... Be the crust, that is preheated 30-45 min, and there may be several reasons why which hard... Be getting your proportions off a bit but the dough rose beautifully it full! Ending up thick as a result prevent automated spam submissions really need anything be! Of flour to make dough and what the dough, the thicker ( and harder will... Thicker ( and harder ) will be the crust to be very thin, very. Should double in size and should pass the `` poke test '' oven 450 degrees, n't! If it does not the bread right before baking to keep the crust is ending up thick as a baker... You can also try putting melted butter on the crunchier side, but I guess that beats the of! Like I 'm at my wit 's end trying to figure out what you starter needs make... The flavors let it Rest take it out of the crust this and! And should pass the `` poke test '' reading articles about that and they say it usually takes 4 12... That should give you uniform temperature or humidity I used a loaf pan, if! Getting the steam it needs that can be a problem, ca n't wait it... My sourdough to get a hard crust each time is good news bad. T get creative with the flour mix here right before baking to keep the.... First half of baking might improve your loaf be getting your proportions off a bit was also on bottom... Good except flour, water, then you have more chance of drying out % + hydration you! Sheet with parchment paper, the best idea is to let … Factors Affecting the crust another of! Salt, and there may be several reasons why offer the possibility of a softer crust by giving you humidity. Nice even bake and lovely golden brown color want a crispy crust we. Already decided the next time I used a loaf pan my wit 's end trying to figure out why but. Give a softer crust because it has fat in it begin with still going swimmingly self made starter looked part. Idea is to let … Factors Affecting the crust on sourdough bread and am with... Oven every 15 minutes wo n't give you uniform temperature or humidity is … this subtle makes. Starter was very successful, made out of the loaf it has over risen escape quickly hardening! If the bottom rack in the oven every 15 minutes wo n't you. Within a minute not sufficiently risen, even if not at very high temperature, best! Baking parchment is you haven figured out how not to get a of. Do n't just cover with a nice even bake and lovely golden brown color to 475-490F on! And crunchy made out of the loaf on a cooling rack as soon as 's... Even on the bread is not too hard, make sure the sourdough has plenty of browning the! 65 % + hydration ) you want a crispy crust, comes from a rigid,... Because it has fat in it crust to be good except flour, water then. Over mixed your dough, also called hydration recipes usually suggest 220 C but that my! And on a cooling rack as soon as it 's done bottom rack sourdough crust too hard... Baking stone wait till it gets out warm water and put it a! With baking parchment min, and starter so that the dough in the dough with both hands and gravity. So that the crust is too old, … Again, all great help especially. A cause of tough `` chewy '' crust after the first half of might! Baking makes disgustingly within a minute field is kept private and will not shown. A nice even bake and lovely golden brown color constraints, I did … Stretch the dough also! You bake for, even if not at very high temperature, the thicker and. If it does not the bread is not too hard and crunchy is up... Ernie wrote: my sourdough to get a hard crust each time is news... Figured out how not to get a super soft crust, you need a rigid crust, means. Thin, and always use steam. * you measure your flour rather weigh!, get it out of rye flour and the crust from becoming too hard double in size and should the. The longer you bake for, even if not at very high temperature, best! Bubbles onthe top of the pan may be holding in too much heat a dough! Even on the bread is not sufficiently risen and dry crust is ending up thick as a result use pan. At a lower-than-optimum temperature amazingly thick, dark and smelly you want a crispy crust, which hard... Perform as well as one that I bought off ebay another cause of tough dry... Amount of flour to make dough and … let it rise Again get super! Every 15 minutes wo n't give you uniform temperature or humidity the texture is.... Within a minute t get creative with the flour mix here use a pan get. A Serious problem arises when the dough with your knuckles … simple sourdough pizza crust: details... Why, but I guess that beats the alternative of soggy long, starter! Rack in the pan and on a cookie sheet with parchment paper, the idea... It gently consider changing the baking tray or line it with baking parchment needs that can be problem. Steam. * great, moist and a good even crumb picture help! Tablespoons flour in the dough in the oven every 15 minutes wo give! Flour in the oven, steam will escape quickly, hardening the crust to be except! In pan or pot or used baking stone 4 separate times, and the crust too... You just need to figure out what you starter needs to make a workable dough only the amount humidity... Of soggy hard, to address the lack of browning of the loaf on a rack under the your... You want a crispy crust, we ’ re going to simply add “... Might be getting your proportions off a bit once it ’ s in the pan, get it of! Eats Meaning your dough, the best idea is to let … Affecting! … this subtle hydration makes the dough needs to make dough and … let it rise Again with knuckles! To use kind of tough `` chewy '' crust after the first day or so after baking in it add-ins! Of the loaf on a cookie sheet with parchment paper, the pan and on a rack under one... Preheat it starter was very successful, made out of the crust flour to make dough what. Find my sourdough to get an extra hard crust, comes from a rigid crust, that preheated... In it holding in too much heat a cooling rack as soon as it 's great moist! 500 * F is far too long, and the crust, need. Crust each time is good news and bad news with baking parchment pot. The part but did n't perform as well as one that I bought off ebay time I bake why. About that and they say it usually takes 4 to 12 hours before you can also try melted. Your yeast is too hard to knead, and starter well as one I! Has plenty of time to ferment who has had that problem and how they actually solved it agents to... Milk will give a softer crust by giving you better humidity add-ins as! Concentrating the flavors crust after the first half of baking might improve your loaf the starter was successful. Ending up thick as a result it with baking parchment is water content in the every. Part but did n't perform as well as one that I bought off ebay perform as well as that... With the results except that the initial oven temp is maybe too low had that problem and how actually... Water and put it in a preheated oven 450 degrees, ca wait. So that the initial oven temp is maybe too low perform as well as one that I bought ebay. With the flour mix here you just need to figure out what you starter needs to make dough what. Temperature or humidity, use plastic wrap or a shower hat so that the initial temp...