My bread is doughy in the middle... need advice, please!
I have been baking bread with no trouble for years. Now, out of the blue, my loaves are turning out all soggy and underdone in the middle. We have recently moved to a new area and I now have a gas oven. Could this be the problem? Help, please!
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11 Comments:
how long are you preheating the oven? and are you at a significantly higher altitude?
cybercita at 9:26PM on 02/05/08
If nothing else about your bread baking is different then yes, it would be your new oven. Get an oven thermometer and test it. It may be running hot.
Did you move to a high altitude area from a lower altitude one or vice versa? You might need to adjust your recipes. See here and here for info.
kjgibson at 9:37PM on 02/05/08
Same altitude... the only difference is the oven. I preheat it until it beeps to tell me it's fully preheated. Thanks y'all!!
sbelle at 10:21PM on 02/05/08
have you checked the temperature with an oven thermometer? the thermostat could be off
beth1 at 11:06PM on 02/05/08
The temperature is too high. Your outside thumps done and your inside is not. Get the oven thermometer and calibrate your oven. Adjust your temp.
JerzeeTomato at 4:38AM on 02/06/08
The hollow "thump" sound isn't enough to tell when bread is done. Get yourself an instant read thermometer and plunge it into the loaf from the underside (leave your oven on in case it has to go back in). If it's not registering between 190 and 210, put the bread back in the oven and continue baking in 10 minute increments.
Measuring the temp of the actual bread is your best bet for accurately telling if it's done. I used to think this was a superfluous step until I started doing it. It takes out the guesswork.
chiff0nade at 5:14AM on 02/06/08
Thank you sooo much! I am going to buy an oven thermometer today and will start using the instant read one as well. Y'all are the best!
sbelle at 6:47AM on 02/06/08
This thread reminded me of the mother of a high school friend. They lived on a farm outside our small town. Momma was older than most of the Moms in our crowd, and still cooked on a wood stove (I am 42, this was the mid-eighties - she was a real traditionalist). Finally when she hit about 70, her kids chipped in a bought her an electric stove, so she would no longer have to chop the wood. After three days, she politely called Sears and asked them to come back and get the stove as it did not work. The sales person, knowing the situation, came with the technician to see if they could help out. Her complaint - that damn thing won't bake bread worth s**t! She had used the same bread recipe all her life and it simply didn't work the same way in an electric stove. Between the sales clerk, the tech, a new oven thermometer, and her kids, Momma did learn to bake bread in the new stove and it was allowed to stay.
Maureen at 9:17AM on 02/06/08
Julia Childs recommended the instant read thermometer, and another thing she suggested (and her bread research was VERY extensive) was turning the oven down to finish off the middle. That way, if you achieve the golden brown color that you like, it won't overcook the outside while the inside finishes. Check out her bread recipes. She is so interesting to read.
cucinacecilia at 10:27AM on 02/06/08
ummm cook it longer
jamesl8n at 3:08PM on 02/08/08
Check the temperature, both of the oven and inside the loaf.
Keep in mind that a gas oven is a bit more humid than an electric oven, but using thermometers should help with your dilemma.
gb944 at 8:46AM on 02/10/08