What a Difference Too Much Moisture Makes
I made these yeast rolls today from the same batch of dough, and wanted to share the extraordinary difference in baking them one batch after the other. I made the dough last night, bulk proved and shaped, then refrigerated overnight, baked this morning.
I pre-heated the oven as usual, added water to the bottom of the oven-tray for steam, into the oven went 2 breakfast loaves and one of the trays with the rolls. After 25 minutes the brown rolls on the left came out. I turned the oven down by 10˚C wanting to have the second batch of rolls slightly less brown but wasn’t expecting them to be as anemic as these.
I realised afterwards why? There was too much steam left in the oven from adding the initial water and from the two loaves still baking in there creating extra steam.
The rolls bake quickly, if they took longer they would gain colour, with too much steam in the oven and more importantly…this is what will allow for the surface of bread to colour…if the surface of the rolls had dried out quicker it would allow for the browning of the crust.
Why A Loaf Browns
The outside of a loaf can’t brown until the surface is completely dried and then the maillard reaction can occur. Once moisture evaporates the crust browns.
Had I thought about it properly I would remember how a crowded oven creates its own steam, and with baking something quickly I needn’t added the water.
Plain loaf for kid’s breakfast with some honey added, gives it a good toasting effect.
- 1 kg bread flour
- 20g salt
- 7-10g instant dried yeast
- 700g water, warm
- 50g runny honey
Add all together and follow these steps in this post here.