The crust should be deeply colored throughout.Depending on the bread type, the internal temperature should be near 200-205☏ (93-96☌), depending on the style of bread 1.The best way to determine when your loaf is fully baked through is to use a combination of sensorial and measured inputs: The loaf should be lighter a knock to the bottom sounds hollow. Look for a crust that is well-colored and crispy all around. However, when baking bread at high altitudes, I've found that sometimes no matter how long I bake my bread, it never reaches that temperature. How Can I Tell When Bread is Done Baking at High Altitude?įor a free-form loaf, I indicate the internal temperature should be near 200-205☏ (93-96☌). Loaves with higher hydration always require a longer bake time, whether a whole wheat loaf or a white loaf. For a standard free-form loaf, on average, I need to bake 10 minutes longer, depending on the style of bread and recipe. It takes bread (and other food) longer to reach a higher internal temperature at high altitudes. As I said above, I either change the total bake time (increased) or the baking temperature (increased)-not both. Related to the section above regarding baking temperature, I usually need to change the baking time when I bake sourdough bread here at a high altitude. How to Adjust Baking Time for High Altitude Ultimately, I don't usually use convection when baking sourdough bread in my home oven. Note that when using convection, it's common to either reduce the baking temperature or the total baking time.įor example, if a recipe called for a no-convection bake temperature of 350☏ (175☌) for 20 minutes at sea level, I'd set my oven to 350☏ (175☌) and bake for 20 minutes with convection turned on. In this case, convection can safely be used. Bread like my sourdough pain de mie, which is either baked with the lid on or with an egg wash, doesn't require steaming the oven. If you're baking a loaf of bread that doesn't require steam, you can use convection. The fan circulates air-and any steam-in the oven, and I've found it causes the dough to dry out prematurely. However, I don't use convection with bread baked directly on a baking surface. The pot traps the steam during baking, even with the fan running. You can use convection (fan assist) when baking sourdough bread if the bread is baked inside of a closed pot, like a Dutch oven or combo cooker. Should I Bake Sourdough Bread With Convection? If the temperature is too far, you'll burn the loaf's exterior before the interior is fully baked through. While increasing the baking temperature will offset the time needed to bake a loaf fully, it only goes so far. The extra time needed depends on the bread it is usually more for pan bread than free-form loaves. Between the two, I usually opt to bake the bread for longer. I've found that I either have to bake bread longer OR at a higher temperature to bake the loaf properly. The biggest modifier when baking bread at a high altitude is the oven temperature. See more information on each of these adjustments, below Recipe based on my spelt, wheat and rye sourdough Adjusting Your Oven Temperature for High Altitude Baking Leavening (sourdough, chemical leaveners) Generally, increase baking time unless oven temperature increases. Increase oven temperature by 25 degrees over what the recipe calls for. Real Quick: How to Adjust Bread Baking For High Altitude What to change for high altitude In this post on how to bake sourdough bread at high altitude, I'll run through the things I typically watch out for and modify to bake bread successfully in my home kitchen.įirst, let's look at the high-level things I always consider when I bake sourdough bread at high altitudes. I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at around 5,000 ft (1,524 m), and I expect to have to modify any recipe I'm looking to bake to adjust the oven temperature and moisture content and, in some cases, the leavening agent (sourdough, baking soda, and baking powder). Living at high altitudes makes baking (and cooking) a little more complicated, especially when following recipes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |