How do ya'll make your bread so crusty and your crumb so chewy? Everything I make comes out like store bought italian bread, which isnt bad but I want that aRTisAnal bread. Edit: Thanks for all the information, I now have a friday night goal.

  • Llituro [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Hard to tell from the angle, but it seems like the basic shape of your loaf is ok. Let me ask some basic troubleshooting questions:

    1. What recipe are you following, and are you doing so by volume or mass?
    2. How are you baking it? At what temp, where in your oven, on / in what, and for how long? This loaf looks really underdone to me, and possibly like it lacks steam.
    3. When you put it in the oven, is the side facing up all smooth and taut? If so, you need to score it, and it looks to me like you aren't. Getting the top nice and taut so that there's a surface tension, and then slashing with a very sharp knife or razor, is how you get those huge ears you see in artisan bakes. It's a necessary thing to do so that the steam in the bread has somewhere to go, and it isn't trapped in your loaf while baking.
    • Dapper_Cassowary [he/him,none/use name]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Volume because I do not own a scale. Dutch oven preheated at 425F for 30 min, remove lid partway through. Forgot to score this loaf, normally do. Thanks for the steam tip, Ill look into how to actually implement that.

      • Llituro [he/him, they/them]
        ·
        4 years ago

        So I'd definitely try preheating for at least 45 minutes, up to an hour, bake the bread with the lid on for I think 25-30 minutes, and then leave it in to bake until it's much darker brown than this one. That will all help you get that fancy crust. You could also bake at a higher temp, 450 or even 500. It won't hurt if you keep an eye on it. No problem on the steam tip, that should help it cook better on the inside.

        I have no idea your financial situation, but if you can get a kitchen scale, that helps a lot with consistency.