Help - Baker’s Guide - Bake it Better: Sweet Bread & Buns - Linda Collister

Great British Bake Off - Bake it Better: Sweet Bread & Buns - Linda Collister (2016)

Baker’s Guide

Help!

Sometimes things go wrong in the kitchen, no matter how experienced you are, but it’s not a disaster! Here are some commonly encountered bread-making problems, and our expert suggestions as to how to resolve them.

WHY DIDN’T MY DOUGH RISE?

The most obvious reason is usually to do with the yeast, so first check the expiry date on the packet - stale yeast will be ineffective. If you have used fresh yeast it may have passed its best and have died, particularly if it was left unwrapped and exposed to the air or left to dry out. See here for more about fresh yeast.

If the yeast was alive and the dough still didn’t rise, then the yeast must have been killed as the dough was being made. The most likely reason was exposing it to too much heat - yeast is a tiny living organism and will die at temperatures much above blood temperature, so treat it carefully and check the temperature of the water (or liquid) you are using to mix the dough: dip in your little finger, and if it feels a bit warm, replace some of the water with cold water.

When you use yeast, make sure it doesn’t come into direct contact with salt or sugar as these strong, concentrated ingredients will kill it.

If you have used cold or chilled water to mix the dough, and left it to rise in a cool spot, or used less yeast than specified in the recipe, then the dough will be slower to rise (yeast thrives on gentle warmth), so be patient and move the dough to a warmer spot to encourage the yeast to grow. Remember, too, that heavy enriched doughs (those with more than usual amounts of fat, sugar and fruit) present more of a challenge for the yeast.

WHY DID MY LOAF COLLAPSE IN THE OVEN?

The usual reason is that it was left to prove (the final rising stage) for too long or in a too warm spot. If bread dough expands to more than double its original size, the gluten developed during kneading cannot expand any further to keep up with production of the bubbles of gas (from the yeast) and so eventually the structure breaks down and collapses in the heat of the oven. Always do the ‘windowpane’ test (see here) to check the dough has been sufficiently kneaded and don’t rely just on the ‘10 minute’ rule.

When you first put a loaf into a hot oven it immediately starts to rise and expand - this is the ‘oven spring’ caused by the gas in the dough expanding. The high heat quickly kills off the yeast and starts to set the dough, but if the oven is too cool, the yeast keeps on producing bubbles of gas and the dough keeps on expanding until the gluten can’t contain it and the dough collapses.

There’s not much you can do if this has happened: the loaf will taste fine but will be a bit dense and heavy, so use it toasted.

WHY IS THE DRIED FRUIT JUST AT ONE EDGE OF THE LOAF?

Adding fruit and/or nuts to a dough changes its structure - and if you add too many extra ingredients the dough will collapse under the weight of it all, so follow the recipe carefully. Make sure the fruit is evenly distributed throughout the dough by careful, thorough kneading, and it’s a good idea to check the fruit mix first to break up any clumps that may have formed in the pack.

THE CRUST IS SOFT, PALE AND SOGGY!

This happens if the oven temperature is too low or the loaf hasn’t been fully baked. Check the oven temperature is correct (double check using an oven thermometer) and then return the loaf to the hot oven - set it directly on the oven shelf (rather than in the tin or on a baking sheet) and bake it for a further 5-10 minutes. Always test for ‘doneness’ by tapping on the underside of a loaf as it will sound hollow when fully baked (see here). Brushing with a glaze (as for the Butternut Squash Loaf, here) will also help give a good brown crust.

HOW CAN I STOP THE LOAF BECOMING TOO DARK BEFORE IT’S THOROUGHLY BAKED?

Doughs made with sweet ingredients (sugar, honey, maple syrup, dried fruits) and/or finished with an egg-rich glaze can easily catch in the oven as the crust caramelises in the high heat. Keep a beady eye on the bread as it bakes, use an oven thermometer and be ready to rotate the tin or baking sheet so the loaf colours evenly, and cover the top loosely with a sheet of baking paper or foil. For some glazed bakes, such as croissants and brioche, a rich mahogany brown is ideal, and adds to the flavour, so check the recipe.

WHY HAS MY LOAF CRACKED ALONG ONE SIDE?

If the loaf has risen unevenly, or has a crack to one side, it has probably been baked too far to one side of the oven, or too near a hot spot; it’s best to check your oven guide for correct shelf position. It’s a good idea to rotate the loaf a couple of times during baking so it bakes evenly. Sometimes this happens if you use the wrong tin for baking the dough - if the tin is too small for the quantity of dough it will expand unevenly. The bread will still be perfectly good to eat though.

WHY IS THERE A LARGE TUNNEL OR HOLE IN MY LOAF?

This is a very common problem, even for experienced bakers. It’s usually caused by either under-kneading the dough so the gluten is not fully developed, or not baking the loaf enough so the dough in the very centre didn’t heat through and set, and on cooling it shrank back leaving a gap. Sometimes a tin loaf (a shaped loaf baked in a tin) has a distinct gap where the dough was rolled up; this is caused by using too much flour on the worktop, which dries the dough. Keep a clean and dry pastry brush at hand for brushing away the excess flour when shaping doughs. If this does happen you can just cut around the hole and still enjoy the rest of your bread.

WHY DOES THE LOAF TASTE YEASTY AND DAMP?

If you use too much yeast, the bread can have an unpleasant aftertaste (it also makes it become stale very quickly) - there’s nothing you can do after baking. If the crumb is damp, it wasn’t baked for long enough - always test for doneness (see here). If the crumb is also very dense this is an indication that the dough wasn’t thoroughly kneaded, so the gluten wasn’t developed enough to form the structure of the loaf.