Bread defects: photos, causes, baking problems and how to fix them

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Bread making is a complex technological process. Not surprisingly, finished bakery products can have various defects. They can be caused by the poor quality of raw materials, the mistakes of the baker who kneads the dough and bakes it. It is worth noting that the flaws associated with the quality of ingredients are extremely difficult to fix, while technological flaws can be corrected. The article talks about bread defects and how to eliminate them.

Causes of defects

Experienced bakers know that all flaws are usually caused by four things. Consider them in more detail:

1. Poor quality flour or other ingredients.
2. Mistakes made in formulating.
3. Mistakes made during the technological process (for example, incorrect kneading, baking or other steps).
4. Microbiological causes.

Wrongform

One of the most common bread defects is the wrong shape. Bread can be wrinkled, asymmetrical, vague. This happens for various reasons. Asymmetric and skewed products are obtained by careless molding, when the baker gives the dough an irregular shape. Bread made from fermented dough is usually spread, pancake-shaped, the upper crust is concave. This can be explained by the fact that as a result of prolonged fermentation or prolonged proofing, the dough loses a lot of gas, and therefore simply cannot rise in the oven.

Another reason for such a defect in bread is stacking it in bulk and careless handling during loading and unloading. Hot bread crumbles very quickly. The reason for the irregular shape can also be flour. For example, flour made from sprouted grains, also called m alt flour, gives an almost flat bread. What can cause flattened and pale sides of bread? Dense planting of hearth breads on the hearth of the oven. As a result, individual loaves stick together. Often there are knobby protrusions on the lower crust. They are called "spills", they appear due to insufficient proofing.

Insufficient volume

If the bread is characterized by insufficient volume, and its crust is covered with a large number of cracks, you should also pay attention to the fermentation time. In the event that the dough ferments longer than usual, the reason is most likely the low quality of the yeast. There are several options for solving this problem:

• you can increase the dosagethis component;
• pressed yeast should be activated;
• this ingredient should be replaced if necessary.

Surface defects

By the way, insufficient proofing can cause large cracks on the surface of products. This bread crust defect can also occur when there is no steam, and the temperature in the oven is set too high during the first baking period. If the surface of the bread is covered with a network of small cracks, it means that flour was used made from grain damaged by a bug, or poor quality yeast. Such a defect in bread can result from insufficient moisture in the proofing chambers and the lack of steam. The reason for the appearance of small cracks on the finished product bakers call a draft during proofing. The solution to the problem is simple: it is enough to carry out this stage in special chambers.

Speaking of defects in bakery products, one cannot fail to mention the top crust, which has fallen and concave. The reason for this flaw is the excessive duration of the dough proofing. Among the external defects of wheat bread is the detachment of the upper crust of the product from its crumb. Experienced bakers know that this problem is due to under-fermented dough and insufficient moisture. Another reason is the impact of the workpieces on the molds or the oven during planting or at the initial stage of baking. Too thick a crust occurs when the oven heats up unevenly or the bread bakes for too long.

Dark spots and swellings on the bread crustappear due to the fact that drops of water have fallen on the workpieces before the baking process. A matte and gray crust is the result of a lack of steam in the baking chamber. Moisturize it by all means.

Burnt or pale crusts

One of the main defects of bread during baking is the formation of excessively colored (burnt) crusts. Most often this is due to the fact that flour was used for the product, ground from frost or sprouted grain. In addition, the cause of this defect may be a long baking time of the product or a high temperature in the oven.

In the event that the crust is burnt, and the middle remains raw, you should pay attention to the temperature in the oven. Most likely it is too high. Try lowering the temperature or replacing the oven.

Too pale crusts on the finished bread are due to flour, which is characterized by low gas and sugar-forming ability. Another reason is dough with low humidity or excessive fermentation time. It is not uncommon for pale crusts to occur due to the low temperature of the bread being baked in the oven.

Defects in the bread crumb - foreign inclusions and non-mixing

Such a defect as foreign inclusions is the result of damage to the sieves, in which flour, m alt or other ingredients are usually sifted. Unmixed bakers call lumps of poorly mixed flour. Nepromes is formed due to a violation of the kneading mode. The flaws of the crumb can also be attributed to hardening at the lower crusts. Most often, such a defect appears in rye bread. This happens due to the fact thatthe oven is not hot enough. Hardening can also occur with careless handling of the finished hot product. Another reason is the cooling of rye bread on a cold metal surface, its excessive moisture and undercooking. Tempering in the middle of baked goods is due to kneading dough in hot water.

The bread turned out porous, but the pores are unevenly distributed? The thing is that flour made from defective grain was used, the dough recipe was violated. Another reason is the lack of warm-ups.

Have large voids formed in the crumb? Most likely, the reason is insufficient mechanical action on the dough. This problem can be solved only by evaluating the work at the stage of rolling and rounding the dough.

Sticky, dark or crumbly are the main crumb defects

Speaking of the shortcomings of bread, it is worth noting such problems as raw baked crumb, coarse crumbly or dark. In the first case, the cause is flour, which was made from frost or sprouted grain. In addition, the sticky crumb is formed due to the following factors:

• excessive dough moisture;
• insufficient baking time;
• too strong and prolonged mechanical impact on the dough during kneading.

Freshly baked bread, the crumb of which is rough and crumbly, was made from dough with insufficient moisture. The dark-colored crumb of the finished product is obtained due to the use of flour, which was made from sprouted grain.

Rings and spots in the crumb, which have a dark tint, usually appear due to the fact that too high a temperature of water was used when preparing the dough. It is because of this that the activity of the yeast decreases, and at the same time the intensity of fermentation. As a result, the starch gelatinizes.

Crunching teeth

If a crunch appears on the teeth when chewing bread, you should pay attention to the quality of the flour. Most likely, this ingredient was of poor quality, it contains sand, earthy parts, or mineral impurities. It is strictly forbidden to allow such flour into production.

Foreign tastes and odors

For what reason can bakery products have extraneous flavors and aromas that are unusual for them? Experienced bakers know the answer:

1. The presence of impurities in the flour. For example, mustard, wormwood, weeds, which have a bright smell and taste.
2. Using low quality yeast.
3. Using spoiled eggs or dairy products in making bread.
4. Using rancid flour.
5. Violation of the conditions of storage of flour, which is used in the preparation of products.

Sometimes the bread has a m alty flavor. Usually such a problem occurs with non-brewed varieties, the cause of the bread defect is the use of frost or sprouted grain in the manufacture of flour. Violation of the dosage of s alt leads to the fact that the finished product has either unders alted or overs alted taste. Gets too sourbread made from dough that has fermented or not fermented. Another reason is the violation of the ratio of acetic and lactic acids.

The bitter taste is the result of using rancid fat. Of course it needs to be replaced. At the same time, it is important to adjust the storage conditions for this ingredient.

Yeast and s alt defects

Bakers cite the wrong dosage of yeast as the main cause of bread defects. It is precisely because this ingredient is not enough that the crumb becomes dry and dense, the bread will quickly become stale.

Does the bread have a sticky crumb, is it spread, and is the crust dark? The reason for the defect in bread is the lack of s alt. Its excess, in turn, leads to the fact that the bread is thick-walled, with large pores. In addition, the dough ripening process is significantly slowed down.

Dough moisture

Considering bread defects and their causes, it is worth talking separately about such a characteristic of the dough as moisture. High humidity causes the bread to spread and the crumb to crumble. In addition, the energy value of the product is reduced. In turn, low humidity is the cause of the density and dryness of the crumb. This bread goes stale very quickly.

Bread crumbles

Such a defect in bread (pictured below) is often encountered by both housewives baking products in bread machines and experienced bakers. Among the factors leading to such a flaw, experts identify the following:

• low moisture dough;
• too sharp decrease in temperature during baking;
• too intense kneading;
• draft;
• Insufficient dough fermentation time.

The reason may be reduced baking properties of the flour used in the manufacture of the dough. For example, poor product quality, lack of gluten, too low water retention capacity. You should either replace the flour, or use means to improve the taste. The crumbliness of baked goods can also increase due to the fact that the dough contains an excess amount of water.