Sourdough with Crust that Tears Easier
Hi there,
I've finally figured out how to make a thin, crispy sourdough crust. I use a baking stone, and place a water pan underneath for 10-15 minutes and then remove it to continue baking. The problem is the crust is still a little tough; it doesn't "shear" easily when you bite or slice it and my folks don't have great dental health, so I was hoping to find a way to make it break up or tear more easily. Right now I place it on a wire rack to cool but wrap it in a cloth as I thought that would help, but now I'm not sure it does much. Does it actually help? What else could I try? I don't want to mess around with the recipe because I got the crumb just how I want and the loaves look great. Would brushing melted butter on top as it comes out of the oven work?
Thanks!
less steam will produce a less crusty loaf. So will baking at a lower temperature. In either case, you may not get as much browning.
You can also add a bit of milk, butter or oil to the dough, which will soften the crumb as well as the crust.
Brushing with butter will help soften the crust, but the thicker the crust, the less it will help.
I definitely find a bit of butter in the mix helps. I will often add about 30g butter to 500g flour (ie about 6%) and that softens the crust and crumb as Arjon says - a real help for the dentally challenged.
Thanks guys, I will try it out. It wouldn't substantially change the crust or crumb do add a small amount, right? Just don't want to end up with pirogi dough...
I sometimes swap out a bit of the high-protein bread flour for AP flour. That seems to make a more tender crust.