Tuesday, November 3, 2020

[Secret #3] Take the Temperature

Hello again reader --

We're chugging along in our bread-baking journey and hopefully the last two lessons have helped you get the yeast moving and you've kept an eye out 👀 on that rising dough.

Now it's in the oven and we want to make sure it bakes PERFECTLY.

After that work, you don't want to slice into a loaf of bread that's gooey and underdone in the middle OR break a tooth on crust that's way overdone.

How do you know when a loaf of bread is done baking?

Tip #3: Use an instant-read thermometer to take its temperature

That's right, thermometers aren't just for checking steak; they will become your best friend when baking bread, too.

Most bread should be baked to 195ºF, but always check the recipe you are using!

You can do the "tap it and see if it sounds hollow test" but using an instant-read thermometer (this is the one I use!) is more accurate and you will get consistent results each and every time.

Let's continue on our baking journey with a few free-form loaves:

Ciabatta Bread