| Baking With Substitutes: What Went Wrong? |
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| Problem: Breads |
Common Causes |
Some Recommendations |
| top browns before inside is done |
gluten-free
baked goods brown prematurely on the outside before fully cooked on the
inside; soy milk causes darker baked goods; oven heat too high. |
cover
top loosely with aluminum foil once baked good has achieved desired browning;
place dough into 2 smaller pans: use lighter colored pans; reduce oven heat. |
| bottom browns before fully done inside. |
pan
too dark or absorbing too much heat; oven rack set too low; fat used has low
melting point. |
use
lighter or glass pan; reset oven rack to higher place in oven; check type of
fat used. |
| still gummy in center, dough very difficult to handle (too
tacky). |
dough
too wet; not fully cooked inside yet; eggs (if allowed) were too large;
liquids used not at lukewarm temperatures; used substitutes that contain
extra water; not blended well enough; too much xanthan. |
reduce
liquids; use liquids at tepid temps; check doneness w/flat knife in center;
check for hidden sources of water (possibly from a substitute); check
measurements / tools used; divide into 2 smaller pans; use high power stand
up mixer to blend dough. |
| never rises or loaf too short (unsatisfactory rise) |
dough
too wet; not blended well; ratio of flour to liquid too low; need lighter
flour blend; too much dough for pan or bread machine to handle; yeast stale
or killed by too hot liquids; too little or wrong egg substitute; altitude
issues. |
reduce
liquids; increase ratio of flours/liquids, use lighter flour or 2 smaller
pans; blend dough w/ heavy duty, stand up mixer before place in proper
capacity bread mach. (basic bread setting); use fresh yeast, lighter flour,
or double baking powder. |
| never rises or loaf too short (unsatisfactory rise)-ANOTHER
POSSIBILITY |
dough
too heavy because not ENOUGH liquids; egg replacer and other substitutes used
may contain LESS liquid than real eggs and milk; substituted flours may be
absorbing more liquids; very low altitude or very humid conditions. |
add
more liquid 1 TBS at a time until dough correct consistency, blending well in
between; use less flour, low altitude tips-increase baking powder or baking
soda by 1/4 - 1/2, or use dough enhancers (acidic ingredients),decrease
liquids or oven temp. |
| rises then falls as cools |
too
wet; not fully cooked in center; too much dough for pan; oven temperature not
high enough. |
reduce
liquids used; check for done-ness with flat knife in center; reduce oven temp
and bake longer; check dough during first knead cycle; increase oven
temperature. |
| too crumbly |
dough
too dry; too much flour to liquid ratio (check ingredient measurements); not
enough xanthan/guar gum or binding agent; water used instead of milk. |
add
1 tsp. to 1 TBS unflavored, unsweetened gelatin, agar, or carrageenan; add
more liquid and/or binding agents (e.g. eggs if allowed, or use acceptable
binding substitute); increase fat used; add milk (if allowed, or use
substitute) |
| dries out & gets stale very fast |
no
preservatives in bread; gluten-free goods tend to be more dry; not stored
properly. |
cool
completely, slice, cover well, & freeze unused portions until later
(inserting wax paper between slices helps slices pull apart easier later. |
| hard to slice |
not
cooled enough yet; too dry & crumbly; wrong knife. |
let
cool completely before slicing; see above for dry/crumbly suggestions; use
sharp, serrated bread knife to slice. |
| as bread cools, gets rock hard |
dough
was too wet; too much additional flour used to try to stiffen dough. |
check
hidden sources of water and see above tips. |
| bread very heavy |
too
dense flours used; too wet; need to blend dough more thoroughly; too much
flour used; not enough leavening agents used; heavy mixer not used. |
reduce
amount of original flour used & blend in some lighter flour(s); increase
eggs or acceptable substitute, or baking powder; don't pack down flours when
measuring; use heavy duty mixer to beat extra air into dough; see tips to
make dough less wet. |
| bread wet or moist on outside |
left
to cool in pan too long |
remove
from pan per manufacturer or machine directions; cool on wire rack. |
| large
air pockets in bread or bread "mushrooms" or swells beyond pan
edges. |
too
much yeast or baking powder used; too much egg (if allowed) or too much egg
replacer or egg substitute used. |
check
measurements; very high altitudes or hot humid weather accelerates yeast
activity-adjust by decreasing liquids some, decreasing egg (or substitute) or
baking powder, reduce yeast by 1/4; if eggs are allowed be sure each egg
measures 1/4 cup liquid. |
| dry pockets of dough in loaf |
not
thoroughly blended; heavy duty mixer not used; dough exceeded bread machine
capacity. |
use
heavy duty mixer only; pre-blend before placing in bread machine; blend
thoroughly . |
| rough, rocky surface |
too
little liquid or yeast used; too much flour used; flour blend used is too
high in starch; exceeds bread machine capacity. |
re-check
measurements/recipe; try re-blending
flours using smaller amounts of starchy flours; check if bread machine
capacity can handle dough and amount of dough. |
| bread sticks to pan |
left
to cool too long in pan. |
remove
from pan to cool and place on wire rack. |