Dough is undercooked (Bread)

[sinfulvixen]

I just made this recipe:

Amish White bread

2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2/3 cup white sugar
2 TBS active dry yeast (I used Fleischmann's)
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups white flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.

2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time, sifting it in. Kneed dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth (about 8-10 minutes). Place in a well oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour or two.

3. Punch down dough, knead for a few minutes and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place into two well oiled 9x5 loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes or until dough has risen at least one inch above the pans.

4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool before slicing.~credits to http://springrollz.blogspot.com/

I felt adventurous this morning and decided to try for the first time homemade bread. I followed directions to a "T" and it looked beautiful when it came out. However the slit that I made at the top clearly showed it was undercooked /img/vbsmilies/smilies//frown.gif Not only was it undercooked, it was golden brown and the crust was clearly done. Now Im stuck with a pretty bread that cant be eaten. Where did I go wrong?

**I have an electric oven and kneaded this by hand**

 

[siduri]

I think the problem is that you should never rely on the baking time of a recipe, but you have to check for doneness. 

The simplest and easiest way is to first look at the color, as you did.

Then tap the top of the loaf which should sound "hollow"

then take a wooden skewer or toothpick and insert it into the thickest part.  It should come out dry.  If there is a little dough on it, it doesn't matter what time the recipe says, it's not cooked yet.  Ovens are different, thermostats can not work, some dough might be more wet (kind of flour, humidity, whatever) but you always have to test. 

 

[sinfulvixen]

Thank You for the quick reply!Yes I understand. The only problem is that the crust couldn't stand more heat /img/vbsmilies/smilies//frown.gif even the 15 min extra I left it caused the bottom to almost burn /img/vbsmilies/smilies//frown.gif As an end to my experiment I decided to cut the loaf open.The entire middle was under cooked.If this would have been a steak it would have been cooked perfectly /img/vbsmilies/smilies//smile.gif However slightly raw dough isn't yummy. The part that was cooked was delicious and I would like to try this recipe again.Should I add more yeast (say a TBS more)?

 

[petemccracken]

I'd check the oven temperature first, from what you describe, it appears to be running "hot", maybe 50°-75°F? That would lead to the crust being done and the interior not being cooked.

Also, how long did you let it "rest" before slicing?

The possibility of a "recipe problem" or a "technique problem" is, IMHO, far less than an "oven temperature problem".

BTW, it is NOT uncommon for home ovens to be off-calibration by as much as 100°-150°F, get an accurate oven thermometer and check.

 

[sinfulvixen]

Will do /img/vbsmilies/smilies//biggrin.gif I'm still fairly new and in the middle of forming my cooking artillery /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif will add both kitchen and oven thermometer to my list /img/vbsmilies/smilies//smile.gif

 

[kyheirloomer]

At a guess I'd say Pete is correct.

What's happening is that high heat is causing the various sugars to caramelize too quickly, thus forming a dark, rich-looking crust even though the crumb isn't cooked through. Wouldn't surprise me to learn that the sides and bottom are more crusty than we usually expect in a pan bread as well.

That aside, I've got some serious issues with that recipe.

For example that's an incredible amount of yeast for six cups of flour. Something on the order of 4 teaspoons should be ample; even less if you'd used instant yeast instead of active dry.

But let's get your oven temperature checked first. Then we can worry about recipe specifics. When you get your oven thermometer check the temp at several different places in the oven, as many of them do not heat evenly, and that, too, can effect whatever you bake.

BTW, I don't recommend that newbies start with enriched doughs, because they do present problem areas. A lean dough (i.e., one with only the four classic ingredients: flour, yeast, water, and salt) is easier to learn on.

 

[boar_d_laze]

30 minutes at 350 isn't enough time to cook a (nearly) 1 lb loaf.  40 minutes at 350 or 30 minutes at 400 are fairly standard time/temps for loaf pan breads about that size.   

Your oven's thermostat may or may not be very inaccurate.  More likely it's behaving erratically because you didn't properly preheat it.  You need a 1/2 hour preheat before baking bread in order to give the oven a chance to fully stabilize. 

Also, where you place the loaves in the oven can have a large effect.  The dial may be set at 350, and the oven may indeed be 350 at the middle rack, but may be much hotter at the top or bottom.  Invest the $4 in a cheap oven thermometer so you can know for sure. 

And... don't hurry it.  Extra long preheats, okay? 

Hope this helps,

BDL

 

[sinfulvixen]

****UPDATE****

Okay, after taking everyone's advice I altered the recipe and corrected a lot of issues.The recipe now falls as:

2 cups warm milk (1% @110 degrees)
1/2 cup white sugar
1TBS active dry yeast (I used Fleischmann's)
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
 5 cups white flour (and about a cup i used for kneading purposes)

First and foremost I properly proofed my yeast.I'm afraid in my haste to have fresh bread I may have rushed the process, thus resulting in spoiled goods.I wont make that mistake again.Keep in mind this is all very new for me and yes I haven't dealt with yeast up until now.I definitely learned my lesson.

I also reduced the sugar to half a cup so as not to brown my crust before the bread was ready.

Secondly I allowed my bread to rise past the time indicated on the original recipe. About 1hr 15min. This allowed a more workable dough and overall better end product.

Finally I checked my oven temperature as Pete advised. Seems I run hot (no surprise eh Pete?) and to counter that issue I placed my bread pan in a larger pan filled with water. Upon reading other forums, I also covered my bread with a foil roasting pan.This allowed the bread to rise and bake but prevented the crust from browning before it was done.The pan with water allowed for a more even baking.In the end I baked 45 min covered and 15 additional minutes uncovered for a total of 60min bake time.

So how did I do?



Thanks everyone SO much for your input it helped a lot.I'm sure you'll be seeing more of my blunders in the future but I hope you'll pitch in help once more /img/vbsmilies/smilies//biggrin.gif

 

[homemadecook]

Wow, congrats! You made it perfectly. I wish I could taste it. lol

 

[sinfulvixen]

Thanks! With my new found wisdom I'm sure my family will soon tire of my bread making in which case I'll gladly send you a loaf or two /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif

 

[jlbpa1]

A couple months ago I started making all the bread I eat at home instead of buying it.  I'm still learning things.     I found if a uniform loaf is preferred  roll out the dough in a rectangle about the width of your bread pan.  Then roll up the dough rolling towards you going slowly and keeping it tight to keep out air pockets then pinch the seam together and smooth it some.   Then turn the roll so the seam is on the bottom then pinch the ends and tuck them under then get it looking loaf like and pick it up and place it in the pan seam down.