King Arthur's Bakers are here to solve the culinary puzzles you share with us, whether by phone, computer or by the good old postal service. In Ask the Baker's Hotline, Annabelle will pick the brain of the talented King Arthur Baker's Hotline team to address some of your most frequently asked questions. Today's question: How to tell if the bread is done.
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After all the work that goes into making bread, not to mention the time (sometimes many days!), the last thing you want to do is stumble at the last hurdle. But that's exactly what can happen if you underbake your bread—resulting in a dense, soft crumb—or overbake it, causing it to become hard and dry. To make sure you bake every time, we asked our bread expert Barb Alpern Baker's hotline how to tell if the bread is baked.
Should I use temperature to test the doneness of the bread?
You can. Many of our recipes call for loaves to be baked to a specific internal temperature, as measured in a instant read thermometer. (For details, see this blog post: Using a yeast bread thermometer.) But as an experienced baker, Barb recommends methods that professionals, home bakers, and grandmothers have used for centuries.
“I learned to bake bread in an artisan bakery, and we never measured the temperature of the bread,” says Barb. “Professional men just don't tend to use this method. Instead, I encourage bakers to learn to use their senses to guide them: the smell, color, feel and sound of bread can provide all the confirmation you need that your bread is fully baked.
John Sherman
Use your senses to gauge readiness (more on that below!), and then turn to a thermometer as a way to confirm your instincts and ensure the bread is fully cooked. It is a secondary tool and not the only one. This is especially important because the center of a loaf can reach its “finished” baking temperature several minutes before the end of baking time, so using temperature alone can sometimes be misleading.
Use your senses: Smell
“Like other baked goods, when the delicious aroma of homemade bread starts wafting through your kitchen, it's a good sign that your bread is close to done,” advises Barb. Don't stray too far from your oven at this point!
Use your senses: Sound
“For crusty artisan bread, one way to tell doneness is by pressing the bottom of the loaf,” says Barb. “Give the bottom of the loaf a few quick taps with your knuckles; if it sounds empty, it means it's fully baked.”
Use your senses: Touch
No matter what type of bread you're baking, the finished bread should feel significantly lighter in weight than the dough. “Bread loses a lot of water weight as it bakes,” explains Barb. “Moisture loss can vary from one type of bread to another, but expect at least a 15% weight loss for most breads.”
If you ever take an artisan bread class at King Arthur Baking schoolyou will learn that when crusty bread (think baguettes OR balls) are taken out of the oven, they should have extremely hard crusts that only yield when squeezed very hard.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Use your senses: Sight
Crust color is a clear visual indicator of doneness, but Barb says different types of bread have different levels of color to look for.
Sandwich bread and pan bread: “The color should be a rich golden brown and the top crust should be firm. Don't be afraid to tilt the bread from the pan to make sure the sides and bottom are also nice and golden brown and firm.”
Challah or other enriched free-form bread: “Look for the lightest part of the bread (between the braids or an area that hasn't been egg-washed) to have some color. It won't be as dark as the egg wash, but it shouldn't look too pale or doughy either. Look for a lighter golden brown in these areas. Also check the bottom of the bread for color and firmness.”
Brioche: “This can be tricky because you really need to bake to a rich brown for the inside to cook through, as the butter and sugar make the croissant brown faster. Take the bread out when the crust is deep mahogany and don't be afraid! Color means taste.”
Artisan bread with crust and sourdough: “Darker color translates to more flavor, so I go a little darker with these types of breads. Our baking ambassador Martin Philip shares useful information on a great article on this topic,” recommends Barb. One takeaway: Look for a small strip of carbon on the bread's ear, as if it were wearing eyeliner.
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
And just because your bread is done baking, it doesn't mean it's done
It's important to take your bread out of the oven at the right time, and it's helpful to have your thermometer to check the internal temperature, but that's not all it takes to achieve the perfect bake.
“Remember the bread isn't completely done when it comes out of the oven,” advises Barb. “Moisture continues to be released as the bread cools, and the internal structure of the bread needs that time to harden completely. If you don't want to end up with a soft interior, let your bread cool completely before slicing.” (Moist and dense rye bread with a high percentage of rye flour often benefit from up to 24 hours of chilling time!)
In the end, the best way to develop your sixth cooking sense is to keep practicing, paying attention to these signs each time. “I know trusting your senses can seem difficult at first,” says Barb, “but it's one of those baking skills that will improve with every loaf you bake!”
Cover photo by Mark Weinberg; food styling by Liz Neily.
