Why do the sides of my bread not brown?

Bread making - a black art indeed! I was listening to a food show on my local radio this morning. A second generation bakery owner from a nearby town was throwing all sorts of other factors into the equation - lengthening the first prove by cooling the dough down, making the dough dryer than most recipes quote, splashing some water into the oven at the start of the bake. His main point was not to follow recipes but go by the feel of the dough. Easy to say when you're making 5 tons each week!
 
medtran49 said:
The sides are always going to be a little bit lighter than the top. I have several metal loaf pans and 1 heavy ceramic one. The sides come out much lighter in the ceramic versus the metal. It almost looks like there is uneven heat distribution on the sides given the last loaf's coloration pattern, but that doesn't make sense given the way the top looks. I'm assuming they are done inside? You could always try taking 1 out of the pan the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time.
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Mine are the opposite. The sides and bottom are always darker than the top.
 
I did consider oven temperature. More than once, when roasting chicken, I either had to use a higher temperature or a longer cook time. G went to Lowe's last week and found an oven thermometer. I used it last night with the bread. The thermometer registered 350 degrees.
I like the suggestion of using the pizza stone for the last few minutes. Thanks to your advice it lives in the oven. Last night I cooked the bread for 30 minutes instead of the recommended 25. There was some browning on the sides.
:banghead:
I just remembered - it is a convection oven! It might help if I make use of that feature.
 
epicuric said:
How do frozen, rise and bake loaves work? Do you defrost them, or cook them from frozen?

I am no expert baker, only being successful when using packet mixes, but I also use a grey Teflon tin and have not noticed any problems. This is one I made yesterday:
View attachment 41347
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The large loaf looks like it was baked in a bread machine.
 
I have a bread machine somewhere in the basement, I think. It's got to be 25 years old and I haven't used it in a few decades, LOL! Not sure if it's worth finding because of it's age. I am sure that the new technology is way better.
 
My loaf pans:


Loaf Pans

Loaf Pans


I'm using the terra cotta one today.

ElizabethB said:
I just remembered - it is a convection oven! It might help if I make use of that feature.
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I know a lot of our European/UK members have fan ovens and use them no problem, so I'm not offering this as definitive, just as food (bread?) for thought: my oven can flip back and forth, and in the owner's manual, it has a chart of things to use the fan for and things not to use the fan for, and it recommends not using the fan for bread, as it produces a drier loaf.
 
TastyReuben said:
My loaf pans:


Loaf Pans

Loaf Pans


I'm using the terra cotta one today.



I know a lot of our European/UK members have fan ovens and use them no problem, so I'm not offering this as definitive, just as food (bread?) for thought: my oven can flip back and forth, and in the owner's manual, it has a chart of things to use the fan for and things not to use the fan for, and it recommends not using the fan for bread, as it produces a drier loaf.
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I think I know where the owners manual is. If I can not put my hands on it quickly I can find it on line. Thanks
 
I was thinking the same thing, that convection is not recommended for baking. I remember that from 10+ years ago when we got the oven we just replaced a few months ago. Don't remember the why. Just know I've never used it for baking.
 
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Top And End

Top And End


Bottom And Side

Bottom And Side

This is using the terra cotta baker, baked at 425F for 10 minutes, then 350F for 25 minutes. No pizza stone or anything like that.

I think the terra cotta baker does better than the glass, but it does make a smaller loaf, or a more condensed loaf, maybe; meaning, I use the same amount of dough, but the pan is smaller than the glass one.

That baker was a gift, given to me in 1994, and I never used it once until probably 2015.
 
Yay!! You did it!! What is the terra cotta baker? When I baker homemade rolls in the convection toaster oven, they come out perfect on all sides. :wink:
 
TastyReuben said:
My loaf pans:


Loaf Pans

Loaf Pans


I'm using the terra cotta one today.



I know a lot of our European/UK members have fan ovens and use them no problem, so I'm not offering this as definitive, just as food (bread?) for thought: my oven can flip back and forth, and in the owner's manual, it has a chart of things to use the fan for and things not to use the fan for, and it recommends not using the fan for bread, as it produces a drier loaf.
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I always use the fan oven for bread.
 
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