THE BREAD MAKING GUIDE: CHAPTER 3/4

The overturning technique.

Bread machines are all quite similar: a U shaped heating element is located at the bottom of a not sticky mold.

This conformation is a cheap solution for the manufacturer but it has a limit because produces a not uniform heat distribution inside the mold. Moreover, the bottom of the loaf is constantly in touch with the metal of the mold. The consequence is a greater heat transfer for conduction in the bottom area with overbaked crust an at the same time a underbaked crust in the top area of the loaf. 

Any action on settings to improve this situation results ineffective: if you want a well baked top crust you must accept an over baked bottom crust, no alternatives until now.

The overturning technique solves effectively this intrinsic defect of bread machines giving a thin and crisp bottom crust and a well baked top crust. Also the crumb is baked more uniformly gaining in digestiveness. Practically you need to overturn the loaf inside the mold exactly 30 minutes before the end of the program without suspend it.

To execute the overturning technique you need to find a metallic needle of 22-25cm (Figure 4):

Figure 4
The needle used for the overturning technique.


This operation requires about one minute.

30 minutes to the end of the program lift the cover of the bread maker, remove carefully the hot mold wearing a suitable glove and extract smoothly the loaf,  beating the upset mold on a chopping board.

Reinsert the mold in the bread machine and close the cover so you don't lose heat.

Lay down the loaf on a side and pierce it diagonally with the needle taking care to avoid the collision with the kneading blade inside the loaf.

Insert the loaf overturned inside the mold and close the lid (Figure 5).

Wait for the ending program acoustic signal.

Observe that when the loaf is finally baked you need only to lift it, you don't need to remove the mold again.

Figure 5
The loaf pierced with the needle and overturned inside the mold.

Hot to keep fragrance and crispiness.

As soon as the bread maker signals acoustically the end of baking extract immediately the hot loaf from the mold and cut in a half with a bread knife paying attention to not scratch the kneading blade. Lay down the two half loafs on a grid with the cut face turned up.

In this way the humidity present inside the loaf will exude from the crumb and not from the crust keeping it crisp.

(The bread machine permits to keep the bread warm for an hour after the baking. This is not good for the crust, because it becomes dampish).

After half an hour the loaf is ready to be served on table, fragrant and warm, with a thin crust also on the bottom, the crumb soft and well alveolated (Figure 7,8,9,10).

A delight for you mouth!

microguru