My bread is too dense

If it didnt get that raise and puffed look to it this can be because its too dense but several other factors may have caused it if it completely sunk in the middle. First the flours arent as dense - corn meal and AP flour are heavier than cake or pastry flour due to their protein content around 12 versus 7-8 respectively.

Another cause is the gluten structure may be undeveloped and cant stretch to retain the gas thats produced.

My bread is too dense. If your kitchen or wherever you are making bread is a little too warm above 75-80F or a little too cool below about 65F it might be effecting the proofing stage of your bread. If its on the warm side and you ended up with a dense loaf its likely the bread over proofed the yeast got too active and produced so much gas that the dough effectively popped like a balloon. Even then you can expect your bread to be slightly for dense than a loaf made with 100 bread flour.

Try adding vital wheat gluten according to the package directions. It will help bread rise higher. A common recommendation is 1-2 tablespoons for every 2-3 cups of flour.

Dense bread is a direct result of not trapping or keeping enough gas and moisture in the dough to create the space needed to produce a light and fluffy texture once it has been baked. Now that weve said that lets explore some very common reasons why there isnt enough gas in. Dense or heavy bread can be the result of not kneading the dough long enough.

Mixing the salt and yeast together or Losing patience in the middle of molding your bread and there is not enough tension in your finished loaf before baking. If you find that your bread collapses or flattens before you bake it you might want to check out this article. A lack of gluten development inactive yeast improper shaping and the overall time you give your bread to rise can all leave you with a dense heavy and even chewy end result.

Bread making seems fairly simple until it doesnt work the way you want it to so here are the reasons why your bread might not be turning out the way you want it to and what you can do next time. 7 Steps to Make Bread Less Dense Step-1. Choosing the Right Flour for Bread.

This is perhaps among the most obvious points but well stress on it nonetheless because it is just that important. The type and texture of the flour play a major role in determining the quality of bread that comes out of the oven. Each time it comes out with a crust that is far too thick and the inside is way way too dense.

In case you are unaware New Orleans style French bread has a thin flakey crust and and is very airy inside. So after four tries with similar results I gave up on that style of bread. I figured I would go try some other kinds and learn a bit.

First the flours arent as dense - corn meal and AP flour are heavier than cake or pastry flour due to their protein content around 12 versus 7-8 respectively. Might seem small but it makes a difference The higher the protein content the more gluten can be formed which is what makes bread chewy and dense and cakes airy and light. Another cause is the gluten structure may be undeveloped and cant stretch to retain the gas thats produced.

Too much moisture leads to sourdough bread thats dense and exceptionally gummy. There are a lot of reasons that make dense sourdough bread. Here are the main issues and how you can prevent them from ruining your loaf.

Dense or heavy bread can be the result of not kneading the dough mix properly out of many reasons out there. Some of the other potential reasons could be mixing the yeast salt together or losing your patience while baking or even not creating enough tension in the finished loaf before baking the bread. Although they can be decorative theyre functional – once the crust is formed the bread cant rise any more which is going to affect the density.

The slashing allows for expansion even after the crust has begun for form. Also density might be a sign that youve worked in too much flour. Bread thats too dense is made with too much flour and the amount of flour that a given dough needs is dependent as much on humidity the particulars and age of the flour things like that.

New bread bakers almost always make their dough too stiff. It may still taste ok but the bread fell a little flat or completely sinks in the middle. If it didnt get that raise and puffed look to it this can be because its too dense but several other factors may have caused it if it completely sunk in the middle.

Many people associate dense and badly made bread with something thats doughy and potentially undercooked. This is because the dense structure isnt something you expect in good bread and its not tasty in the slightest. You want an aerated and light crumb not something thats still as dense as the dough.

A common cause of dense sourdough bread is that the sourdough starter isnt mature. It simply doesnt have the power to raise the sourdough. One solution is to feed the sourdough starter at least twice a day to make it strong.

Youll know that it is strong when it bubbles and lifts on its own. How Can I Make My Homemade Bread Less Dense. Published Jul 29 2014.

We independently select these productsif you buy from one of our links we may earn a commission. Too much salt prevents the yeast from rising and gas to be retained making your bread dense. Youll notice too much salt in your bread when you taste it.

3 Not kneading enough. Kneading agitates the gluten structure in the dough so that it can stretch and retain gas.