Dense bread

[AggieGrace]

I'm a fairly new bread baker and I'm having a recurring problem with yeast and soda breads. No matter what type of bread or what recipe I follow, the breads all come out very dense. The flavor is great but the bread is dense and spongy. Since it happens regardless of recipe, I must be doing something wrong. I baked some Farmhouse White today and it happened again. I generally use all-purpose flour, but know I probably need to switch to bread flour.

Any thoughts on what I could be doing wrong? Thanks!

[duonyte]

How do you measure your flour? If you are dipping it into the flour bin, you are compacting the flour and can be adding up to 25% more flour than you think you are and that is enough to make your bread dense.

The flour should be spooned lightly into the measuring cup and then the excess wiped off with the straight edge of a knife.

Try not to use too much flour on the board where you knead or shape the dough. I tend to use an oiled surface to avoid adding any more flour.

If you are making bread by hand, it is important to be sure to knead it long enough. Are you familiar with the windowpane test?I

Are you letting the bread rise long enough? Times shown in recipes are just a guideline.

Using bread flour can help, or you can add a tsp or two of vital wheat gluten to every cup of all-purpose.

I hope this gives you some possible clues on what might be going on.

[Chocolatl]

When I first started making bread, I would always knead in too much extra flour. That made my bread heavy and dense.

[Kerfuffle-Upon-Wincle]

Chocolatl wrote:
When I first started making bread, I would always knead in too much extra flour. That made my bread heavy and dense.

I spray a plastic mat with cooking spray and knead on that ~

[Donna M.]

Kerfuffle-Upon-Wincle wrote:
I spray a plastic mat with cooking spray and knead on that ~

That's exactly how I do it!

[dunask]

AGGIE GRACE:
Good morning. As you know there are more than one reason why a yeasted lean bread will bake DENSE.

Most often however, it is because you did not give the dough a full fermentation & also a full proofing. (minimum of 1 anyway) The gluten strands must be fully developed.

Just in the event you are not familiar on how to determine when the two cycles are completed. Use this technique for both.

After mixing maybe after 45, minutes with your index finger depress it into the dough about an inch or so. If it resists it isn't ready yet. when repeating later if the hole fills in it isn't ready yet. Now later repeat this proceedure & if it doesn't fill in or fills in very very slowly it is ready for the proofing cycle & all applies in the aforementioned to determine when the dough is ready for shaping & slashing & baking.

Good luck to you & enjoy the rest of the day young lady..

~DUNASK.

[Chocolatl]

Donna M. wrote:

Kerfuffle-Upon-Wincle wrote:
I spray a plastic mat with cooking spray and knead on that ~

That's exactly how I do it!

I spray my hands, too!

[Kerfuffle-Upon-Wincle]

Chocolatl wrote:

Donna M. wrote:

Kerfuffle-Upon-Wincle wrote:
I spray a plastic mat with cooking spray and knead on that ~

That's exactly how I do it!

I spray my hands, too!

I just swirl my hands around on the sprayed mat before dumping the dough onto it!