Dining and Cooking
Why is this happening
In Sourdough

Why is this happening


I've been making sourdough with the same recipe for several years now and started making sandwich loaves about 3 months ago. My latest loaves have been bulging from the center like this and I have no idea why!! I'm doing a 24 hour bulk fermentation then 24 hour cold fermentation in the fridge.

by vegetablegardendog

18 Comments

  1. beyardo

    Without seeing the inside, if I had to guess, your scoring is too shallow and so the dough bursts through the seam rather than the two scored halves gently peeling away from each other, and because you’re baking in a loaf pan rather than a Dutch oven, the effect is magnified because there’s no where for the dough to go but up until it collapses.

    Normally with a good score, there is a marked difference in texture between the middle of the score and the rest of the unscored loaf. From what I can see, your score is maybe deep enough in the middle but too shallow on the edges so the expansion just follows the path of least resistance

    Edit: Also a 24 hour bulk fermentation before 24 hours in the fridge is crazy. Are you proofing on the surface of the moon?

  3. Spellman23

    Fundamentally the crust is setting too early and so as the dough tries to expand it punctures through the center.

    This is either a scoring issue or not enough steam during the bake. Perhaps uncovering too soon as well.

  4. Levain873

    Looks like a Smurf hat.

    Sorry, not helpful, I know

  5. tr237

    I don’t score my sandwich loaves, but I have never experienced this fanciful display of sourdough! My immediate thought was the crust is hardening too quickly & inhibiting expansion and rise. The dollop on top is so interesting, tho!

  8. spkoller2

    May your child be a masculine child

    The Godfather

  11. Remarkable_Sun2892

    Try scoring 4-6 lines in more of a perpendicular way to the loaf rather than one score all the way parallel. That helps my sandwich loaves rise evenly.

  13. IceDragonPlay

    Are you using convection or fan heat?

  17. openplaylaugh

    When you go to feed your pet snake, you’ll figure out what happened…