Karen @fb Bread Making and Bagel Question (1 Viewer)

[FB Questions]

Karen H – Help Me Bake
July 2016 03:21am

I'm in need of some baking help! I've taken up bread making, but I have run into a consistent problem. My bread consistently comes out dense, hard, and flat, but ONLY if the recipe requires that you handle the dough after the final proof. If the recipe requires that you do the final proof on the sheet that you bake it on, my bread will turn out perfectly every single time. I just finished my first attempt at bagels, and they raised perfectly but as soon as I had to move them from the baking sheet to the pot, they flattened out and didn't rise back up. I now have dough patties with holes in the center and a pile of used tissues drenched with my tears. Any suggestions are welcome!! Thanks

 

[Angie]

Aww bless you Karen, the first thing I would suggest is wiping your tears taking a breath and having another go.
Here are a few other things that may help.

Ensure you are using a good strong flour when making any type of bread. The reason for flatness maybe because when prooving you have placed the dough in a hot area that may have killed off your yeast. Or perhaps you are over proving thus in turn your dough has risen so dramatically that it bursts when you touch them.

Another reason for hardness and dryness could also be too much flour absorbed into the mix. However if your other bread has turned out fine then it may be to do with your next bit of handling. When shaping the dough into your bagels place then on a oil covered baking sheet and cover them with a damp tea towel whilst you make them all. You can then leave them to rest for ten minutes before you place them in the pot. Try and handle them as little as possible and lift them very carefully when removing from your pot.

Hope this helps but if you do require any further help please post your questions to HelpMeBake.com as that is where questions are mainly answered. Thank you and Good Luck! x