hi all ,anyone able to tell me how to stop the crust on home bread (by hand ) from being to hard .
Try draping a clean, very slightly damp tea towel over it while it cools. It worked for me when I use to make proper wholemeal bread by hand.
When I make baps, I cover the cooked buns with a dry teacloth, and this seems to soften them.
valmarg
If you would prefer a softer loaf in general you can buy flour improvers that give a softer loaf or buns.
I buy mine from ebay.
I use this most of the time as my husband suffers from mouth ulcers as a side effect of his prescription meds and just cannot eat crusty bread.
It gives excellent results.
thanx for the tips .
If you want to try dough conditioners but have problems locating a source then Claybrook Mill (http://www.claybrookewatermill.co.uk/index.html) sells them online & by mailorder, lecithin works equally well as a crumb softener & can be purchased in any health food shop the quantity of lecithin to add depends on your recipe it can be anything from 1/4 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp per loaf so it may take a bit of trial & error to get it right.
The other way to guarantee a soft crust every time would be to use a pullman tin, they can be difficult to find in the UK but if you ask nicely in a bakery they will probably be able to source one for you.
I know it may seem stupid sending you the name of a couple of places in the U S where you could get a Pullman pan, But I in the past have sent to Australia for some of my cake baking aides, and often still bread things for bread making. I even send to UK for special items.
qahtan
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/qahtan/bake/pullman.jpg)
pullman pan
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/bread/bakeware
pullman pans
http://www.bakedeco.com/static/list/bread-pans-pullman--baguette-pans.htm
A couple of alternative sources.
Amazon, it's the french site but you can login with your UK user id & they do ship to the UK.
http://www.amazon.fr/Gobel-Moule-m%C3%A9tal-anti-adh%C3%A9rent-Pain/dp/B001IA525E/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1WJABKQ
Ebay, this seller claims to be in the UK but they actually ship from Malaysia so delivery may take longer than advertised.
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Baking-Frenzy__?_nkw=pullman&submit=Search
Loads of American sites have pullman pans for sale but remember if you buy from outside the EU then the customs limit is £18 if you go over that then you will have to pay VAT & parcel processing fees on top of the cost of the item.
A tray of water in the oven. Preheated then add water just before you add the dough. The humidity stops a hard crust forming.
I always find steam gives a crispy crust, same as bread being baked in a cloche,,
qahtan
Steam in the first few minutes gives a nice sheen & more ovenspring.
Steam in the last few minutes gives a thicker/harder crust.
Steam throughout gives a leathery crust & very poor crumb.
Crispy crust due to trapped steam in cloche while baking. qahtan
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/qahtan/bake/sourdough.jpg)
I always think that the recipes tell you to bake bread for too long. I rather like a hard crust especially with toasted cheese on top.
The water in another pan idea, I was told would stop choux pastry becoming hard the oven. It gives a slight steaming effect, never tried it but suppose as the french sticks are sort of steamed it would make sense.
Does not cost anything to try it.
this was today's bake, half milk half water, nice crust but not soft,,,qahtan
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/qahtan/100_0139-1.jpg)
Your bread looks beautiful. How many do you bake for each day?
I just bake a batch, depending on what kind I am making but put what we are not wanting now double wrapped in the freezer,,, There is only the two of us,so one batch lasts a while......................qahtan
I butter the crust straight from the oven then put into a plastic bag or container. The steam softens the crust and the butter leaves the crust nice and shiny like shop bought.
Mmmmm warm bread with butter .... yummm, making me hungry now :D
Sharon T