Sourdough bread crumb ripped in two [duplicate]

I've been trying my hand at sourdough bread for a few months now and it is getting better and better, but this keeps happening, and I have no idea what might be the cause:

My impression is that during the rise, the crumb tears into two pieces in the middle.

This is probably relevant: The dough is 80% hydration white bread flour, around 3 hours autolysis, then lamination and three stretches and folds spaced out. Altogether around six hours of bulk fermentation, overnight in the fridge (5 °C), and baked in the morning on a pizza stone, with 250 °C with steam for 20 minutes and 220 °C for 20 minutes (the oven has the air convection turned on).

My problem is I have no idea which part of the recipe is to blame for the outcome, so I'm not even sure where I am deviating from the recipe I'm trying to copy (to be very exact, I'm trying to follow this one now: How To Make A Basic Open Crumb Sourdough Bread)

I'm not sure if this is important, but it also doesn't open up so well (but I don't have a proper lame, so I'm struggling with the scoring):

bread sourdough

Best Answer

How much steam are you using? You might try baking the first 20 minutes in a french oven* (aka enameled dutch oven) and then take off the lid, but don't add extra steam. If you don't have a lame, use a razor blade or a really sharp boning knife (or a sharp paring knife can also do).

This kind of problem can also be caused by underproofing, but it sounds like you're doing a good job there. Just make sure the bread doesn't spend too long proofing between your last fold and the fridge.

Also, just based on the shape it looks like your dough maybe over-hydrated.

*pre-heat the french oven and lid, though some people omit this step, drop in your bread, cover, bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for 25-30 minutes longer.

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Sourdough bread crumb ripped in two [duplicate] - Brown Bread

Sourdough bread crumb ripped in two [duplicate] - Baker with cut loaf on plate

Sourdough bread crumb ripped in two [duplicate] - Brown Bread in Close-Up Photography

Why is my sourdough breaking apart?

It Hasn't Been Kneaded Enough This means that the dough can be left with insufficient gluten development and it can break apart easily. Although this does happen, it's unlikely to happen in most cases since gluten will continue to develop during the rise (assuming that all the flour is hydrated).

How do I know if my sourdough is Overproofed?

Step 1: Perform the fingertip test to make sure your dough is overproofed. The test involves gently pressing your finger into the surface of the dough for 2 seconds and then seeing how quickly it springs back. The dent you make will be permanent if the dough is overproofed.

Why does my sourdough have huge holes?

If your water temperature or your environment is too hot your leavening agents will release gasses too early and too quickly in the proofing and fermentation stages and will result in large holes. So keep in mind your environment and water temperatures to avoid this.

Why does my sourdough bread have a hole in the middle?

Excess yeast causes extra air bubbles to form, creating holes in the baked bread. You prepared the recipe correctly. The interaction of the various ingredients and the preparation method used for French bread and sourdough bread are intended to create a bread which has a coarse texture and uneven holes.

3 Tips to Fix TOO BIG Holes in Your Sourdough Bread

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Cats Coming, Monserrat Soldú, Geraud pfeiffer, Dima Valkov