Great question, JoAnn! If your oven is plenty hot and you've added enough steam, this isn't likely to happen, although under-fermented or over-fermented loaves can sometimes look pale. Also, if you happened to forget to add salt to your dough, this will result in a pale loaf. Internal baking temperature can be helpful when you're baking a new recipe and are uncertain what to look for as signs of doneness, but I would encourage you to experiment and rely more on crust color and the relative lightness (weight, not color) of the loaf as good indicators that your bread is sufficiently baked.
November 8, 2021 at 9:55am
In reply to What about when it says… by JoAnn Weis (not verified)
Great question, JoAnn! If your oven is plenty hot and you've added enough steam, this isn't likely to happen, although under-fermented or over-fermented loaves can sometimes look pale. Also, if you happened to forget to add salt to your dough, this will result in a pale loaf. Internal baking temperature can be helpful when you're baking a new recipe and are uncertain what to look for as signs of doneness, but I would encourage you to experiment and rely more on crust color and the relative lightness (weight, not color) of the loaf as good indicators that your bread is sufficiently baked.