Hi Linda, if you're baking conventional enriched loaves either in your bread machine or home oven, I don't think this advice is quite as applicable. While you should certainly bake the bread to the degree of darkness you prefer, longer baking or baking at a higher temperature could result in a drier bread. I would suggest trying to put the bread in the oven when it's not quite as high in the pan, as dough that is risen very high tends to contain more air, which will dry out and turn crumbly faster than a slightly denser, moister loaf. Reducing the yeast a bit might also be helpful.
March 5, 2022 at 4:31pm
In reply to I mostly bake conventional… by Linda Maloney (not verified)
Hi Linda, if you're baking conventional enriched loaves either in your bread machine or home oven, I don't think this advice is quite as applicable. While you should certainly bake the bread to the degree of darkness you prefer, longer baking or baking at a higher temperature could result in a drier bread. I would suggest trying to put the bread in the oven when it's not quite as high in the pan, as dough that is risen very high tends to contain more air, which will dry out and turn crumbly faster than a slightly denser, moister loaf. Reducing the yeast a bit might also be helpful.