OK, bread baking pros, I'm a rank amateur who needs more help. I have a
consistent problem in that I always get a very pale crust--not the nice golden
or dark brown that I'd like. The loaf I'm baking right now is cottage cheese
dill; I started it at 425 F and after about 15 minutes decreased the
temperature to 350, where it's been for about 25 more minutes. It's pretty
blond, as my loaves of any kind of bread have been. What do I need to do to
get a nice looking darker crust? My other problem with this particular loaf
is that although the first rising was just fine, the second rising, after I
kneaded it again with my KA and put it in the loaf pan, wasn't so hot. I put
it into the refrigerator overnight, happily noticed this morning that it had
risen somewhat, and expected that by the evening it would have risen about
enough to bake. Well, it looked about the same when I got home from work
tonight. I took it out of the refrigerator and put it in a gas oven with the
pilot light on, expecting that THEN it would rise some more, but nothing (then
again, it didn't fall, either). I've finally baked it and am not sure what to
expect. I just took it out of the oven and looked and put it back in again to
see if it might get browner and also because I wasn't sure it was quite done,
even after 40-45 minutes. Any and all critiques of my methods are welcome!
BTW, it smells wonderful.
Helen