I have been baking bread for over 30 years first mixing and kneading by
hand, then with a Sunbeam mixer with dough hooks and now with a Kitchen Aid
mixer. I seem to have a recurring problem that baffles me and anyone else
I have asked for a solution. The problem is big holes through the loaf.
The last time I made my standard mashed potato whole wheat bread, one loaf
had a big hole through half the loaf while the other loaf had only one very
small hole! (This was mixed as one batch them divided in half to make the
two loaves.) I used to think that I used too much oil in the bowl when I
let the dough rise and the excess oil prevented the dough from sticking to
itself. I am now very careful to use only a tiny amount to keep the dough
from sticking to the bowl but still can get tunnels. I have also tried
using a rolling pin to flatten the dough and press out any gas bubbles
before rolling up the dough to form the loaf. Still have problems. I let
my dough rise twice in the bowl before forming loaves because I like the
finer texture of the bread that results. I don't know if that could create
the problem. Any ideas? Appreciate it!