"martha" > wrote in message
...
> NO! You did great! For the most part, it's that I have a hard time with
> "steps". As it turned out. (the bread) It gave up a "good looking
> loaf"...
> but instead of a thump when thumped it made a kind of snap. It was heavy,
> and spongy... almost rubbery... almost....
> The yeast had been undisturbed in the fridge for a year. It didn't really
> "Foam"
>> I was only trying to help. Silly me!!!
>> Graham
>>
>
Sorry! Feeling a bit thin-skinned today:-)
The thump test isn't always reliable. What temperature did you bake with?
450F is usually required, at least to start, and some crank up the oven to
max!
If it was a bit rubbery, perhaps it was a bit underbaked. With moister
doughs, it's often best to start out high and then after about 30 minutes
(depending on the size of the loaf, turning the temp down to ~400 or even a
bit less to thoroughly cook the crumb.
Instead of the thump test, get one of those probe thermometers (they're not
expensive) and check the interior temp when you think the loaf is done.
Depending on the loaf, an internal temp of 200F to 205F is about right.
If you haven't seen it, get "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Paul Reinhart
from your local library. It's a superb book and each recipe has the
internal temp range given. For everyday (and fancier) recipes, I highly
recommend "Bread" by Treuille & Ferrigno. I checked Amazon.com but they
say it's out of print but it recently became available through the Canadian
branch Amazon.ca It's available in a paperback edition now (I saw it the
other day in a local bookstore) and it's not expensive.
Best wishes
Graham