Update: I used to scoff at thermometers for bread

I never bothered with an instant read thermometer for my loaves, just went by feel and time. Then I pulled a rye out at 200F internal temp and it was gummy inside, while another at 208F came out perfect. Has anyone else had a specific temp that works better for dark ryes vs white loaves?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericj455d ago

Oh man, I had a buddy who finally broke down and bought a Thermapen after years of mocking me for using one. He called me all excited because his white bread was finally coming out not gummy inside. But then he tried the same temp on a dark rye with molasses and it was still underdone at 210F. He had to crank it to 215F to get that dense crumb fully set. Weird how different grains act totally different.

leodavis5d ago

Not sure I buy the grain angle. I've baked rye and whole wheat loaves for years. My Thermapen always reads 205-210F for everything. Never had an issue. The problem might be his technique. Dark loaves with molasses burn easy on the outside before the inside sets. Your buddy probably needed to drop his oven temp by 25 degrees and bake longer. Happens all the time with sugary doughs.

julia5495d ago

Gotta disagree a bit with @ericj45 on this one. Honestly, I think the grain thing is real but it's not the whole story. My dark rye loaves with molasses usually hit 210F and come out fine, but I also drop my oven temp by like 25 degrees when I'm using that much sugar. Ngl, your buddy might be right about the grain difference in theory, but in practice the crust sets too fast and the inside never catches up if you're not adjusting the bake. Tbh, that's more about the sugar content and how it caramelizes than the rye flour itself.