Tough Sour Dough Bread Crust

One common problem that many sourdough home bakers have is that their bread crusts are too hard. If the inside of your bread is coming out with perfect texture and flavor, but your crust is too hard, there are a couple of ways to fix this.

There are many things that affect how thick, thin, crispy or chewy your bread crust can be. Some of it has to do with what you do after taking your bread out of the oven, but some of it has to do with what happens during the baking process, and even before that.

How do you get a good flavorful, well-browned crispy and crackling crust? There are several tips below, but the main ones are to use baking or pizza stone or tiles and to create stem in the oven during the first 5 - 10 minutes. Rustic breads that we buy in the store, are made with a commercial hearth oven, which creates the perfect environment during baking, critical to a crispy crust. Steam allows the yeast to work a little longer in the dough and this, combined with a hot baking surface, produces an extra push of volume. In addition, steam coagulating the starch on the surface of the dough gives the crust its characteristic brown color.

Use a high gluten flour, such as bread flour

Bread flour, because of its high protein content, results in a chewy bread without being solid or dense. It also results in a thin crispy crust. All-purpose flour gives you a thicker crust. The lower the protein content, such as all-purpose, the lower the moisture absorption rate of the flour and a thicker crust results. The stronger the flour, such as bread flour, the higher the absorption rate the thinner the crust.

Do not leave out the salt. Salt helps in crust formation because it retards yeast activity, leaving more sugar available to caramelize and form a nice, brown crust. However, don't put it in with the starter. Add the salt during the final mixing of the dough.

When kneading and shaping the dough, use as little extra flour as possible A heavy coating of flour can interfere with crust formation.

Fermentation Time will Determine the Initial Development of Bread Crust

Sourdough Bread is fermented for a very long time compared to its commercially yeasted counterpart. And this makes sourdough bread have a very distinct character in its crust. A long fermentation time means the dough develops a more aerated protein structure. This makes the surface of the dough caremelise while depositing flavor onto the crust as the vapour escapes the loaf. In simple terms, this means the crust is more likely to come out thin, which is what you want if you like a softer crust.

The second ferment is also important in crust formation. Making sure it enters the oven at just the right time will give it a good oven spring, resulting in a thinner crust.

Steam will Affect Crust Formation on Bread

When the loaves are baking, steam escapes quickly due to the heat, and the gluten structure of the bread starts to set. This initial big escape of steam causes the loaf to rise further, as its surface is still soft and pliable (usually referred to as ‘oven spring’). This rising of the loaf continues until the crust is formed, and once the crust is formed, it will continue to become harder and/or thicker. Therefore, the longer you can make the crust formation time, the longer the bread has to continue to rise, and the less time the crust has to harden and thicken once it has formed.

How do you increase the initial steam retention phase?

Well, if you have a professional oven, you don’t need to worry about this, because those ovens don’t let steam escape from your oven, but that’s not helpful information to those of us with regular ovens!

Here’s a couple of ways to keep that steam on your loaf for longer so that your crust can be thinner.

Dutch Oven – Although a big purchase, buying a Dutch Oven revolutionized my bread baking. Baking your bread inside a closed Dutch oven will keep the steam inside for much longer than any of the other methods, and it will give you a much thinner crust. Preheat the oven with the Dutch oven inside. Once the oven is preheated, the finished dough can then be gently placed inside of the Dutch oven and covered with its lid. Preheating the Dutch oven before adding the dough replicates the extreme radiant heat used in a professional oven.

Tray of water – Putting a thin tray of water in the bottom of your oven with your bread will help to keep the baking environment more moist, keeping the surface of your loaf more plyable for longer. Ice cubes can also be used. Preheat your oven and the pan used for baking the bread. When the oven is preheated, place the finished dough in the hot pan on the top rack. The trick is to also put a metal pan filled with ice cubes on the bottom rack during the bake. As the ice cubes melt, their water will then evaporate into steam. The steam will rise and have the same moistening effect on the dough's exterior to create a perfect crispy, tasty crust.

Water sprayer – Some bakers like to spray their loaf with plenty of water at the time of putting it into the oven, in order to keep the surface of the loaf more moist for longer. You can also spray the oven walls. Preheat the oven and the pan you're baking the bread on to 25°F hotter than your recipe calls for. This will compensate for opening and closing the oven as you build a moist environment. When the oven is preheated, open the door, spray the sides with water, and close the door. Wait 30 seconds and repeat. Then, lower your oven 25°F and place your finished dough into the hot pan and back into the oven. Spray the sides of the oven one more time, close it, and continue to bake normally.

Hydration Levels will Determine the Rigidity of Bread Crust

Generally speaking, the higher the hydration level of your bread, the softer the crust is likely to be. Having a higher water content in your dough, naturally means you have more steam in your loaf. Your ‘oven spring’ will last a longer time, giving your crust longer to form, and less time to develop a harder thicker exterior.

Baking Time and Temperature will Affect the Thickness of Bread Crust

Once the initial crust formation time is over, your bread is busy cooking on the inside, but as the crust is already developed, it will continue to harden and thicken during that time.

So one way to make the crust thinner and softer, is to adjust your oven temperature and timings.

I like to put my oven at the highest temperature it will go when preheating. This gives my bread the best possible initial rise. But to lengthen the crust formation time, I put the bread in the oven and immedietely decrease the oven temperature to around 430F (220C).

I used to cook it at a slightly lower temperature, but found that I had to cook it for longer, and this made the crust thicker. Increasing the cooking temperature means your loaf has less time for the crust to harden and thicken. A little trial and error with oven temperature and timings will help you find that balance for a good crust.

Fat content in the Bread Recipe will Affect the Type of Crust Formed

Traditionally, sourdough bread doesn’t contain any fats. They are made of simply flour, water and salt. But if you’re making an enriched loaf i.e. with additional ingredients such as yoghurt, milk, butter, etc. the additional fats in the dough will result in a loaf with a softer crust.

What Can I do to Get a Softer Crust After My Sourdough Bread is Baked?

The trick to getting a super soft crust, is to make it as thin as possible, using the methods talked about above, and then using a combination of the methods shown below.