Process
Cooling
You might say: letting it rest before slicing
Leaving the baked loaf on a rack before slicing.
- What it does
- Lets the crumb finish setting before slicing.
- Ask
- Has the loaf cooled enough to slice without a gummy crumb?
- Typical
- Dense rye breads may need 24–48 hours.
What to look for
- A loaf on a wire rack
- The crust crackles as it cools
Sources
- Jeffrey Hamelman, Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, ch. 1, p. 24
In the case of rye breads made with a high proportion of rye flour, 24 to 48 hours of resting after the bake is necessary for the crumb to stabilize and full flavor to develop.
- Jeffrey Hamelman, Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, ch. 1, p. 25
As the baked bread begins to cool, the starch begins to revert to its former crystalline structure and the crumb of the bread hardens.
- PJ Hamel, Using a Thermometer with Yeast Bread, article
Once cool, I slice the loaves right through the center, to make sure I'm seeing the point where any under-baking would have happened.
Use it on your project
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