Re: Sourdough

Peter Flynn wrote:

> I love the taste of sourdough, but pretty much everyone
> who makes it seems to want a loaf with a VERY thick and
> VERY hard, cracky crust. I used to love that crunch too,
> but at my age my teeth won't deal with it. That "crunch"
> noise is probably a denture fracturing :-(
> 
> Is making that hard of a crust A Thing with sourdough
> bakers? Or just coincidental? Does anyone bake sourdough
> loaves with a crust that is thinner and friable without
> being unchewable?
> 
> Peter

I don't make sourdough, but my pop taught me 'way back
when that if you want a crunchy (some would call it
"tough) crust to brush the bread with water before 
shoving it into the oven.

He also taught me that if you want a softer crust, to
brush the just baked loves with butter so it will sink
into the crust and make a softer loaf.

And yeah, I think a lot of chefs/bakers seem to be proud
of how chewy and crisp their crusts are and go to great
lengths to make it so.

Sort of like in the software world: they consider it
a feature, not a bug.

I'll opt for a chewable crust, not a layer of cement
over the loaf...or near enough like it.

Nyssa, who goes for somewhere in between unless she's
making something like dinner rolls that demand a soft
crust that's barely there