# Bread problem



## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

I notice sometimes that when I make bread that there is a big whole inside. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong or not doing right? 

Do you jusst roll the bread up like a cinnamon roll or when you roll it up do you sort of mash the edges down as you go along?


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## oif_ghost_tod (Sep 25, 2012)

This is called "tunneling". It comes from overmixing the dough. 
Do you mix the dough by hand or stand mixer? 
Basically the best way to know when to stop mixing is when the dough "climbs" the dough hook. When it begins to flop around and try to jump out of the bowl, shut off the mixer. If mixing by hand its terribly hard to overmix but still once your dough is all together in one ball, its time to turn it out onto your surface and knead it.

Also after it rises to double, make sure you punch it down well and knead just a few times...this will collapse any large voids and helps redistribute the bubbles evenly so that the bread rises without any large holes in your final loaf.

Try this and see if it helps!


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

oif_ghost_tod said:


> This is called "tunneling". It comes from overmixing the dough.
> Do you mix the dough by hand or stand mixer?
> Basically the best way to know when to stop mixing is when the dough "climbs" the dough hook. When it begins to flop around and try to jump out of the bowl, shut off the mixer. If mixing by hand its terribly hard to overmix but still once your dough is all together in one ball, its time to turn it out onto your surface and knead it.
> 
> ...


I mix by hand. I did not know that you could over knead. Will give your suggestions a try. I do love fresh bread but with this big hole in the center it has put me off. thank you for your help.


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## angelfish (Mar 5, 2013)

Freyadog said:


> I mix by hand. I did not know that you could over knead. Will give your suggestions a try. I do love fresh bread but with this big hole in the center it has put me off. thank you for your help.


If you wanted to be creative you could just stuff that hole with sandwich stuff. Just stuff and make larger slices... It would be a shame to throw it out.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

I had those too when I made breat at first - I was not getting all the air out when I kneaded and put it in the pans. I fixed it by rolling out the dough thin with a rolling pin to get all the bubbles popped, then rolling up TIGHT to foarm the loaves. It made a big difference in those air bubbles. My mother used to even slam down the dough now and again to dislodge air bubbles in her bread. Think of all that effort as good exercise and stress reduction.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

I sometimes add wheat gluten to my bread. I use about a teaspoon per pound of flour. if I use all purpose flour then I use maybe 2 or 3 teaspoons per pound. this has helped me with large bubbles in my bread.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

stayingthegame makes a good point, I tend to agree with the above posters about the kneading and punching down most likely being the cause. However it wouldn't hurt to look at the flour you are using, protein, specifically gluten can have a big impact on the bread making process.


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

I work in a bakery and honestly the kind of hole you seem to be talking about isn't just air pockets traveling through the bread, but one large hole that sometimes falls in on itself after baking. This is usually from not rolling tight enough. 
If you are baking this in a loaf pan, then try laying/squishing the dough out flat and get all of the air bubbles out that you can. Then, fold the left side to the middle and fold the right side so that it overlaps a bit. Squish out the air again and make sure you get a good tight seam. After that, roll starting at either end, but make sure when you get near the end to pinch that seam tight, too. Then toss in your loaf pan, seam-side down and let rise before baking.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

yep Toffee, it is a big tunnel almost all the way through the bread. will give suggestions a try and see how I do.

we grind Montana winter red. I think that is what it is called.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Freyadog said:


> yep Toffee, it is a big tunnel almost all the way through the bread. will give suggestions a try and see how I do.
> 
> we grind Montana winter red. I think that is what it is called.


Sounds like hard red winter wheat, that should serve you well. Hard red spring is a bit higher in protein so it can be a bit better for bread type baking but the difference should be marginal from what you have.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

as some one told me if you want to have a crumbly texture such as a cake you need less protein (gluten), if you want chewy like bread, then you need more protein.  you can get vital wheat gluten at the grocery store in a small bag. try it and see if it helps. just use it sparingly and try it in small batches till you find what works for you.


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