Q: I need help with baking bread - my quick bread loaves always end up soggy in the middle of the top. I’ve tried extending the bake time and it doesn’t seem to help. Any suggestions?A: There are three possible culprits when a quick bread goes soft in the middle, all of which should be fairly easy to fix with a little bit of trial and error. When baked goods start going wonky (and that is the official term) - I would say first and foremost, if you don’t have one, buy an oven thermometer! Ovens can vary by as much as 30 degrees, even when they are on the *right* setting. Once you are sure you’re baking things at the right temperature…
The first possible guilty party in soggy quick bread is that the batter is sitting for too long before you bake it. At the point you combine the liquids and dry ingredients the leavening starts to act, and if it’s all used up before it goes into the oven, there is nothing left to create “new” airspace in the bread. Those little air pockets help bake the batter around them by acting as an insulator. So put the batter in the oven as soon as you can.
The second possible miscreant is not enough or not powerful enough leavening. If you have old baking powder / baking soda, then it may have lost its effectiveness. If you can’t remember the last time you bought a new container, throw it out and go get a new one. (Usually 2 years is about the longest you want to keep this stuff around.) If you are using new leavening and still having this problem, then the recipe may not have enough leavening in it. Try increasing it 1/4 teaspoon at a time.
The third possible transgressor is too much liquid. Especially if you live in a humid environment, or have a humid home / kitchen, the flour you are using could already have more moisture in it. When your “dry” ingredients contain more moisture, than you don’t need as many “wet” ingredients to get the proper balance of moisture. Try reducing the liquid in your recipe in 1/4 cup increments (either all the main liquid, such as milk; or, try 1 tablespoon of the oil and 3 tablespoons of the main liquid).
Good Luck!
One Response
November 26th, 2007 at 1:50 am
Hi - I’m the one who asked this question and I wanted to tell you thanks so much for your help. I tried adding 1/4 tsp. baking soda to my recipe and that seemed to do the trick! We had delicious bread for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. Thanks again!
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