Lately the crust of certain of my breads are cracking open far more than is normal. This is true for both sourdough and European-styled hearth bread (Italian-style loaves/68% hydration). I seem to be getting more rise from these loaves than in the past, and I guess the skin of the dough is not able to stretch sufficiently to accomodate the amount of rise I am getting. These loaves taste wonderfully but do not have the classic look that I am accustomed to getting. I am not aware of my changing anything that would cause this, and it is not happening with my Pain De Campagne loaves. Any ideas?
If you are using a different brand/batch of flour?
If you are using a different brand/batch of yeast?
If you are fermenting/proofing you bread in a different place?
These are thing I'm wondering
__________________ At weddings, my Aunts would poke me in the ribs and cackle "You're next!". They stopped when I started doing the same to them at funerals. www.kyleskitchen.net
Thanks for the suggestions. The most likely problem is the oven. I have to work hard to regulate the heat and may be overshooting the runway. I'll ponder a bit and report. Do most of you bake at the top, middle or bottom of your stove? I use a stone in the middle. ddunn
I just baked four loaves, a couple of Italian-styled and two sour dough. The former came out perfectly, while the latter cracked or maybe a better description is tore at the slash. It looks like a tire that separated from the recap, a clean separation from the loaf. I was very careful with the oven temperature, so that is not it. I do not knead the dough very much before shaping for the final rise, so I may try a little more kneading. The big difference between the two that did not crack and the ones that cracked is the Italian loaves are more hydrated and they are baked at 425 rather than 450 degrees F. I think I will try more water on the next batch.
Thanks for the assistance with splitting crust problem. I have concluded that the problem is inadequate hydration. I'll test that out soon. It is nice being able to bounce bread baking problems off people who share this passion. ddunn
The loaves that were splitting were raised in a couche with 8-12 stays in the refrigerator. This would dry out the surface of the loaves and result in the cracked crusts. The reason my Pain de Campagne loaves did not crack although raised in the refrigerator was because I use a brot forms with plastic wrap covering the top of the loaves.
Refrigerator skin can be a real pain. If you want to continue using the couch maybe you could give the loaves a light oil spray and put the couch in a sealed garbage bag. It's worked for me for loaves risen on a sheet pan.
__________________ At weddings, my Aunts would poke me in the ribs and cackle "You're next!". They stopped when I started doing the same to them at funerals. www.kyleskitchen.net
I now knead my dough in the Kenwood mixer 2 minutes instead of 6-8 minutes. The crust turns darker and more crunchy/less gummy; the crumb more tan or yellowy and with a much lighter texture. The slashes produce - visually - better splitting creating a more attractive grigne.
Two very good suggestions. I'll try them both. I have baked a bunch of bread to test the "dried surface" theory, and there is no doubt that that is the cause of the cracked crust.
I'd watch outfor the garbage bag solution. I've heard that these bags have a lot of unhealthy chemical residue from the production process that might contaminate the bread. Misting with oil spray and covering with plastic wrap works for me.
cracked crust 
