Failed bread. What went wrong here

Luck,

  I think you have invented something!!!!!!! Apply for a patent quick!!!

Sorry. I'm pretty sure you did not score your bread on top before baking. There was no way for the steam to grow /escape

but from around the bottom.

I'm sad for you but you really made my day :>D

hth

Panini

Did you let it rise until it was doubled? You can test it by pushing two fingers about 1/2" into the dough. If it springs back, it's not doubled. If an imprint remains, it's ready to bake.

Are you heating the oven with the stone in it, then letting it rise on the stone? That could account for the odd shape, but it still wouldn't make it dense. I still think the density is from not rising enough before baking.

Instead of heating the oven with the stone in it, you could try setting a pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven, beneath the stone, and closing the door. That would warm the oven, without overwarming the stone and give the dough some additional humidity so it would rise higher (and no need for slashing, if you don't want to). Once the dough is doubled, you can remove the pan of hot water or leave it in the oven while the bread bakes. It will give the bread a chewier crust. If you prefer a dryer crust, you'd need to take it out.

Granny

So you don't think that loaf should have been scored.

You're probably right, I've only baked a couple of loaves.

Even if it was I would not directly dissagree with  another chef on a public forum for professionals.

It shows lack of respect,

oh wait was Craig Kominiac and Myself on Julia Childs, making bread? hmmm

Panini, no lack of respect was intended. I'm sorry if it sounded that way.

I've baked all of our bread for more than 30 years, while raising 7 children (so we use a lot of bread) and haven't seen where scoring makes much difference in the finished product. I've even tried scoring one loaf, while leaving one unscored and didn't see a difference, except in the appearance.

Well, that explains it. only 30 yrs?

I actually PM pcie to appologize for making fun of the loaf.

I did also explain about moisture and spritzing and such. I

mentioned the score from the looks of the bread. It appeared to go in

a little dry and maybe toughened. At that point if you don't give it somewhere to expand

it will do what it did. You can see there was no expansion on the upper crust.out

Panini, we're actually seeing things from the opposite perspective. While you're seeing that the top didn't expand enough, I'm seeing that the bottom expanded too fast. I came to that conclusion from the holes in the lower portion. I've tried proofing dough by setting the bowl of dough in a pan of very warm water and the bottom of the dough proofed faster, but with holes in it (overproofed), while the top rose normally.

Get yourself a compy of Beranbaum's THE BREAD BIBLE and follow the recipe for either HEARTH BREAD or TORPEDO (BATARD).  Overall, just note the process of proofing, folding and scoring.

Left unscored, one of my loaves expanded sideways tremendously with a huge bubble extending from the side of the loaf.  Had I scored it to begin with, the oven spring would have gone vertically rather than laterally.  So in some cases, scoring does help in achieving the final form.

ouch,

I actually thought that was a wholewheat batard. not pizza dough proved in a metal bowl.