What is the secret to baking bread with a very fine crumb?

Question

I've noticed bread purchased from the local baker always has a very fine crumb. How is this achieved??

Answer 1

A couple of things will help give you smaller holes:

1. Keep the hydration reasonably low (say, 60% with American-style bread flour).
2. Use some oil or butter. Try 10% (baker's ratio).
3. Knead very well, something like 10–15 minutes in a stand mixer.
4. After the first rise, normally you try to be gentle, and not press out all the air. Don't. Instead, press it out.
5. Bake in a moderate (say, 350°F) oven. You don't particularly want much oven spring here.

For even finer texture, part way through the second rise, you can press it out again, and let it start a third rise (but not to double).

Also, adding some whole wheat or rye flour will give a denser crumb. With different flavor, too, of course.

Answer 2

1. a small amount of fat emulsifies, trapping multiple bubbles instead of a few giant ones

2. faster overall processing: a single rise

3. denser dough and worked til highly elastic.

Dough for a sandwich loaf would be portioned into three balls and worked til taut, lined up snuggly in pan and proofed to only half of its rising capacity then baked with a lid on to further compact the crumb.

Answer 3

My experience is that the drier your bread dough is, the finer the crumb and smaller the holes. Try using slightly less liquid or slightly more flour.