This was my biggest problem when I first started baking sourdough bread at home. The interior of the bread was perfect, soft, full of flavor, and a great texture, but the crust was way too hard for me. So I started experimenting until I finally managed to make the crust soft without any compromise. Here are the 4 steps that I follow every time to make sourdough bread with a super soft crust.
How to make sourdough bread with a super soft crust in 4 easy steps:
- After baking wrap your sourdough bread in a thick damp towel
- Place the wrapped loaf in a sealed container 1 hour
- Take the wrapped loaf out of the container and place it on a cooling rack for 1 hour
- Remove the towel and enjoy your super soft crust sourdough bread
Additional tips:
- Make sure that the towel is damp, not wet, otherwise, it will make the bread soggy
- If you don’t have a sealed container place a large pot over the bread
- For a slightly harder crust simply reduce the time the loaf spends in the towel
After countless experiments, and sadly countless ruined loaves, I finally discovered this method that works perfectly every time. But, while doing my research I also found out that while there are things that you can do to make the crust soft after baking, there are way more things that can be done during the baking process and even before that. So let’s take a look at those things and see what you can do to make your sourdough bread have a softer crust.
The 2 Things That You Need for a Soft Crust
A bread crust has two main characteristics: thickness and flexibility.
So a crust can either be thin or thick, and rigid or flexible. And depending on which combination of characteristics your crust has it will be soft, crispy, chewy, or hard.
Here are all the possible combinations:
- A thin crust that is flexible will result in a soft crust.
- A crust that is thin and rigid will make a loaf with a crispy crust.
- If a crust is thick and flexible it will result in a loaf with a chewy crust.
- And finally, a thick crust that is rigid will result in a hard crust.
And here is a simplified version:
- Thin + Flexible = Soft Crust
- Thin + Rigid = Crispy Crust
- Thick + Flexible = Chewy Crust
- Thick + Rigid = Hard Crust
Now we are going to see what you have to do to obtain a thin and flexible crust, but if you want to try out other types of crust, let’s say crispy for example (which I highly recommend, it’s amazing) you simply do the opposite thing at the part that influences the rigidity.
Fermentation Time Is Very Important for a Soft Crust
To put it simply, the longer your dough ferments the thinner the crust will be.
Compared to most commercial bread that uses yeast, sourdough bread needs a long time to ferment. This long fermentation time means that the dough develops a more aerated protein structure, which in turn memes the exterior of the dough caramelizes as the vapor exits the loaf. All of this means that due to the fermentation process sourdough bread naturally tends to have a thin crust.
So if your sourdough bread comes out with a thick crust you might want to let it ferment for longer periods of time.
The second fermentation is also a very important aspect that influences the thickness of the crust. Putting the dough right when it reaches its fermentation peak will result in a thinner crust.
If nothing seems to work a quick trick that I’ve used from time to time with great success is to rub some melted butter over the loaf right before baking it. This will help the surface of the dough more pliable, thus resulting in a thinner crust. And the extra flavor from the butter is always welcomed.
Steam Is Essential for a Soft Crusted Sourdough Bread
While the loaf is baking the water inside it heats up and transforms into steam, which quickly escapes from the bread.
This escape of steam is what causes the loaf to rise. And this rising will continue until the crust is formed. When the crust gets hard enough the steam from inside the loaf won’t be able to get past it as easily and the loaf will stop rising, and the crust will start to get thicker.
So, as long as the crust is not formed, the bread will continue to rise by releasing steam, which in turn slows the formation of the crust, which means a softer thinner crust, which is what you want for a soft crust.
Adding more water to the dough is not an option since it basically changes the recipe completely and the dough might not rise. But there are other things that you can do to obtain a soft flexible crust.
A Dutch Oven. Dutch ovens are very popular amongst sourdough bakers because they are the best at stopping the steam from escaping into the surrounding. The only problem is that they are not exactly cheap, but if you have some money to spare they will be a great addition to your kitchen (and not only for sourdough bread).
Spraying Water. A simple thing that you can do to keep the crust from forming too soon is to occasionally spray the loaf with water while it’s baking. This technique is a staple when making french bread and baguettes, and it’s used for the same reason, to stop the dough from forming a crust too soon. All you need is a spray bottle and some water. When using this method I usually spray the loaf every 10 minutes, until the crust is formed.
A Tray With Water. The simplest thing that you can do is to place a tray with some water in it at the bottom of the oven. This is guaranteed to keep the environment moist, thus slowing down the formation of the crust, resulting in a more flexible crust.
How the Temperature and Baking Time Affect the Crust
There are many ways in which you can cook a loaf, and all of them will result in a different type of crust.
If the temperature is very high the crust will form very fast, but the inside of the bread won’t be ready. And while the inside is cooking the crust will only harden and thicken.
If the temperature is too low the crust won’t harden too quickly but it will be very thick.
Finding the ideal temperature to bake your sourdough bread takes some practice, and requires you to experiment with different temperatures. But overall 430°F(220°C) is considered to be the ideal temperature.
What I found out works for me is to preheat the oven at the highest temperature, and when I put the bread in to bake it I reduce it to 430°F (220°C), this way the bread will have a good initial rise, due to the high temperature that helps the steam form faster, and baking at 430°F (220°C) will give it a good thickness.
The Size of the Loaf Drastically Influences the Crust
Another thing that drastically influences the thickness of the crust is the size of the loaf. The bigger the loaf is the longer it will have to stay in the oven, so the crust will only get thicker and thicker.
Loaves that are too big are also the reason why a lot of people burn their bread in the oven.
So instead of making one big loaf of sourdough bread, try making 2 or 3, and you will see a huge difference in the softness of the crust.
The Hydration Level of the Dough Influences the Softness of the Crust
I’ve lightly touched on this earlier but I want to say this again as it’s very important.
The amount of water that you’ve put in the dough will drastically influence the thickness and flexibility of the crust.
Most recipes are thought of in such a way that the crust will be either thin or thick, and while it’s ok to adjust the recipe by adding a little more water to it, sometimes it’s simply better to look for a new one. But before looking for a new recipe first try to add a little more water to it and see if you can get the soft crust that you want.
Other Ways to Make a Soft Crust Sourdough Bread
Now let me give you a few more tips on how you can obtain a soft crust sourdough bread.
Put a Large Pot Over the Loaf
If your bread is very close to the soft crust that you wanted, but it’s just not there yet, you can simply take it out of the oven and place a large pot over it, and leave it that way for 10 to 30 minutes.
This method takes advantage of the heat that is still coming out of the bread, which will heat up humidity trapped in the pot, and create small amounts of steam.
If your crust is not even close to being soft, just this method won’t do, you will have to use the one that I described at the beginning of the article.
Cover the Loaf With a Towel
Another simple and great method if your loaf is almost soft but not quite there.
After taking the bread out of the oven simply place a cloth towel over your bread for 15 to 30 minutes then remove it.
This method is similar to the last one but a little more efficient. The towel will absorb the steam and heat that is getting out of the bread thus making itself wet, this wetness of the towel will make the crust softer, without making it soggy.
But, again, this will only work if your crust is somewhat soft, it won’t work on a hard and thick crust.
Butter the Loaf
A great way to obtain a soft crust is to butter the loaf just as soon as you take it out of the oven. There are two ways you can do this, the first is to melt some butter before taking the loaf out and then spread it all over the loaf, but I find that this method can sometimes make the crust soggy.
So what I do instead is I take a cold piece of butter out of the fridge and rub it all over the bread, the heat from the loaf will melt just the right amount of butter, so there is no chance of it becoming soggy.
Ingredients That Contain Fat
Ingredients that contain fat (the good kind) are able to give your sourdough bread an amazingly soft crust. Some of the most common ingredients that are used to enrich sourdough bread that also contains fat are butter, milk, and yogurt.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, a complete guide on how to make a sourdough bread crust soft. As you can see there are a lot of factors that come into play, and while the method I told you at the beginning of the article is guaranteed to soften up your crust, there are many other things that you can do to obtain a soft crust sourdough bread.
The method from the beginning of the article will work on any kind of bread, as will most of the things that I told you in the article, so if you want to make any type of bread have a soft crust now your know-how.
Here are the 4 steps that you have to take in order to make any sourdough bread have a super soft crust:
- After baking wrap your sourdough bread in a thick damp towel
- Place the wrapped loaf in a sealed container 1 hour
- Take the wrapped loaf out of the container and place it on a cooling rack for 1 hour
- Remove the towel and enjoy your super soft crust sourdough bread