How to Tell if Bread Is Done

Set your oven temperature as directed in your recipe for perfect loaves of bread.

When you bake bread, you look forward to enjoying it with family or friends, so loaves that come out gummy or burnt can be a big disappointment. Following your recipe exactly as written will get you most of the way to perfect loaves, and then all you have to do is be attentive to your bread as it bakes. Oven thermostats can vary, so it's important not to get distracted or walk away from the kitchen. Keep a close eye on the loaves so you will notice if they're baking too quickly or too slowly.

Instructions

1. Place your shaped loaves in a preheated oven. Set the oven timer for about 40 to 50 minutes, or to the time specified in your bread recipe. Turn on the oven light so that you can watch the bread as it rises and browns.

2. Open the oven to check the loaves after about 30 to 35 minutes, or about 2/3 of the way into the baking time from your recipe. Wear a heat-resistant mitt to protect your hands. Slide the oven shelves partially outside of the oven door you so that you can test the loaves.

3. Tap each loaf lightly with your knuckles. If the bread sounds hollow, it is probably done. Double check the tapping test by inserting a food thermometer in the center of each loaf for about 20 seconds to get a reading. The bread is done if the internal temperature is between 180 and 210 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Insert a wooden skewer into the center of each loaf if you don't have a food thermometer. If the bread is done, the skewer should come out clean. If sticky dough clings to the skewer, put the loaves back into the oven. Allow them to bake for 10 more minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure that small children are out of the way before you open the oven. Keep uncovered parts of your body away from hot oven racks and baking pans to avoid burns.

References

• Epicurious; Bread Basics; Rose Levy Beranbaum
• "Joy of Cooking"; Irma S. Rombauer, et al.; 1997