Bread in general gets a (no pun intended) grain. The dough has a directionality. In a braided challah, which sticks together, you can still unbraid the bread, and when you tear it (as many do) it pulls apart sort of like monkey bread. Some commercial challah doesn't do that, but I think it may be baked in a mold (you can buy them) rather than being braided by hand.

Wet doughs don't seem to have as much grain or directionality, but I haven't mastered them, so that could be a fault in my baking. I think it's more that without traditional kneading, the gluten doesn't organize, but that's an inference, not knowledge.

You'll still get some seams and directionality, but if you're in a similar situation again, you can pull the dough back into a ball, and pull the edges under, then reshape to fit the pan. That way it shouldn't rise with an air channel.

If I'm baking in a pan, I start the shaped loaf rising in the pan--and sized so that the risen dough will fit the pan.

That looks like a lovely crumb. Can you toast it, at least lightly, and use a lettuce leaf, cheese or meat slice, or similar to bridge the gap for sandwiches?

The bread does have a nice crumb, and I think I can still make sandwiches with it, but we are out of lettuce right now, and so I guess Kevin will have to go to the store again. He wanted to go to the store anyway when I told him we were out of bread, but I decided to make the bread anyway, since I had all the ingredients. (We are out of caraway seeds now.) I think the meat and cheese might help hold the sandwich together, and I can always cut it in half along the crack. I don't normally get air channels like this.

The challah that I have made (with six strands) has held together better than this bread, but I don't make it with rye, and I think that is part of the problem.

I'm planning to try to make Reuben sandwiches with this, and when the cheese melts, that might hold it together better. I often eat Reuben sandwiches with a knife and fork anyway. I have a lot of sauerkraut that I've made, and I plan to make more mustard today, although it will be four days to a week before it will be consumable, and so this bread won't get that. I might try making another loaf next week, however.

Yes, challah holds together--but you should still be able to see the direction of the grain in the various parts of the braid. You only see seams if there's a little too much flour on the strands. :)

Reubens sound great! As long as you can keep the sauerkraut inside, crack or no. :) You're right--cheese makes good glue so long as it's not drippy. Now you're making me hungry, and I just have herb white bread....

I can't edit the recipe I wrote above, but it should say 1-1/4 cups rye flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat. I got confused because I used the 1/2 cup measuring cup when I measured these flours.

The bread did make good toast at least.

and the crack leaves room for ... honey or jam ... yum

rueben perfection ....

Jam on a reuben???? Dave, you've been housebound for too long!

I don't put honey or jam on rye bread either, but I do put butter! I would consider putting molasses on rye bread, however.

You didn't "squinch" it together when you folded it over to fit the pan....or there was some of the butter on the edges of the dough from the pan and it didn't "squinch" together....
Next time if you need to fold to fit the pan, make sure it is stuck together where you folded it.

I think I might need to dust it with flour to make it stick together better.

I don't like to knead rye dough just before I put it in the pan, as I do not want to deflate it - it is dense enough as it is. It did rise quite a bit after I put it in the pan, however.

I think there was too much butter on the bottom of the dough. Next time I will use less butter or maybe oil the bowl and then wipe it with a paper towel and put a damp kitchen towel over the bowl while the dough rises.

Flour is more likely to separate it, the glue it. You need to expose the sticky part in the middle of the dough.

Lars, I don't know how to fix the crack, but that is one beautiful picture!

Annie

Beautiful! It looks like you rolled it up. :)

Yes, there does appear to be a round swirl in the middle, and I think that was helpful. Anyway, at least it is holding together.

I've learned that making bread in the desert is quite different from making it near the beach. I think the flour is drier and therefore requires a bit more water, and it also seems to rise faster here, but that could be because of the heat. I did get good results with the pizzas and focaccia that I've made here. It's also possible that the oven here is slightly better.

Lars, that loaf looks delicious! Wish I had some rye flour.

Higher altitude also makes for a faster rise... baking bread at 9000 feet in interesting!

LOL!! I know you've done it, but imagining the dough without so much air pressure to push against. :) OTOH, where Lars is, it's about 300' higher than his other home. ;)

I made pizza in Mexico City at 7400 feet elevation, and the dough rose all over the place. I've never baked at 9000 feet, however.

I'm careful when I form my bread as I don't want to deflate it, but you have to really press on the seams. Sometimes I get the air hold under the crust where it came apart.

I've tried flattening and rolling, I didn't always get the rise I want, but you nailed it!