[mumofstig]

I'm a bit fed up this evening.
I can make good bread in tins or rolls - but I just can't seem to make a cob loaf 
I've just made Paul H's cob loaf recipe, after seeing an old Bakeoff programme where they produced lovely tall loaves.
Mine is lovely to eat, with a crispy crust just like it should be, I'm munching on bread and butter now Yum!

The downside is that it's only about 3 ins high! 

What am I doing wrong, do you think?

[RJR_38]

Back when I made bread all the time (I'm sadly now gluten free so rules are different) the key to making free form loaves was all in the shaping as this is what forces a loaf to rise. It is about keeping the outside 'skin' taught as you tuck under raw edges. I can't explain it welcome at all but I learnt it all from the James Morton bread book

[mumofstig]

Yes, it said all that on the programme and I did keep pushing the sides underneath, and turning it and repeat, to make it ball shaped, til the top was quite tight so I thought I'd done enough *sigh*

[DanielCoffey]

There are a few other reasons that can cause a loaf to turn into a cowpat...

Too much water makes the dough wet and looser. This will cause it to sag.

Another is low gluten in the flour. I find that when I make a mixture of 50:50 strong white and wholemeal I often get a flatter loaf because there is less gluten by weight in the wholemeal than the white flour.

Over-proofing can do this and is a common mistake I  make. Allowing large bubbles to form in the bowl the loaf does its final proof in before turning out can cause the loaf to sag when turned out, especially if it has stuck to its bowl slightly. The top will stick, stretch, de-gas and lose its shape. The trick is to only leave the loaf till it is about 95% risen and would like to rise a little more. It will do the rest in the oven (but don't take it too far the other way and put an under-proofed loaf in as it will simply burst as it expands in the heat).

Next is rough handling when putting the loaf in the oven. A good bump as you slide the loaf into the oven is often enough to de-gas the loaf and cause a slow collapse.

If you are sure the recipe is right, then concentrate first on the amount of final proofing. It is a good idea to form the loaf properly but not essential for home loaves. Shops of course have to get every loaf looking the same so will pay lots of attention to forming. Lastly will be to make sure you are handling the loaf properly when transferring it to the oven. You can spray a little water into the oven (or use steam if your oven will allow it). This will moisten the surface during the first big rise as the heat hits and allow a loaf to bounce up more.

Oh, and that is another thing... "bottom spring". If you just bake on a tray, consider getting something like a pizza stone. I happen to live next door to a kitchen worktop place and they were happy to cut and polish a piece of granite for me about an inch smaller all round than my oven shelf. It gets nice and hot and causes "bottom spring" where the bottom of the loaf is well rounded as well as the top.

[chrissie B]

I had same problem with the holliwood cob recipe , i did do a big hedghog shape that was ok but didnt have the nice round bottom but it did rise , i have a pitza stone but my shelves have a guard at the back might give it a go with that , are you heating your marble up first im thinking it must go in cold or the bread would deflate with the handling.
chrissie b.

[mumofstig]

Mine got slid onto a hot baking sheet, I think I'll try again with a little less water and see what happens.

[oldgrunge]

I'm pretty sure it will be having the dough too wet. Proving at too high a temperature can also cause this, or, as Daniel says, bumps or rough handling will knock the air out.

[Barry C]

Had the same problem, made the dough a bit less wet and warmed the baking tray also sprinkled polenta on the sheet first 

[DanielCoffey]

Yes I heated the stone first.

I have a feeling it will be a tossup between water amount or over-proofing, leaning more towards the latter.

[maddave]

I made a great cob loaf at the weekend and it was perfect! (If I do say so myself!) . Apologies if I'm teaching anyone to suck eggs with the below recipe, but it's what I make every weekend without fail.

500g flour.
300g water
7 g dried yeast
10 g salt.

Mix all together and kneed for 10 minutes.
Put in lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise for an hour.
Tip out onto lightly floured surface and push flat to get the air out. Do not tear or knead the dough. It has it's structure formed, so you dont want to break it.
Shape into a cob, ball shape by forming a ball the rubbing the right of the left hand and left of the right hand with the palms facing upwards, in opposite directions, on the base of the ball to tuck the bottom edges under.
Place on the final baking sheet and cover with a damp tea towel/muslin for another hour.
After an hour, turn on the oven to the hottest setting. 
Put half a teaspoon of cornflour in a mug with a little water to form a paste.  Boil the kettle and when boiled, pour a small amount onto the cornflour paste and stir to form a thick paste.
Brush a layer of this paste over the loaf (and then cover with favourite topping if required such as poppy seeds etc) and then slice the top with a desired pattern using a sharp knife.
Place the loaf in the very hot oven with a little splash of water on the bottom of the oven to create steam.
Immediately close the door and turn down the heat to 180 C and cook for 45 minutes.
Take out and cool and enjoy with lots of butter and nutella! Yum!

[DanielCoffey]

I would like to caution against putting a splash of water  on the bottom of the oven - you could cause the oven floor to warp. Just use a small, cheap baking tray or sponge tin instead - the sort you might use for a small swiss roll or small round cake.

[Scribbler]

Is your flour ok, ie strong enough? Also, flour doesn't keep forever, so make sure it's not past its sell by date. Are you kneading for long enough?

The recipe looks fine in terms of quantities.

I'd use 400g of strong white flour, and 100g of spelt.

[compostqueen]

I was going to say that too. Fresh flour and fresh yeast?  They can soon lose their oomph.  I buy in small quantities