Before anyone gets the idea I’m some sort of master baker after reading about our awesome bagels yesterday, check out what I produced last night:
Yup, those are four fallen loaves of herbs de Provence bread.
Few things put me in a more sour mood than fallen bread. There is just something so deflating about putting all that hard work into something, only to have it turn out poorly.
So, that, coupled with my rushed-through and barely understood chemistry homework and forgotten phone call (sorry Emily!), put me in quite the mood last night before bed.
Back to the bread… I think what happened (which must happen often since almost ALL my breads fall) is that I allowed my bread to overproof, or over rise. While I don’t normally lose track of time, I did last night (ahem, can we say chemistry homework) and didn’t check on it until the very end of the recommended rise time. The loaves looked great, until I pulled the cover off and they proceeded to deflate. Heartbreaking.
This happens all the time, and I think I’ve finally realized the answer is LESS rise time, not more. Andrew did make a good point about my bread–at least it wasn’t burned or completely inedible. In fact, the bread tastes fine. But, the perfectionist in me will never be OK with fallen bread. It’s a goal of mine to MASTER yeast breads (sooner rather than later, I hope!), so I guess I have my work cut out for me…
Good thing King Arthur Flour has a help hotline…
thehealthypineapple 
Think of them as imitating a master chef’s hat; the taller the hat, the better the chef – and the droopier the hat! And I bet they still taste great with butter, honey or seasoned oil …
Oh, they do taste good! I’ll definitely be keeping this recipe, and can’t wait to give it another go, especially after talking to a baking rep at King Arthur Flour yesterday and getting some good advice and encouragement!