# Free Form Bread Loaves

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-form-bread-loaves/422812>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 15, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-form-bread-loaves/422812 "2007-10-15T18:04:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-form-bread-loaves/422812/1 "2007-10-15T18:04:53Z")

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I am a more than occasional baker, and I can make a nice loaf while using bread/baguette pans, but I have a big problem with free form loaves, like those nice oval shaped beauties you see at a bakery. I’ll let them rise once, then punch the dough down and form it into a perfect little oval, but the second rise (on a stone or baking sheet) will spread primarilly horizontally. I end up with a nice tasting bread, but it looks more like a really tall pancake than a loaf of bread.

I have tried using more flour and a drier dough to help the loaf hold it’s shape, but it doesn’t do anything in the oven and I end up with a very dense loaf that isn’t any good. What can I do to get more verical rise? I once tried a springform cake pan to prevent the spread, and I ended up with a loaf that looded like a muffin.

I do live at altitude, but I don’t see why that would matter.

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-form-bread-loaves/422812/2 "2007-10-15T19:35:13Z")

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When you form your oval, are you tucking the edges under? That and making sure you’ve kneaded the dough enough were my first thoughts.

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**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-form-bread-loaves/422812/3 "2007-10-15T19:57:52Z")

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Also, a couple slits in the top to allow it to rise without splitting on the sides and smooshing out.

StG