Any bakers know why my bread does this?

[clearlynotnow]

I've baked quite a few loaves over the last few weeks and they keep coming out like this (photo). Anyone know why? It looks like a mushroom!
They keep coming out a bit dense as well. But still manage to get eaten in a matter of minutes...

I think it's because it's expanding too quickly as it's being cooked but I can't be sure if that means it's too much yeast or too hot temp.

Oh - heat could be it as I bake them at 220 degrees in a fan oven...

Do you leave it to prove twice? I cook mine on 200 so maybe turn it down a bit, I'm no expert tho.

Yes I do.
Also I'd been using a mixer but tried kneading by hand today to see if that made a difference, but no!

Very high temperature! 180 fan for around forty minutes.

It looks like it has ripped along the side which would suggest it's under proved

I do 180 too but for 30 mins for a 500g of flour loaf so yes likely oven too hot

220°C in a fan oven is definitely too hot. It's equivalent to 240°C in a conventional oven.

Thank you all. I'll try it at a lower temp next time and see if that improves it.

Yes I would also say it’s too hot. I fancy some nice fresh warm bread now! I no what I’ll be making in the morning..

It might be your shaping, of the loaf before the second prove. There are lots of videos out there but I like the River Cottage Bread handbook. It's brilliant.
I bake my loaves at 250c fan for 10 mins then turn down to 150 for 40 mins.
Even mushroom shaped, I bet it's better than anything you can buy.

my bread recipe and process has worked really well for us, the thing that seems to make the difference is kneading for twice as long as you think you need to, I do a minimum of 20 minutes. Also I activate the yeast in warm water for 20 minutes before I start the dough. Finally, I bake at 220c fan, with a pan with an inch or so of water in the bottom of the oven to keep the bread from getting too dry.

Also unless I'm planning to make sandwiches specifically, I just make the loaf into a big round, and bake without a tin. So far they've come out beautifully.

Off topic...

I just want to know where you got the elusive white powder from. I would pay almost anything for flour. We go through a loaf a day and can't get delivery slots....

Try making potato bread - delicious, bakes well and you cook it at 200 degrees fan bake for twenty minutes

I’ve ordered a 16k sack of bread flour from Amazon; just over £16 so not a complete rip off. It says it will be arriving mid-May. I’m doing sourdough and supplying family so can easily get through 16k before long! It’ll save my disappointment every time my Mom’s delivery doesn’t have any flour

I would say it's your shaping and your cutting. The bread has to "burst" somewhere and it's done it on the side rather than through the cuts you made at the top.

But does it matter?

I bake mine at 250 for 10 mins (not fan) then 200 for around 15. I've been baking bread twice weekly for years - I like crusty loaves though.

It is under proved. Leave it until it for it's second prove until it done - if in doubt you haven't left it long enough (well you can but then it will look like the cellulite on my legs)

King Arthur Flour yeast baking blog have really good yeast baking 101. I apologise for the baking rabbit hole you are about to go down.

If you are attempting the cake and biscuit recipes you will need to adjust the recipes slightly because American butter has a higher fat content and a large egg is our medium.

That looks like temperature to me.