Show us the Crumb Shot

IN porn, they tell me, there is a certain moment which has to be included in every video. They call it the money shot.

Currently in the online food porn world of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter enthusiastic amateur master bakers have been proudly showing their latest loaves and rolls, very often sourdough (ugh) and very pretty they look, too.

But inside every burnished crust, perhaps sprinkled with poppy or sesame, is the crumb. Whether holey or close, firm or light, it is the texture of the crumb which ultimately dictates how good the bread is.

And it’s surprising how few pictures there are of what I call the Crumb Shot.

The picture above of my current loaf, a cobbled together mixture of four floors, isn’t bad but it could have done with a little more kneading.

But without the Crumb Shot, how would we know?

I have just been flicking through one of my many bread books. Here are farmhouse and bloomer loaves, split tin, baguettes, pistolets, rye breads, Danish and Portuguese Maria, all lovingly pictured in their entirety but a knife has been nowhere near them.

How many bread baking videos have I watched on YouTube where the loaf is whisked out of the oven but never cut? OK, I know you should let a loaf cool before cutting but we could be given a glimpse filmed later.

I am as guilty this myself. I’ve looked back at my photos and the crumb shot is missing in most.

So in future, whenever I want show the world my latest loaf I’ll give you a slice.

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