May 11, 2009 - 11:14pm
090511 First Rustic Bread
My another 'first time' experience. As always, I'm having fun while learning new skills and trying out new recipes.
It's a spiked dough retarded since Sunday.
New technique applied: Covering the bread with an inverted dutch oven while baking.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33569048@N05/sets/72157618023122996/
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and you have good form, nice color, and consistant crumb. The design from your colander or basket has made a most beautiful pattern in the crust, lovely and unique. Most pleasing to the eye. The bottom looks a little pale to me but it is your first rustic loaf. Did it seem to take a long time to bake? How does it taste?
Mini
Mini:
It took 65 minutes to get to 208F internally. I was losing my patience since I couldn't see the loaf covered by the dutch oven for the whole time. I was really anxious to find out what it looked liked, so I pulled it out.
The crumb was too dense for me. I'll try again later.
Yippee
After re-visiting Susan's magic bowl method, I just realized that the Dutch Oven should only have been there for the first 20 minutes or so. More corrections next time.
May I ask what the benefits are of covering the bread this way? I know it is done, but I don't understand the benefits.
Hi, DrPr.
You can think of baking bread with a cover for the first part of the bake as a method of steaming. The cover keeps the water vapor that evaporates from the loaf in contact with the crust. This delays the crust from hardening and, thus, allows the loaf to continue to expand for longer. The result is greater oven spring and greater bloom of the cuts.
Usually, the cover is removed after 10-18 minutes, but at the longest after the bread is half-baked in time, e.g., after 15 minutes of a 30 minute bake.
A side effect seems to be that the crust is also cooler and doesn't brown as early. You can compensate for this with a higher oven temperature and/or a longer bake time. It also results in a thinner and much shinier crust, presumably from gelatinization of starch on the loaf surface.
If you look at the breads in Susan from San Diego's blog here on TFL, you will see examples of what this technique can achieve.
David
David:
Do you order your flour online? The shipping charges are very steep on the Giusto site. They are even more expensive than the flour itself.
The one distributor I was given for the All Trumps is very far away from me. Therefore, I'm looking for other high gluten alternatives. Do you have any other suggestions?
Thanks.
Yippee
Hi, Yippee.
I have ordered flour online, but not from Giusto's. Whole Foods Mkt carries their flours, but not the whole line. My local WFM used to carry Giusto's "Ultimate Performer" hi-gluten flour, but they stopped.
I have ordered a couple bags of "Sir Lancelot" hi-gluten flour from KAF to try as a substitute. It's in shipment currently.
I have been using KAF Bread Flour as the highest gluten flour readily available. I have no complaints about its performance.
David
David:
Today I found out that a local farmer's market carries Giusto flours. I've shopped there for years, but have never paid attention to their baking supplies since I did not start baking until the beginning of this year. This is wonderful! I can use the flours you use without paying skyrocketing shipping charges when I try your formulae.
Yippee
I hope you found the Giusto's flours at a good price!
David
David, since I find spraying the oven a bit bothersome (I actually caused the floor of my old oven to buckle!) would covering the bread be the equivalent to spraying, then? Is this what a "cloche" is? I've pondered getting one of those.
Hi, DrPr.
Sorry for the delayed response. I just noticed your message.
The answer is "yes." Spraying the oven is to keep the environment and the surface of the loaf moist to delay crust hardening and prolong oven spring. Baking the loaf covered does the same thing, but better.
The biggest disadvantage of spraying is that the oven temperature drops every time you open the door.
There are other ways of steaming the oven that I like better than spraying these days. Covering the loaf is one way.
David