Hello, All,
Recently, I've started using a Lodge combo cooker as one method of baking my loaves. In general, I love it - great oven-spring, nice crust, etc. - but the bottoms of my loaves are getting bit dark for my tastes. I've tried both bottom and top racks in the oven, and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Anyone have any suggestions in this regard?
Here's what I do. Two things:
1. I put a baking stone on the rack at the lowest rack position.
On the position just above it, I put the rack with the combo cooker. The baking stone "shades" the botton of the combo cooker from the intense "radiant" heat of the bottom heating element (electric oven.)
It's exacly like being outside: it's cooler in the shade than in the direct radiant line-of-sight heat from the sun. Face away from the sun, and you feel the radiant heat on your back, but not on your front,
You can use a cookie sheet, other pan, or aluminum foil.
2. After pre-heating, I lightly oil the bottom of the pot, then spinkle it with corn meal. I also sprinkle corn meal on the dough while it is in the banneton. I place a circular cut-just-right-size piece of parchment paper over the dough whiile the dough is still in the banneton. Using a glove, I hold the pot by the long handle, and take the banneton in the other hand. I invert the pot over the banneton so they are touching, then flip them over, and remove the banneton.
There is now corn meal, parchment, and more corn meal separating the bottom of the dough from the pot.
When baking in the deep pot (not the lid) I use an 8" inner diameter (8.6" outer diameter) banneton. Fits just right for 1100-1200 grams of whole wheat dough.
When baking on the lid, I use a 9" inner diameter (9.7" outer diameter) banneton. Fits just right for 1500-1600 grams of whole wheat dough.
I preheat both pot and lid, but with the lid off the pot.
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If you try either method, please let me know how they work for you.
Dave's suggestions are good, but are you preheating the bottom? If you are , you can always preheat less, or even skip preheating. I normally preheat just the bottom, not the top, on a burner on my range, and use a IR thermometer to tell the temp. It comes up to 300 F to 400 F much quicker than way, IMO, than in an oven. I don't preheat the top, since we are trying to keep the top moist during the first part, so I don't need any extra heat from that, plus it is a little less dangerous with just one part hot.
I don't preheat the bottom, don't use oil, bake on middle rack and have never had a burned bottom. I preheat at 500°, reduce to 475° after loading then 450° after removing top. Try that.