Inconsistent Rofco Bakes
Hello All-
I've scrolled through many Rofco posts but have yet to find something that answers my question. Apologies if this has been repeated.
I have a Rofco B40. I have metal cups on each shelf to add more steam, then spray with handheld garden sprayer right after loading. I have not used washers or the like to lift the bottom shelf up.
I preheat at 240 for 2 hours. Stones are hot. I load, spray, bake for 20 minutes, then remove loaves to home oven to finish, to avoid much recovery time with the Rofco.
For the last several bakes, loaves on the top shelf have been great: good spring, open along scores etc.
Middle shelf hit/miss, but bottom shelf loaves aren't opening at all along scores. My batch today was for test purposes only to ensure it wasn't the dough or the shaping. Both the batards and boules had the same results: great top shelf, not so great bottom shelf. Any advice? Thanks in advance! Here's pic of the batards:
Which picture was the top shelf? The one on the left, which doesn't really show a slash, looks to me like it expanded fairly well but then some of the dough from the interior pushed its way up into the slash and refilled it. I've seen that from time to time with my own loaves (not baked in a Rofco).
I think that tends to happen when the loaf doesn't have much life left in it - perhaps overproofed. When a loaf is seriously underproofed, it tends to spring into action and tear open vigorously during baking. It might also mean that the loaf stayed cool for too long, otherwise the crust would have hardened into place and prevented the interior from oozing upwards to fill in the gap.
The loaf on the right has a slash that looks strange to me but I can't put my finger on why. Maybe it's just the particular angle of the picture.
Loaf on left was bottom shelf, loaf on right was top shelf. Both same same batch. Two loaves each shelf, both same quality. Loaf on bottom not as much oven spring and didn't open on score, just spread.
the loaf on the left shows classic signs of not enough steam during the initial phase of the bake. it did expand at the score, but didn't have time to lift properly before the crust formed. maybe the steam rises, so there's enough moisture in the top and progressively less as you go down?
That's what I've come to think-I'm planning on really focusing on more steam for tomorrow's test bake. Thanks!