My boules used to come out with black bottoms as well - I have a slightly smaller oven, so my Dutch oven is pretty close to the bottom heating element. Now I place a pizza stone on the very bottom rack and my Dutch oven on the rack above. The stone covers most of the heating element and gets pre-heated with the Dutch oven as well. My boules bake much more evenly now.
Great idea. I'll give it a try! It seems to only be Le Creuset. I baked in a friend's house in her Emile Henry covered casserole, and at our little place in the country in lower quality cast iron from World Market, and both times, the bread turned out perfect.
Interesting! I just might try baking in a different cast iron oven to see if it makes a difference. I’ve been baking in the same well worn lodge enamel oven for years. Though the enamel has long since blackened. ;)
The most successful vessel I used for my bread turned out to be my friend's Emile Henry casserole--it's flameproof pottery, not enameled cast iron. I think it's called the "Fire Series" or something like that. Le Creuset is excellent as cookware for heat conductivity, but could that be exactly why the bread burns on bottom? I'll try the pizza stone trick. Hope that goes well!
(By the way, the enamel chips really easily on the cheap enameled cast iron I had bought so I wouldn't recommend getting it.)
This normally happens to me when it sits too low in the oven. Just a few cm/inch higher and it doesn´t burn!
Thanks for your guidance!
My boules used to come out with black bottoms as well - I have a slightly smaller oven, so my Dutch oven is pretty close to the bottom heating element. Now I place a pizza stone on the very bottom rack and my Dutch oven on the rack above. The stone covers most of the heating element and gets pre-heated with the Dutch oven as well. My boules bake much more evenly now.
~John
Great idea. I'll give it a try! It seems to only be Le Creuset. I baked in a friend's house in her Emile Henry covered casserole, and at our little place in the country in lower quality cast iron from World Market, and both times, the bread turned out perfect.
Interesting! I just might try baking in a different cast iron oven to see if it makes a difference. I’ve been baking in the same well worn lodge enamel oven for years. Though the enamel has long since blackened. ;)
The most successful vessel I used for my bread turned out to be my friend's Emile Henry casserole--it's flameproof pottery, not enameled cast iron. I think it's called the "Fire Series" or something like that. Le Creuset is excellent as cookware for heat conductivity, but could that be exactly why the bread burns on bottom? I'll try the pizza stone trick. Hope that goes well!
(By the way, the enamel chips really easily on the cheap enameled cast iron I had bought so I wouldn't recommend getting it.)
Be well :)