Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[bregent]

The enameled Dutch ovens work fine for baking bread, but the enamel can be damaged over time from the high temps with dry cooking. I have a Le Creuset that started getting discolored which is why I bought the plain cast iron Lodge. I like the Lodge because you can bake with it inverted - this makes it easier to score the bread if it's placed in the shallow 'lid' of the Dutch oven.

[Bentley]

I should have taken before photos, it was not excessive by any means.  I went over it with wire brush on drill.  Then soap and water, then seasoned.  Funny, can't find any manufacture's marks, so I have no idea who made it.  There is what you hopefully will see under lid and that is it (No 8 10 5/8IN).  It was the last thing I took out of my Uncles place before ownership changed.  I would venture to guess my uncles neither bought it nor cooked with it.  So I will assume it was my Maternal Grandma's and she left VA in 1965 to come to CA!

Loaf of Sourdough being baked in it right now.

[Bentley]

I like this batch, but I do not think the Dutch oven adds anything to the baking process.  The recipe calls for 450° pre heated oven and Dutch oven.  It says to cook with cover on for 30 minutes and then uncover and cook another 15 minutes of until bread is 203° IT.  Well it was 210° at the end of 30 minutes.  Next batch will be proofed in Dutch oven and then put in oven at the end of proof, with no lid and with pan of steaming water.  This is by far the most simple and best bread recipe I have ever made.  It is everything I want in a sandwich bread.  i guess I should try making rolls at a lower temperature with it and see how they come out!

[Bentley]

Funny, the crunchy top crust 20 minutes later is soft.  I guess I should have cooked that extra 15 minute...more data!

[Bar-B-Lew]

Looking better and better each try

[Free Mr. Tony]

If you have an electric oven the dutch oven is probably unnecessary. Whatever steam source you used will be trapped in the oven.

With a gas oven, the only way to trap steam is an enclosure like a hotel pan or dutch oven. The dutch oven was a game changer in my current setup.

[bregent]

FMT - all household ovens, even electric, are vented.

It's nearly impossible to get enough moisture for a good crust in a household oven without using a Dutch oven or similar to trap steam.  Steam from water pans mostly go out the vent.

Bentley, if you do decide to proof in the Dutch oven be sure to add plenty of flour or it will stick. One of the advantages of adding dough to preheated cast iron is that flour is not really needed.
I'm not sure how big of a loaf that was, but for a 950 gram loaf I bake at 450 for 20 minutes covered, then about 20 minutes more uncovered. If you haven't already, test the oven temp with a 3rd party therm.

[Bentley]

I know that the crust was much firmer when I did it on the pizza steel with the pan of boiling water.  I also think I need to start weighing the dough before cooking to see if I need to start adjusting ingredients to get up to a larger loaf.  I guess the reason i want to proof & cook in the Dutch oven is to get a higher loaf.  These are just not wide enough sandwich slices if that makes sense.  The loaf needs to be higher.  I was thinking of using parchment paper next time.  I put an oil soaked cheesecloth to cover and proof the bread, and then put that in the Dutch oven to cook with corn meal on top and bottom of cloth, that was a bad idea!

Kristin wants dinner rolls for a friend on Saturday, so I hope this recipe will work.  Do you all have any idea how many grams a dinner roll is?

[BigDave83]

That looks like it would make some great toast. I like toast.

[Free Mr. Tony]

FMT - all household ovens, even electric, are vented.

It's nearly impossible to get enough moisture for a good crust in a household oven without using a Dutch oven or similar to trap steam.  Steam from water pans mostly go out the vent.

Bentley, if you do decide to proof in the Dutch oven be sure to add plenty of flour or it will stick. One of the advantages of adding dough to preheated cast iron is that flour is not really needed.
I'm not sure how big of a loaf that was, but for a 950 gram loaf I bake at 450 for 20 minutes covered, then about 20 minutes more uncovered. If you haven't already, test the oven temp with a 3rd party therm.

Good to know. From most of what I have read people seemed to be happy with electric ovens. I didn't realize they were also vented.

[Chris__M]

In previous years, I have had success baking bread in my old (and now passed on) Traeger, with a thick bread stone placed in it.

However, as a result of some of the posts here, I've just picked up this 5 quart Overmont CI Dutch Oven. Much reduced on Amazon UK, and now out of stock, suggesting I got the last one!

Like the Lodge one, the lid will lie flat, so can also be used as a useful shallow dish. Looking forward to trying it out.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

[bregent]

I personally have not had good results when adding dough to a cold Dutch oven, but I know folks that do. However, they don't proof in the DO, they just add the proofed dough to it and then into the preheated oven. I think you'll get better results if you proof in a banneton and then tip into the preheated DO - welding gloves are great for handling the hot cast iron.

For large slices, you need good height but you probably also want to make a somewhat oblong loaf, to get the most uniform slices. Round loaves give you more varied slices. My DO is round, but I proof in an oblong banneton and get a good amount of sandwich slices per loaf. Here are some examples

[Bentley]

My issue is knowing when it has proofed enough, then if I handle it it deflates.  I have not over come those issues yet, so the reason why I want to proof in what I cook in is to lessen steps!

[bregent]

My issue is knowing when it has proofed enough, then if I handle it it deflates.  I have not over come those issues yet, so the reason why I want to proof in what I cook in is to lessen steps!

If it's deflating that could be a sign of over-proofing, but I think it's just as likely that the dough is not strong enough. Not sure if you already mentioned it in this thread, but what is your recipe and workflow for this bread? What flour are you using?

[Bentley]

Its just Alton Brown's recipe.  He uses Imperial instead of metric.  And now that you have made me look, I see that it calls for bread flour, and I have been using AP. 12oz filtered water, 2 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp active dry yeast.  Mix ingredients, cove and let sit at room temperature for 19 hours.  Turn out, and turn it over on itself a couple of times.  Form into ball, cover and let proof 2-3 hours or till double in size.

I must say it is a great bread with AP, but I certainly slipped up on the flour.  Will get Bread and try it.  I have also wondered if I put it in the KA and kneaded it for about 10 minutes if it might work the gluten in the flour and create a stronger dough.  That would defeat the no knead, but I could careless about that.