August 25, 2018 - 8:02pm
How to bake a very large boule?
Hello everyone,
I will be doing a 8 loaf batch of Tartine bread in a wood - fired oven tomorrow night. Just for fun I would like to include a very large loaf. The book Tartine Bread has an old painting from France that shows a guy cutting up a loaf that must weigh 10 lbs. It got me wondering how this could possibly be baked. How could you get the inside baked through without burning the crust? I assume it would be necessary to reduce baking temperature and increase time, but by how much? I'd be happy to start with trying a boule around 5 lbs. Any suggestions appreciated!
Dean
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with a sheet of aluminum or anything that will shield the loaf from the direct heat just like you do with a turkey or pie that is browning too fast. Reducing the heat is also a good idea. I would bake it at 375-400F and go by internal temperature to see if it is done. I bake mine to 205F or more.
Please post a picture of your boule. I would love to see it!
That looks like a 4 kg Brotlaib or Miche.
That loaf is not as high as it looks so it bakes through quite nicely. I would guess it is no higher than 4 inches in the middle. That's the proper way to hand cut such a loaf. Love the painting. Everyone is delighting in the main course presentation except the cook who is glancing at the bread cutter who's in a world of his own.
Funny you should ask. I marveled at this multi-kg loaf in a Swiss Manor store's superb basement food hall just the other day.
Pic doesn't reveal scale well, but the loaf on left is about the size you're proposing, 4-5 kg. Irresistible as it was, we went for the smaller Maggia.
I bake 2.5 kg miches every week in a typical US electric wall oven and handle them no differently than I would smaller boules. Big loaves flatten out so that overall height is similar to smaller ones and heat penetration of the dough's interior isn't an issue. Only exceptional challenge for you will be having a peel wide and stout enough to confidently ease your Jabba the Hut onto the stone.
Happy baking.
Tom
I am committed now! Giant 8.5 lb boule is rising. Thanks very much to everyone for all the tips. I will definitely have to support the peel with a hand to get it to the oven. I will cover it with foil if needed, but hopefully it will spread enough to not need too much additional time. This pic is just after shaping, before going into a tub for final proofing. The oven is preheating now, and I will bake around 9 or 10 tonight. Baked pics to follow.
Dean
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Well that went about as well as I could ask for. I put the big loaf in at the same time as the other loaves. They went in at 500F for 40 minutes, then I took out most of the small loaves and left the big one and two small ones bake for another 15 minutes. Oven temperature was down to about 425F when I took the big one out after 55 minutes. The big loaf had an internal temperature of 208F, which is right where the smaller loaves usually are when finished. It is comically big! The pics don't do it justice. I will give it to a cousin that is going to have a lot of people at his hunt camp soon. He can freeze it in foil until then. A fun and satisfying experiment. Thanks again to everyone that offered tips and advice!
Dean
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Love those pictures!
Hi Dean, I came across your photo and wanted some advice. I have a 5kg loaf I’m going to be baking for a client, and to be honest haven’t attempted anything above 2-3kg. Do you have any advice on what worked for you? Or if it fit in the oven well! It’s going to be a pumpernickel loaf. Thank you so much!
Thanks Danni! It was a fun bake for sure!
Dean
Hello ranger,
That is a big loaf! The loaf in this post is the only big one I have ever done, so I doubt if I can be of much help to you. It filled a big peel edge to edge, and needed a firm hand under the peel on the way to the oven. Baking time was not as long as I had initially feared, and getting the crumb fully baked was not a problem. Good luck and post pics!
Dean