Sourdough bread in a pot
Earlier this week on a rainy day working from home, I fed my starter with 50% dark rye flour and 50% bread flour. The next morning I made a dough with 10 ounces starter, 11 ounces water, 16 ounces of bread flour, and a teaspoon or two of salt. All measurements are approximate: this wasn't something I tended to carefully, just a "background process" that I had running while doing other things.
That was a much larger proportion of ripe starter to fresh flour than I usually bake with but, boy, let me tell you, did this dough ever pop. I folded it two or three times during the day, shaped it in the afternoon, and an hour later baked it in the pot I got with the Average Joe Bread Kit. 465 preheat, 425 bake, 25 minutes covered and another 30 minutes or so uncovered.
It came out great. One of the best rising loaves I've ever made, and incredibly thin, crackly crust. The only real flaw was that I overdid it with the flour on the outside while it was rising, but that's easy enough to brush off.
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Comments
Hi Floyd,
That's one beauty of a background process :^)
It's a really gorgeous loaf - I love the way it bloomed on top - and bet it tasted lovely, too.
:^) breadsong
a great crackly crust and bloom Floyd. Did you put the oaf in a cold pot to rise and then into a hot oven or did you warm the pot and put the risen boule into a hot pot?
Nice baking Floyd
The pot was cool. I rose it in a basket then flipped it into the bowl, which is why it got so thoroughly floury.
-F
Floyd. Nice looking bread. I personally like the extra flour effect on the outside. Was it rice flour, or just regular bread flour?
Also, rainy day?? In Vancouver in November?? Get out! I don't believe it :) Looks like you will be baking a lot of bread then till Spring. If rain has anything to do with it.
John
You know what? This is such a cheerful post after such a horrid week, culminating with the news today from back east.
I do not think the way I feel right now that paying this guy $100 ( or whatever) to deliver the fixings so beautifully reviewed and exacted, and yes I could make it and mail it for less, but really?
I am going to send one off so my little sister and her family to can join in one of the most soul soothing activities
They can bake and break bread
She is an elementary teacher in the inner inner city of Mobile. I am sure she is traumatized and needs this gift today. A good day this is not For anyone
We are all a bunch school teachers and nurses what the hell is wrong with my family?
bread absorbs tears nicely
Beautifully risen, Floyd! and an excellent crackling crumb. Never tried cold DO before. Hmm, seems to work.
Khalid
Wonderful looking bake Floyd. Your crust looks perfect!
Regards,
Ian
coincidentally i just tried the cold oven, cold pot method this morning. It was my second attempt. I feel i get a more spread-out loaf. The oven spring is tremendous, mind you, but it seems more spread out. But it's hard to pin down as i also go for very long cold fermentation which can give lower loaves and for my first attempt, the dough was slightly overproofed.
However, looking at your loaf here, Floyd, that seems NOT to be the case at all :)) But i'm amazed you can bake it after only one hr of proofing? What sort of room temp are you having?
anyone else with cold oven experience, pls chime in!
Wish i had a transparent pot that would allow me to observe the bread as it blooms in the pot, to see at what point oven spring and/or spreading occurs, and how that differs, if at all, from the hot oven, hot pot method.