Following up to my previous post, I’m really curious what your go-to method is for baking a single sourdough loaf.
Currently, I’m using a Dutch oven (cast-iron pot) and a spray bottle to add some extra moisture to the dough. But definitely getting mix results.
Drop a comment below. Let’s learn from each other 👇
I’ve found that a set recipe for bread doesn’t give the same results every time. The temperature in the room, the humidity, the activity of the starter, and probably a dozen other factors, all affect the final loaf.
I use the ingredients as a starting point and adjust the dough as needed during the initial mix, and as long as everything feels right at that point, the final result should be good.
Of course, in a non industrial setting, all loaves are going to have a little variation, and you can learn to embrace it.
@LastYearsPumpkin @Dontbesourdough
Also, the flour is never quite the same as it was previously: it gets affected by age, packing, storage, humidity…For me, making a loaf is always a science experiment. Even when I make loaves in the bread machine with identical quantities as previously the result can be different.
True,
Do you bake the loaf in an oven? Or do you use a Cast Iron pot?
I do the bulk of the baking in a lidded, cast iron pan, then a couple minutes with the lid off to brown up the crust.
I do not add water to the cast iron pan at any point.
My dough is always refrigerated for at least 8 hours before I bake, so the dough is pretty firm at the start of the bake.
I’ve had great results with the cast iron Dutch oven method. Looking at your previous thread, I don’t think you should be trying to match your steam oven methods 1:1 with the Dutch oven. Instead, focus on dialing in what works for each method. However, I haven’t used a stream oven myself though, so I can’t really compare.
My experience has been that sourdough has a lot of different steps you don’t necessarily need to do, but each one helps make the end result better and better. The biggest leaps for me were using a tall cambro container to accurately judge rising times, and putting the dough in a banneton in the fridge overnight prior to baking to form a better crust.
My best method is cast iron dutch oven preheated 15 minutes at 450°F, and instead of spraying, I add a 30g ice cube. This gives better blistering and it’s easier to plop a pre older ice cube than to maneuver a sprayer around hot iron. Lid on for 20 minutes.
