February 20, 2008 - 12:19pm
La Cloche - Seasoning
I recently purchased a La Cloche dome earthware pot to make bread in. It makes amazing bread so far except the that the bottom is not as consistent as the rest of the loaf. It is usually very hard and brittle and in some cases it turns out burnt, but the rest of the loaf is fine. I did season it with a light sheen of oil like the directions said and now the bottom is a dark brown or black.
Any suggestions, i tried cleaning it but the black stuff is not coming off. is my oven too hot? should i re-season again?
Help....i love making bread with this thing but want it PERFECT.
Thanks
Alex
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I don't think you will ever get the oil out of the cloche.
Try using a low trivet covered with foil inside the cloche to support the dough, it may conduct less heat and prevent burning the bottom.
Are you by chance placing the La Cloche on the bottom shelf? I use the next shelf up and get good results. I wouldn't worry about the oil. You can also place the dough on parchment paper and just put the cover over it.
Another thing you can do is use a stone and the cover, skipping the base altogether. Then loading the dough is much easier with or without paper.
Eric
Is your thermostat out of whack,,, :-((( qahtan
I have a la Cloche and broke the bottom accidentally. I've gone to using a pre-heated stone (and dome). Sliding my bread onto the stone and covering with the dome. It works better I think. A bit of luck from a stroke of misfortune.
Uncouth:
I have found that the best way to use La Cloche is to heat the top in the oven and then add the dough. Like JERSK, I don't use the bottoms -- I just heat the top on my stone when preheating the oven, slide the dough onto the stone, put the top on and bake. This method produces wonderful ovenspring and an excellent crust. Hope this helps,
Liz
I use an octaganal shaped silpat sprinkled with cornmeal. Never have used anything to season it.
Pam