La Cloche Flop
Was so excited to buy a Sassafras LaCloche artisan bread baker! Made up my usual whole-grain einkorn bread recipe which I've used many times and bake loaves in glass pans with success. Spread cornmeal on dome base as directed and followed the Sassafras instructions exactly. My loaf didn't look like all those nice photos of a round loaf; it looked like a cake. The bottom was stuck like glue to the base and I had to gently lift out the bread in pieces and then soak the dome base in water to remove the rest. The bread had a nice texture, moist and a little chewy. I saved the bread pieces to make stuffing. I wonder why it didn't rise up into a nice round loaf and why it stuck so bad to the base. Any ideas? Thanks! I will try again. I've made our family's bread from scratch for over 40 years, but only in glass or metal loaf pans. I'm presently trying to get a sourdough starter made after 2 failures. But I'm determined to bake an "artisan" sourdough loaf............
Your loaf pans have sides that are comparatively tall, which supports (and forces) upward rising of the bread. And I imagine you grease them to prevent sticking.
While I haven't baked with einkorn, everything I've read talks about it's tendency to spread out if not corralled. It looks as though it found it's level in this container.
Paul
This is why they make PAM - so the cake doesn't stick to the bottom and sides and it is good practice to use parchment on the bottom of a greased pan - to make sure the cake comes out - even when making bread that looks like cake!
Nothing worse than sticking anything to a pan. Hopefully the baker will season itself after few sticks.
Happy baking otherwise.
not very complicated at all. Takes about 5 days.
Please do share how to make an einkorn sourdough starter. I've read so many sourdough starter recipes in the last 2 days I' not sure which one to try first. Thank you!
Mix 1 tablespoon non-chlorinated water with 1 Tbs einkorn flour in a bowl. Cover but don’t refrigerate. Each day, mix in another 1 Tbs einkorn flour and 1 Tbs non-chlorinated water. Keep the bowl at room temperature above 75°F until the mixture has started to bubble. No discarding and amounts stay low during the initial growth period. Takes about 5 days.
More info here and follow the link
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/comment/317590#comment-317590
I haven't any experience with einkorn, but my first attempt at baking bread in a chicken brick ended up with a badly sticking loaf even though I'd greased and floured as per usual. Basically I'd undercooked my loaf because I hadn't taken into account the time needed to heat up the brick- a properly baked loaf should release easily as is, or with a sharp rap of the pot on a wooden surface.
You might find that you'll want to add an extra 5-10 minutes to your bake time over and above using a tin.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and offer advice! Tried again today another loaf of whole grain einkorn and the bread came out "taller" and didn't stick to the bottom! I used a generous amount of cornmeal this time. With these stoneware products you're not supposed to use any grease or oils (PAM) ever. You do prime the stoneware with an initial light oiling. I have 2 round flat stones I use for pizza and the pizza dough doesn't ever stick as I use cornmeal on them as well. Anyway, y'all, here is my second attempt with my Sassafras La Cloche bread baker. It came out looking more like a cake, but it has a wonderful texture, pleasantly chewy and the bottom crust is indeed crunchy. Slices nicely. Tastes great. Just doesn't look like all those nice round loaves we see on the ads for dome bread bakers like Sassafras and Emile Henry. I will try some white flour and see what happens.
What does the pre-shaped loaf look like before the dough hits the oven. Is it flat or round or dome shaped? One thing to try is to heap the dough more into the middle and let it spread out on it's own.
I also find Einkorn has a more cake like crumb. I take cut offs and process them to crumbs and toast again in the oven until crumbs are dried out. Makes a great cereal with milk and fruit. Better than Grape nuts.
"Better than Grape nuts."
This I must try. Grape nuts are just about my favourite breakfast cereal.
"...my usual whole-grain einkorn bread recipe..."
Ahem! I don't suppose you'd care to divulge this recipe. Shipton Mill has started selling einkorn flour and I'll be putting in an order soon.