August 5, 2020 - 8:58am
Emile Henry Large Bread Baker help
Does anyone have any helpful suggestions for using the Emile Henry large bread baker? I just got mine for sourdough bread and would love to see pictures of others who have made bread in it. I baked my first bread today, I let it rise in the refrigerator overnight and baked it in a cold oven at 475 for 50 minutes. I’m not really sure how to use it.
Share
That is one of the Emile Henry I use all the time. What questions do you have? Here is a clean out the pantry loaf from the other night. was really delicious.
Welcome to TFL.
Did your recipe/formula call for starting the bake in a cold oven?
Some people decide to do that due to the hazards of handling a hot baking dish loaded with dough.
I have an EH baguette baker. I preheat the oven to ~475F while the dough does a final proof in the baker at room temp. I then put it in the oven on an oven rack (no stone) with lid on, bake for about 15 minutes, remove the lid for about another 10 minutes. Works great for me. For a larger single loaf, your times and temps may vary.
I have the bread baker you describe, and I have not had the best of luck with sourdough, but it does make the best sandwich bread I have ever had. I actually bake a 2 loaf recipe inside the baker because it is big enough to do so. I use the King Arthur sourdough sandwich bread recipe, that has some enriching ingredients such as baker's dry milk, butter, and a small amount of sugar. It also calls for a bit of yeast as well. I have a strong starter, so I add less than half of the yeast they call for. I let the dough rise inside the baker with the top on. When the dough rises to about an inch or so above the base of the baker, it is ready to put into the pre heated oven. The baker is not preheated. I find that this recipe allows the bread to rise up to the top of the cover and you will get a large loaf with good size slices. You can see how high the bread rose by the horizontal bake line that was left from the base. Adding the bit of yeast will make the bread rise like this, but it will still be moist and have a tender even crumb. If you don't add the yeast you may not get this significant rise, because it is a same day bake. Follow the instructions for the baking. However, check it before the finished baking time to make sure it is not over baked. I bake it to about 205 degrees in the middle. Also, make sure you grease and flour your base. Your bread will stick to it, despite what the directions tell you to do. I do not grease the top, and have never had to do so.
I have my new long baker, am awaiting a strengthened starter and am totally hopeful I too can create this kind of sandwich loaf. Love everything about it... along with your tips!
Hi, I have had an Emile Henry large bread baker for about a year. I have always used sourdough and it works fine. You do have to butter and flour the base otherwise it does tend to stick. You don't have to pre-heat the baker but some choose to. I use about 700g of flour and 450g of starter so it makes a big loaf but it is just the right size to go in the toaster of for sandwiches.