The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Can I go directly from fridge to oven?

Igwiz's picture
Igwiz

Can I go directly from fridge to oven?

I have two loaves proofing in my fridge right now.  I've heard that I can go directly from fridge to oven.

Questions:  How would I do that.  I normally bake a 2.5 pound loaf (78% hydration) en Cloche for 45 minutes at 425, 20 covered and 25 uncovered.

Do I modify the time?  Do I modify the temp?

Any insights and suggestions would be very helpful.

Thanks,

Thane

dwcoleman's picture
dwcoleman

Is your cloche made of stone?  I would think that the drastic change in temperature would cause it to crack.  If you have a LeCreuset cast iron enamel pot then it may be fine.

I've tried baking baguettes straight out of the fridge but I wasn't able to get the color that I wanted.

Igwiz's picture
Igwiz

so I use an enamel-covered steel roasting pan, like your mom or grandmother cooked in.  They are very economical, work wonderfully, and I have had great results cooking room temperature bread with them.

Hmm...  Did you have to change the baking time or temp?

dwcoleman's picture
dwcoleman

I kept the same temperature and cooked the bread longer.  However the dough started to burn at the slash marks on my baguettes.  Perhaps a lower baking temperature would help.

noonesperfect's picture
noonesperfect

I take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit while the oven is pre-heating.  Then I use the same temperature and the same time as I would for a roon-temperature dough, give or take 5 minutes.  Covering the loaf (like you would with a cloche) seems to bring the interior temperature up very quickly, so it doesn't take any significant extra time to bake.

brad

Janknitz's picture
Janknitz

I'd let the dough warm up some if it's going directly into a hot oven.   

However, I think it would be a good experiment to put the cold dough in a cold oven, cover with your enamel "cloche" and preheat the oven with the dough right there.  That seems like it might have a good chance of working.   If you give it a try, please report back.

 

 

Igwiz's picture
Igwiz

I have tried to put room temp dough in a cold oven and let them heat together.  It was a disaster (for me).  Since I don't grease the hot pans when I dump the bread in, I didn't grease the cold pan.  BAD idea.  I ended up with beautiful loaves that were cemented to the bottom of the pan.  Had to tear off the usable part of the bread (that was pretty, let me tell you), and then soak out the burned-on crust with water for 24 hours.  No fun there.

Igwiz's picture
Igwiz

So nice to have found a community where you can feel free to ask questions and where you get awesome tips.

I very much appreciate it, and I'll let you know how it turned out.