My mom is going to purchase a half size electric convection oven.  She was strongly leaning towards the Hobart HEC20 which the best price is about $3450 shipped.  However, one of her instructors at the baking school she goes to recommended Eurofours convection ovens which are made in France and apparently quite popular in Europe.  Their comparable model is $2700 shipped and it apparently has the same type of steam technology that Blodgett calls "Hydrovection".  It also has a 3 year warranty.  It certainly SOUNDS good, but I've been unable to locate any information or reviews online comparing the Eurofours models to Blodgett or Hobart.  In fact, I've been unable to find much of anything on Eurofours, which I imagine plenty exists on French and other European sites but I'm limited to English I'm afraid.

Any advice would be MUCH appreciated especially from someone familiar with Eurofours since lots on Hobart is out there but very little on Eurofours. So right now it's between these 2. 

Hobart HEC20

Eurofours 2 Tray (from a Dutch site - they only had 4+ tray models on the English site for some reason)

I want to buy some linen and other accessories and am wondering where people buy their supplies.  Any advice on where to purchase without breaking the bank?  There don't seem to be any local supply houses in my area - west of boston.

Thanks

I've been making bread for many years, but now want to become more knowledgeable of the different parts of the process and also use fresher ingredients.

I bake once or twice a week, making dense rolls or loaves.  I want to get a flour mill to get fresh flour from wheat and rye berries.

On one side are mills like the Nutramill and Wondermill.  On the other are mills like the Wolfgang.  I'm not considering a hand mill.

Any information or suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks!

So let's say, for an easy example, I am trying to simulate a Pullman pan with two normal-size loaf pans and a couple of binder clips.  (Don't judge me!)  Also let's say that my bread is sourdough, with 65% hydration.

What's the right amount of dough to make to fill this up?  Is there some notional finished density I should be seeing?  This never comes up (pun!) when making a baguette.

We just made a 1600+ mile move to the midwest.  I'm happier than a clam in mud with all the different locally grown organic flours, etc. but one of our biggest losses in the move was my hearthkit.  A corner chunk broke off, my DH says it's not that big but I'm wondering if it will affect the quality of my baked goods, the performance of the stone, or anything else.  Is there a way to repair it????   Should I worry about it?????

Have to say I love this website and plan to vist and participate often.  Thanks for any assistance.

Good deal, or not?

I'm planning on offering $400 for the mixer in the classified ad.  It comes with a dough hook and two 20 quart mixing bowls.

It appears to be 15-20 years old to me.

http://london.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-business-industrial-3-SPEED-MIXER-W0QQAdIdZ148670717

Afternoon everyone,

Been crawling the net looking for all the guidence I could get but thought it was about time to reach out to those with the passion in the field. I am working with a few others to get a bakery started up in our area and in turn need a good software solution. We will be doing both artisan breads as well as custom cakes.....both retail and wholesale. Our community has a nice void with regards to bakeries, we all have the passion and its a leap of faith we are willing to take.....despite being relatively green.

Would any small business sorts have any software to recommend that helps provide a good foundation?

I just got a hearthkit, and was very pleased with its inaugural run with a couple pizzas and loaves of pain au levain (margherita was beautifully cooked in about six minutes).  However,  it took much longer than expected to preheat all that mass because the oven kept cycling.  The hearthkit's thermometer got up to the mid 300's relatively quickly, but at that point my oven thermostat, set at 500, started to cycle.  It was well over an hour and a half before it was usable and I never did get it quite as hot as desired.  I'm wondering if anyone has tried to trick their thermostat into leaving the element on continuously until the stone is ready?  Or, can someone recommend a different solution?

thanks a lot, Logan

I might soon get the chance to use a deck oven that is part of a restaurant.  I still have not seen this oven, so am not exactly sure of the specs.  I do know however that it it is not a steam injected oven, and so I'm guessing it is more like a pizza oven.  There are two decks in it, and one of them is currently not being used at all.

Although I'm excited to use the oven, I'm worried about steaming.  I currently steam in my home oven using a cast iron skillet with about 3/4 cup water poured in right before my bakes. I've experimented with spraying, but never feel I get enough water.

So for the deck oven, any recommendations on steaming? I definitely don't want to break their oven, so I'm tempted to try a few loaves with absolutely no steam. Perhaps a higher hydration dough will be less affected? My other thoughts are to spray the loaves with a light mist of water right before they go into the oven.

Thanks for any advice. I'll let you know more info as soon as I see the oven.

Take care,
Danny - Sour Flour
http://www.sourflour.org

I'm baking breads in a deck oven, but for which the formula calls for a convection oven. I'm wondering if I should adjust the temperature. Does anyone know?  Thanks.