The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Stock Pot Loaves

hutchndi's picture
hutchndi

Stock Pot Loaves

Hi,

 I could not resist trying to show these, as I am new to being able to post pictures directly to the forum. I usually bake my sourdough loaves on hot tiles with just parchment paper underneath, but I have been watching some videos on baking in a covered pot, and today decided to try it. I just took my first ones out of the oven. You can't hear it, but there is cracklin goin on...

The enameled steel stock pot is what I baked these in, 500 degrees, 20 minutes lid on, 20 minutes lid off..

I kind of like this method, except I could only bake one loaf at a time, whereas I used to bake four. I will have to figure out how to fix that...

Russ from RI

Note:

This bread had excellent oven spring and was yummy but not exceptional. A longer retarding time and a few other changes resulted in somewhat less dramatic oven spring but a much improved bread in both taste and texture which can be found here:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/15478/stock-pot-loaves-ii

LindyD's picture
LindyD

More stockpots?  Bigger oven?

They look great!  How do they taste?

hutchndi's picture
hutchndi

I just sliced into one, still slightly warm. Yum.

Funny thing, I was kind of nervous about all that heat, I don't usually bake that hot. The first loaf I opened the oven a few times before the end, just to check the color. The second loaf I left alone except for removing the cover 20 minutes in. The loaf that I opened the oven a few times came out slightly heavier, I must have lost some heat. Anyways, my concerns were unwarranted, neither loaves burned at all. Also, I had a little brown rice flour at the bottom of the pan, which I prefer to the standard corn meal. It is hard to burn and it does not add any flavors.

mrfrost's picture
mrfrost

Beautiful. Great volume.

What recipe did you use? Thanks.

hutchndi's picture
hutchndi

"Vemont Sourdough" from Jeffery Hamelmans Bread book is pretty much my usual recipe and the one I used here, using the 2 stretch and folds and a 6 hour fridge retarding before the bake. I like to add some whole wheat but I prefer to grind it myself fresh, and have not been to my supplier in a while, so this bake was all KA all purpose flour.

hutchndi's picture
hutchndi

Oh, and Hamelman's recipe puts the dough in a stand mixer for a few minutes after an autolyse, both steps that I did not use here, this was no-knead bread. I just took a picture of the crumb, and figured I would add this also.

mrfrost's picture
mrfrost

Sorry to keep picking, but could you explain the no knead. Did you just stir all the exact ingredients together, and just let them sit for a while? How long did you let the mix sit, and where? Room temp, or fridge. Any stretch and folds?

After you formed the boules, how long did you let them rise?

How did you get them into that hot pot? Did you just let it plop down in there?

Thanks.

hutchndi's picture
hutchndi

Sorry,

 I follow my own recipes less to the letter every time it seems so I tend to simplify and generalize. I will try to dot the i's here.

I did a liquid levain build for 14 hours, overnight with my kitchen being about 65 degree F. The levain contained:

1 oz starter (my starter is a Polaine culture)

4.8 oz flour

6 oz lukewarm water

When the levain is shows lots of creases in it (like it was domed and collapsed recently) I added my remaining ingredients:

27 oz flour

14.8 oz lukewarm water

1 Tablespoon salt

I have a sort of rounded hand scoop that I made from the bottom of a thick plastic bottle that I like to use for the next step, which is just shoveling under the ingredients in the bowl a few times and turning them over, just to mix things up a bit, but it is still verry "shaggy" and not resembling dough at this point.  Then I cover the bowl for 50 minutes, where I did one set of stretch and folds (stretch and fold in one direction, then again in the opposite = one set).  I cover the bowl again for 50 minutes and repeat the strech and fold set. I cover again for 50 minutes, then divide and shape into 2 boules and place in bannetons floured with brown rice flour (excellent for non stickiness).  I cover each of these with those clear plastic cake covers that the grocery store bakery sells their cakes in, which fit perfectly over the bannetons, and let them begin to show a little puffiness before I put them in the fridge for retarding. I usually let them retard overnight, around 10 hours (a little more if I want those nice blisters on the crust, but only 6 on this bake.

 I took the first boule (in banneten with cover) out of the fridge, and set on counter while I prepared the oven. I put my clay quarry tiles on the rack, and placed the enameled pot directly on the tiles. I set the oven for 500 and when it reached temp (this is a thin walled steel pot so I was not really concerned with it's mass getting heated through), I opened the pot and put some brown rice flour in the bottom. I uncovered the boul and rubbed a little more rice flour on top, then inverted it onto my hand and placed it as gently as I could into the pot, and covered it to bake 20 minutes then uncovered to bake 20 more (as soon as it is in the oven, I take the second boule out of the fridge).

mrfrost's picture
mrfrost

That was great. Thanks a lot.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

reflects the heat like shinny pots do.  A darker enamel would probably have a much darker outcome.  Good tip about the rice flour.  Like the way your loaves turned out.  Baking one at a time does present a dilemma. 

Mini

hutchndi's picture
hutchndi

? my pics on this page were missing, so I reposted