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Submitted by wayne on FLUKE on January 15, 2010 - 4:52pm

A Day of Firsts


This has been a day of firsts.

  • Actually started last night by making the sponge for my "Wayne Thomas's English Muffins" and leaving it in the fridge overnight for first time.
  • Finished and cooked the muffins this morning, they look great.
  • Decided to try the #111 Romertopf clay baker (that my wife scored at a local thrift shop a couple of days ago for $6 !!) for the first time so I made a simple white bread from a recipe on http://www.fantes.com/romertopf.html called One Perfect Loaf.
  • This resulted in the first real "ear" I have managed to get (at least from one of the two slashes). I have started to slash with the double-edged razor on kabob stick thanks to this site. Some work still required.
  • I decided all these firsts were worth my first blog post.

I hope this tastes as good as it looks. It was far and away the most oven spring I have had. As soon as the bread cools I'll get a crumb shot and then post the pics. I imagine some would say this should be a little darker. I agree, but the wife likes it this way for sandwiches. Also, I am baking this in an anemic gas oven on our boat. I followed the recipe as far as soak bottom, proof in bottom, soak top, place in COLD oven. After removing the top for the last 5 mins, I realized it was never going to brown (always a problem in this oven) so I stuck it in the microwave/convection on broil for a few minutes. I think next time I'll remove the top sooner, as it was still moist inside after 45 mins (at an attempted 450+).

Comments and suggestions always welcome. Love this site.

wayne

 

 

 

 

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Submitted by occidental on January 15, 2010 - 7:57pm.

Don't let the first be the last

Thanks for sharing the post.  That is quite a baker.  I've not seen one before but $6 sounds like a great deal.  Your loaf looks great as does your crumb.  Hope it tastes good as well...I'm sure it does.

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Submitted by ehanner on January 16, 2010 - 8:51am.

Nice Wayne!

Great find and the bread looks great. When I do covered baking, I plan on at least half of the baking time to be uncovered. That usually amounts to 15 minutes or so at 450F.

Eric

Submitted by Janknitz on January 16, 2010 - 2:19pm.

Lovely bread!

Wayne,

The soaking is unnecessary.  And yes, you should remove the lid for the second half of baking to get a nicely browned crust.  

Submitted by cmkrause on January 16, 2010 - 3:15pm.

Clay baker

So, can I use any clay baker to make bread in the oven, or are there bakers made specifically for bread.  I used to use mine for slow roasting meat or stews in the oven, but we no longer eat meat, so it has been sitting idle for several years.  I also have a heavy iron dutch oven that also needs some attention.  Can I bake bread in this also?   And, are there specific recipes for doing so, or can I use any recipe?

Thanks for your help!

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