Baking Tartine Country Bread
Just started making the Country Bread "Tartine" recipe... the bread is great, but after the final proof, the loaves are too big for my cooking vessels.
Either:
1) I need bigger vessels. One is a Le Creuset 9" round pot, the other a ceramic 9.5" deep pot.
Comparatively...
2) I might need smaller brotforms. The brots I use are also 9" in diameter. Is there something formulaic about using a smaller proofing basket than your baking vessel?
3) Maybe I need to shape the loaves smaller/tighter? I have been making Jim Lahey's no-knead bread for a long time, so I've been in the frame of mind where the less you touch the dough, the better. Also, I'm trying not to de-gas the dough as I shape it... I would guess (having not documented) that the shaped loaves go in to the baskets only about 1.5" smaller than the diameter of the basket.
Otherwise, the flavor is amazing... I'm doing a 12 hour bulk fermentation (in our house it's about 65-68 degrees) with a "turn" every hour; then an over-night final proof (as the house is even slightly cooler: 63-65).
This morning I baked as per that method and one loaf got sort of destroyed because it oozed all over the edges of the pot. But it baked and we're eating it... just not pretty.
Any recommendations for technique or equipment? Thanks!
Amy
I use La Cloche to bake and a baker's couche during final proofing.
Shaping it a bit tighter would be good because the raise is more controlled and it becomes easier to handle. I would suggest following the shaping instructions from Tartine Bread or Hammelman's Bread book.
Hammelman even has videos on youtube. I think that 12 hour bulk fermentation is bit too high for Tartine Bread because as per the book 4 hours tops, you might want to shape them and retard them for 12 hours in fridge.
Since it is high hydration loaf it can end up overproofing therefore the oozy consistency...