The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

My third Wood-fired oven bake: Going public

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

My third Wood-fired oven bake: Going public

Today was the party for which I have been "practicing" - featuring my WFO-baked breads. Well, that was kind of the excuse, but it was a potluck with friends from the Italian community, so, needless to say, there was no lack of many other delicious foods.

I got to J.'s about 10:30am. She had fired her oven at about 6 am but had been afraid it wouldn't be hot enough by 10am, so she had added another log of walnut. In fact, the floor of the oven was near 800 dF and the roof was near 900 dF. So, although my breads were ready to bake, I thought it prudent to wait until the floor temp fell to 500-550dF. I shoveled out the coals and left the door open for a while.

I then swept the ashes out and mopped the floor. I had brought along a garden sprayer and tested it. Water sprayed towards the roof turned to steam instantly. I put up the oven door for 10 minutes or so while I moved my peel, the proofing loaves, my lame, some semolina, etc. to where I could load the 4 loaves as quickly as possible, once I was ready to do so.

My preceding WFO bake included a 1kg loaf of my SF-style SD with increased WW. That turned out to be really delicious, so I decided to make that bread for the party. My defense against a too-hot fire was to make smaller loaves that would bake with a shorter exposure to the heat. So, I made 2 kg of dough, the same formula except I added 25g of toasted wheat germ, just for fun.

When the oven floor temperature fell below 600dF, i decided to bake the loaves. The wait for the oven to cool this far meant the loaves were a bit over-proofed, but not so much there was any collapse when they were scored.

I sprayed the oven roof for 5 seconds or so, then loaded the loaves one at a time but as quickly as possible. I closed the door for only about 10 minutes, then opened it and rotated the loaves to bake evenly. After 20 minutes, I took one out to test. It sounded hollow when thumped, and the internal temperature was about 207dF.

There was good oven spring but only modest bloom. A couple of the loaves had some bursting. I think the over-proofing resulted in less oven spring but more fragile loaves which probably had some damage to the gluten sheath when they were dumped on the peel.

The crust was a little crunchy, but not as thick or crunchy as the previous WFO bakes. The taste of the bread was wonderful. 

Today's WFO-baked breads plus some SD Italian breads and a Fig-Hazelnut WW Soudough baked at home

Various people brought wonderful antipasti, lasagne, salads and meat. J. had told me she wasn't going to need the WFO after I finished but evidently changed her mind by today, because she baked a pork roast in the WFO which was sweet tasting and melt-in-your-mouth tender. I drank quite enough of a delicious red wine that came from somewhere. It might have been a Syrah or some sort of Rhône blend. Hmmm ... It could have been a Amarone too. It was big enough.

The best desert was the flourless dark chocolate, ground almond mini-cupcakes my wife baked. 

The breads were appreciated by all. The bread I baked in the WFO is one I have baked at home many times. It tastes different and remarkably better baked in the WFO. There is nothing "smokey" about the flavor. It is just more complex and mellow. I have no idea why, but it has been true every time.

It was a good party. Great food. Great wine. Delightful conversations. Everyone thought it needs repeating.

David

Comments

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

These look really good!  I have yet to venture into the WFO world and probably won't unless someone close by builds one in their back yard...then I just might have to give it a go.  Your posts of your experiences are tempting.....

When you mentioned the other loaves in your basket the Fig-Walnut jumped out...I have been doing parings with walnuts lately and newest one is a Gorgonzola-Walnut-Pear loaf.  Heavenly dough and the gorgonzola blends with the dough very nicely - complementing the aroma of the grains in a way I didn't expect....Always fun things to experiment with :)

Thanks for sharing and I am sure all are enjoying your breads at the party.  Lucky folks!

Janet

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Note: I mistyped. The walnuts are actually hazelnuts. 

Somehow, neither bread with cheese in it nor chocolate bread has ever appealed to me, even though I like each a lot.

David

mrvegemite's picture
mrvegemite

Nice work David

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

I think progress is progressing, but there is a whole lot more to learn and try out.

I'm not quite sure who has tamed whom.

David

nmygarden's picture
nmygarden

What a treat your friends will enjoy!

I see a bit of bursting happened - is that to be expected with WF baking - no means to provide steam?

Cathy

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

There was some bursting. I don't think it is inevitable, but is probably more of a risk whenever there is vigorous oven spring. I suspect better steaming would decrease bursting. The best way of achieving better steaming is to really fill the oven with loaves. I don't expect to ever fill this big oven. I can accept some bursting. I have to, I think.

David

nmygarden's picture
nmygarden

A WFO is on my wish list for later, when I'll have time to use it. But I had not figured size was so much an issue, aside from the amount of wood required to heat it up. Will need to put this tidbit in my bonnet... to consider realistically how much bread will be baked.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!

Cathy

SteveMc's picture
SteveMc (not verified)

Very nice, mouthwatering bread and that oven, wow!

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

David

Cher504's picture
Cher504

Wow, your learning curve on WFO baking shows exponential growth! Sounds like a wonderful evening - here's to many more. 

Cheers,

Cherie

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

David

BobSponge's picture
BobSponge

You don't know how many times I wished there was a dial to adjust temp on the side of my WFO!  Still learning how to balance proofing times and the oven temp.   Its not as difficult to get good tasting bread, as consistently good looking loaves.   My loaves are normally around 1 Kg, but have about the same outward appearance and baking time as yours when my floor temp is around 600 dF.  I also find my bottom crust is very dark and tough. 

I have the best results when I retard overnight, pulling loaves out of the refrigerator just before I load item in the oven.  This way I can wait until the temp is just right.

I have never fired my oven the day of a bake, I always fire to pizza temperature the night before.  I have a thermometer on the door and its shows around 550 dF in the morning.   I'm still learning the timing between raking out the coals, and the when I have a good floor temp. 

Ah the perils of going public, I smiled when I read your comment above "I don't expect to ever fill this big oven," I said that once.  Let me guess, people loved your bread, said it was some of the best they ever had, said we should do this again and you should make more....  Thats exactly what my neighbors said after I gave them a loaf.... two loaves became four, followed by six, by eight and now sixteen!

 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

I truly appreciate the information.

J.'s WFO is about a 15 minute drive from my house, but If I baked retarded loaves right out of the fridge, they would be under-proofed and would just explode with oven spring, I fear. When you bake retarded loaves, do you almost fully proof them prior to refrigerating them?

Your "guess" is spot on. There is an orchard of several acres behind J.'s house, and she uses tree prunings and wood from cut-down trees for the oven. Her side fence has several cords of wood stacked against it. One of the men called my attention to the cut wood. Almost simultaneously, we both said, "That's a lot of bread."

There were 2 loaves left uncut from among the 8 I served (4 from the WFO). When I left, a bunch of the guys were still playing some sort of Italian card game. I told them they could fight over the leftovers. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say next time I see them. I hope no one gets hurt! 

David

 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

I think the extra heat on the roof might be the cause of the bursting .  If the top sets it might fast cut down the bloom and force the still massive spring from the WFO  has to go somewhere lateral?  Not hing tastes like a real WFO loaf of sourdough!  That crumb is killer! Well done and

happy baking

 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

I have come to a similar conclusion. The solution is better humidification. Short of filling the oven with loaves, spraying the loaves directly before loading them may be the best I can do.

David

BobSponge's picture
BobSponge

On a straight country loaf like Robertson bakes, after the stretch and folds over 3 hours, I proof on the counter for anywhere from 2 to 3 hrs depending on room temp.   From here into the refrigerator for around 21 hours.  This has served me well for cooking in a dutch oven, so I figured this would be fine for WFO.  

As I'm dialing in the other steps, I think there is room for improvement around my proofing and strength of my starter.  

 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

I need to try this with oven bakes and compare results. I have been retarding almost immediately after shaping.

David

yozzause's picture
yozzause

Hi David 

it looks like you "done good'

i have attached a picture of a piece of equipment that i made up that allows the peel to rest on  when preparing the loaves for placing in the oven, it was a hat stand that has been cut down, its standing next to the coals puller and peel

.  

It speeds up things if you are doing it alone.

 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Beautiful oven! Is the deck as deep as the white structure? 

Having an environment that allows you to have everything you need immediately at hand is really helpful. J.'s oven has a woodbox with a tile top to the right of the oven face. It is about 2D X 5W X 5H feet. She also has a free standing table at a similar height. The front of the wood box has two large half-rings placed about 3 feet apart on which one can rest the brush, peels, etc. It's pretty well thought out, but I need a few more bakes to get use to it. I have such a smooth rhythm in my kitchen at home, I notice its absence in a new baking setting.

David

yozzause's picture
yozzause

Hi David  the oven has quite a bit of insulation and fire brickwork, attached are some pictures taken recently, you can even see the peel rest in place for use.

 

 

 

this is from the recent Professional development day with the college's chefs, above is Grahame Read

having his first go at loading the oven with the "Raging Bull" dark beer and sprouted rye being assisted by yours truly and watched by a fellow chef.

 

 

So David you can see the oven is loaded with 12 x 750g loaves, i can get 18 x 500g  loaves into the oven.

 

 

 

Some of the loaves that came out. This bread was considered the favourite after all the different breads were taken home and devoured.

Kind regards Derek

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Every time I see photos like the ones you sent, I get a pang of envy! 

The oven I baked in has a deck with a capacity around half again as great, by my eyeball estimate. J. told me it is one of the "Commercial" models. Having read the manufacturer's specs, that means it is much more heavily insulated. It takes much longer to saturate the thermal mass, and it holds the heat for a lot longer. But you know all that, I'm sure.

It's time for a late dinner here. I'm going to have the last of the WFO-baked bread I took home with some melted Cotswold cheese and a salad.

David

golgi70's picture
golgi70

Making great strides.  Keep it up.  

 

Josh

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

David