January 16, 2016 - 7:44pm
Starting to get a handle on this
I've been baking weekly and making progress with the occasional step backward. Today's bake is a wheat levain with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. I'm finally getting better at shaping my batards, this is dramatically better spring than in the past.
I've noticed something curious: I've usually made boules, two at a time, one baked in a combo cooker, the other in a Le Creuset enameled casserole of the same diameter. The one in the Le Creuset always has noticeably better spring. I've done this often enough that I'm pretty sure it's not my imagination . Has anyone else come across this?
Tom
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I can't help with answers, I use a Le Cloche dome top, but your loaves look great. Any chance you can share pictures of them sliced?
Cathy
That'll have to wait until tomorrow, don't want TOO many loaves going at once.
Tom
I've noticed this as well. I use a combo cooker and an emile henry dutch oven and the dutch oven almost always springs better. I don't think the non-stick black iron surface seals quite as tightly as the enameled surface. Although I have not actually performed a controlled experiment with water to see if that's true. Another thing you might notice is that you'll get a bigger face of steam taking the lid off of the dutch oven than the combo cooker.
Thanks!
Now that you mention it that's right about the face full of steam.
I'm glad it's not my imagination! My wife has an Emile Henri as well but I'm afraid to use it, the staining on the Le Creuset is bad enough! At least it's 30 years old.