The Fresh Loaf

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Improvised baking vessel

Heikjo's picture
Heikjo

Improvised baking vessel

When I started making sourdough bread three weeks ago, I did not have much of the equipment. I'm currently not living apartment, but in a house with four students, so I had to make do with what I found. There are no clay pans in the house, so that was not an option. I read a lot about baking vessels and wanted to replicate a dutch oven, which many seem to prefer when making sourdough bread. I got a pizza stone in my apartment, but not here.

After going through all the cupboards in the kitchen, I ended up with a cast iron frying pan and a stainless steel pot on top of it. I did a bit of research to verify that the pot could actually handle heat. Once I'd removed the plastic handles, it was ready to go.

Didn't take a photo of the arrangement, but here's the loaf after 25 minutes or so in the oven, after I took the stainless pot off. The cast iron pan is an old one and had some grease on it, so a bit of smoke developed during the baking the first couple of times.

After it was done I checked the temperature. Here you can see a little of the stainless steel pot in the upper left.

The bread turned out very well. I was quite happy with the result.

The top of the bread is one of the better looking ones I've made. Better than many of the loaves I've made in the Le Creuset I bought since then. Using a frying pan also made scoring the bread easier than when the bread is in a hot iron cast pot. I've got razor blades at home, but not here, so I have to manage with a somewhat dull knife for the time being.

Comments

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Nothing like an improvised 1/2 CI Combo Cooker to make your baking day.  Well done and

Happy baking 

PalwithnoovenP's picture
PalwithnoovenP

Continue improvising! You will great joy there!

Reynard's picture
Reynard

I use a similar arrangement myself, except I use a baking sheet for the bottom as opposed to a frying pan. If it works, why the hell not? ;-)

Good-looking bread too.