Bannetons, Dutch ovens and wet sourdough
I use the Food52 no-knead sourdough recipe with my homemade starter to bake bread. The starter, I believe, is 100% hydration. I had been doing the second rise on the countertop and between that and the large size Dutch oven I’d been using, my loaves are perhaps more squat than I’d like.
My husband pulled out a 5-qt Lodge Dutch Oven for me to try and I’d like to create a better boulle, perhaps using a banneton. Can anyone tell me what size banneton to use, if it will actually help shape my loaf better—it is what I think is a pretty wet dough—and if I should do my second proof in the proofing drawer. (I am not convinced my dough is actually rising properly in the time suggested at the temp in our kitchen.)
These are a lot of questions with a lot of variables, but I’d really like to bake better loaves. They’re good now, but I like to do my best.
Thank you!
3.2 quart "combo cooker." https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cooker-Pre-seasoned-Skillet-Convertible/dp/B0009JKG9M?tag=froglallabout-20
Here's what I did: I measured the inside diameter at the _bottom_ of the pot, 8". (Used a sewing type of tape measure.) And since it's a "combo" and you can flip over the lid and cook on it, I measured the inside "bottom" diameter of the lid, 9".
Then I purchased two bannetons, one 8" inner diameter at the lip, and one 9" inner diameter at the lip. They fit perfectly. But bannetons are advertised/sold by "outer diameter", so add .5" or .6".
I bought a 8.5" banneton (8" inner dia.), and a 9.6" banneton (9" inner dia.).
That way I can bake a loaf in the pot and use the lid as the lid, with the 8" inner dia banneton.
Or, I can bake a loaf on the lid, and use the pot as the cover, with the 9" inner dia banneton.
the 8" banneton holds 1100 to 1200 g of whole wheat dough, about 88% hydration.
the 9" banneton holds 1500-1600 g of whole wheat dough, about 88% hydration.
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The 5 quart regular dutch oven, and the 5 qt combo cooker, don't have long handles like the 3.2 qt combo. So it would take two people to do this, but here is what I do:
Take the banneton in one hand, and use an oven mitt to hold the pre-heated 3.2 qt combo cooker in the other. I invert the combo cooker (either pot or lid depending on size of loaf/banneton) over the banneton. I flip them over together, and the dough plops in. Put the pot (or lid) on the stove top burner, then remove the banneton. Then score the loaf.
ymmv. Hope that helps.
Warm proving drawer tends to make it a bit runny in my experience, and if your schedule can permit long slow proofing at ambient temp then the flavour will be better :)
Good shaping was always the bane of my early SD experiments. Not all of these are going to be relevant here, but I’ll share what adjustments I made in case they help:
If the dough is wet, a liner in the banneton will save aggravation. Even with a lot of rice flour, wet dough will stick in the crevices of a banneton. It's worth buying the liner with the banneton. Especially if you might retard in your fridge - which I encourage for flavor and nutrition benefits.
I just saw a video of a no-knead baker emptying the banneton onto a parchment sheet, then putting the parchment sheet in the dutch oven. She removed the parchment when she took the lid off, after 20 minutes. That makes transferring easier/safer., and she didn't have to worry about the corners sticking out scorching in the heat. You'll want to tug the corners to avoid wrinkles under the boule.
Happy baking!
Thank you all so much for responding. Your suggestions are very helpful and I look forward to baking better loaves with your advice.