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