Dutch Oven Variations
Sunday I baked a batch of Ken Forkish's "Saturday White" formula. The formula makes enough dough for two loaves. I have two dutch ovens, one is a high-dollar Le Creuset and the other is a basic black $35.00 Lodge. The loaves were cooked side-by- side on the same oven rack using exactly identical timing (475 degrees - 45 minute preheat - bake 30 minutes covered - bake 20 minutes uncovered). Here is a photo of the two loaves. While there is some variation due to uneven rice flour dusting (rice flour being a new product for me) notice how much darker the Lodge cooked loaf on the left turned out. The bottom of the Lodge loaf was nearly burnt but fortunately it was ok. I think I am going to have to buy a second Lodge dutch oven if I am going to continue using the Forkish method and want to cook two loaves at a time, as I would like both loaves to come out looking the same, and it looks like I will need to shorten the cooking time a bit using the black dutch oven(s) as compared to the white enamel inside the Le Creuset.
Happy Baking!