Baking in a cold DO???
I have read threads here in the past of people getting great results baking bread in cold DO's in hot ovens. Getting a proofed loaf into a blazing hot DO is a chore, so I have been looking at alternatives. One of them is the La Cloche line of clay bakers. I found this description of the use most enlightening and wanted to share,
"When the dough has doubled in volume, place the baker in the lower part of a preheated oven. As the baker absorbs heat, the dough will continue to rise and moisture will be released. Hot steam will form inside the domed lid, helping the bread rise and creating a singularly crisp, thin and crackly crust. The loaf will look and taste as though it had been baked in an old-fashioned brick-lined oven." quote courtesy of:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tip/using-a-la-cloche-baker.html [1]
I will try this on tomorrow's bake using my enameled cast iron DO as the principles of continued rise should be the same. I also think that I will need to under proof my dough. Anyhow an interesting reason for using a cold DO.
Happy baking! Brian