December 3, 2007 - 4:31pm
Ripping cold start?
Just curious. I'm a green, crunchy kind of guy, and I really like the idea of a cold start. But it seems every time I try a cold start, my loaves rip down the side no matter how well I slash them. It looks like the outside of the bread, including the slashed area (which expands quite a bit) completely crusts over, even though internally, the dough continues to expand. Anyone else having this issue?
I also seem to get better volume and color from a hot oven on a hot stone -- again, anyone else experiencing this?