Breadgear for medium size bakes?
Hello,
Have been reading for a long time on here, now I have a question for all you esteemed bread enthusiasts.
I have a bit of an odd situation that I think many people here would be envious of, but I need some help.
executive summary
The basic and most important problem is this. How to bake 2.4 kg of dough in one oven simultaneously to artisanal quality?
The secondary problem is: How to proof that much dough in a way that is compatible with the above setup?
preliminary info
Basically I am in a position where I can, if I wish, bake for 15-20 people on a daily basis. I'm using this as an opportunity to develop my baking skills.
As it is, I currently bake 2.4 kg of dough a day, usually divided into 2 large boules. It's 3 times the Champlain SD recipe divided into 2 loaves. This makes just enough bread for 1 day. I have access to 2 ovens but only using 1 is preferable. I currently use a faux dutch oven setup in one oven by using 2 cast iron pans covered with turkey roasting pans. When I get good oven spring, those loaves just barely fit in there.
Usable inner oven dimensions are 22.5" wide x 17.5" deep x 12" high.
Gas oven with bottom heat only, which makes enclosed baking far preferred.
problems
I would like to refine my process, which is rather crude at the moment. Part of that means having the right gear. Money is basically no object but, of course, value is preferred. I do prefer simplicity to having all kinds of bulky monotasking junk lying around.
fermentation
Currently it is winter in a cold country. I continue to experiment with decent proofing methods. Putting bread by the woodstove to BF gives Bad Results. My new method is to bulk it in a cooler with some warm water. Works OK but temp management is still a hassle. I was considering purchasing a Marina C10 aquarium heater to convert my cooler into a DIY proofer.
Proofing after shaping is not an issue, as scheduling dictates that I must retard overnight.
My current setup for final proofing is to slap shaped loaves into dishcloth-lined plastic colanders, which works, but it's pretty lame. I would like to get proper, quality, not-Chinese brotforms but this is where I really need good advice: sourcing baking gear in Canada is an issue. I have heard good things about Breadtopia, but their brotform selection seems to be limited to smaller scale baking. So I'm asking for alternative suggestions. My research indicates that I'd need probably a 10" brotform for a 1200g loaf.
baking
The other issue is how to make good bread, baked in steam enclosures, with large loaves, in a single oven. My current setup works, but it's just "OK." I am intrigued by cloche-style ovens but anything will do.
2 breadtopia round cloches [1] could barely fit in there, as shown in the attached image. But I am uncertain as to the max. dough capacity of those things (inside dough capacity 10"). Could they fit a 1200g loaf each?
Thank you for reading my overlong post. I hope someone will find this post and give me some tips