Size of baking vessel in relation to loaf
Hi All,
I've baked boules with a lodge 5qt combo cooker up until now, and now I want to get into baking batards.
I have a Baking Steel Griddle (18" x 14") and have incoming a Granite Ware 18-Inch Covered Oval Roaster [1] (15" x 11" x 4") that I intend to use upside-down as a lid. My brotform/banneton for batards is 10" x 7", and fits about a 1kg loaf, which is my average sized bake. So far so good.
My question is this: is the large 15" x 11" x 4" volume of the baking vessel in any way detrimental to baking such a small loaf at around 10" x 7" x ~3" (1kg, 80% hydration)? Does the volume of the baking vessel need to be smaller to effectively keep the steam close to the loaf during the initial cover-on bake?
- Dirk.