Suggestions for splitting a recipe, please
Hi all,
I have a good traditional no knead recipe, and one I have altered to use with my sourdough starter. Both have given me very good consistent results over multiple bakes. I would like to make a batch, but bake it up into 2-4 smaller loaves rather than one large loaf. Here is my dilemma: I bake in a Dutch oven, and I only own one Dutch oven. So, when do I split my dough so that the second, third and fourth loaves arent completely over risen by the time my pot is available again? Wait for it to do the overnight rise, and split when I dump it out of the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes? Wait til after the rest and split it when I shape it? Put some of the dough in the fridge? For how long?
And once that is all squared away, any suggestions for altering time/temp? I usually bake at 450, 30 minutes with the lid on, and then 15-20 minutes with the lid off.
Thanks,
Jennifer
Pic is of one of my most recent loaves...garlic rosemary.
It would help to know the full process after the overnight rise, but here's one way:
After your overnight rise (at room temp, right?), portion and shape your dough, then put the shaped loaves in the fridge while you bake the first one. Then just bake the next loaf right from the fridge after you finish baking each loaf.
Over night rise of 18-20 hrs (trad. Yeast recipe) or 8-10 hrs (sourdough). After rise, dump dough out on floured counter. Fold once or twice. Let rest lightly covered for 15 minutes. Shape into loaf and let rise, covered, on the counter, for about two hours. Transfer to hot pot, bake 30 min with lid on, 15-20 with lid off. Remove to rack to cool. Does that help any?
Baking time is about 45 minutes for a full size loaf, so would I let them all rise for two hours out on the counter, and then bake #1, putting 2, 3, 4 in the fridge? And just pull them one at a time from the fridge directly to the hot pot?
Thanks,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Not exactly. After you shape all of them, put all but the first one in the fridge. Let #1 rise at room temp for the 2 hours, then bake it. In the meanwhile, #2 will have been rising in the fridge for ~2.75 hours, just remove and bake as soon as #1 is done. #3 will continue to rise in the fridge for 4.75 hours (from time of shaping) then bake, and #4 will have risen 6.75 hours (then baked). This may not be optimal, but it may be the closest you can get with one pot and using cold temps to manage your baking schedule. The crumb of #2 should be very similar, but #3 and #4 will probably be very different. It's possible that #4 could get overproofed.
In the end, if you're looking for maximum consistency, I recommend you buy some more covered pots so you can bake more loaves simultaneously.
I agree with Cranbo. Easiest to do and I find cold dough has great oven spring and is easier to score.
Since you allow for a 2 hr. proving time in the morning you might want to let the loaves destined for the refrig. sit out a bit to start their rise prior to putting them back into the cold. This will allow the yeast to wake up and do their thing before being slowed back down again. I would gamble at letting them prove for 1 hour at rm. temp. but you will have to see how the timing actually works when you try it out.
Good Luck :)
Janet
Janet, not sure I understand. My dough sits out at room temp all night, never does get refrigerated. So I don't think the yeast has to wake up? The first cold it would get would be going into the fridge when loaf 1 goes into the oven...
Jennifer
Jennifer,
Sorry, I misread your method and assumed dough was bulk fermented in the refrig. Skip what I said and do as Cranbo suggested :)
Janet
Thanks for the input.
Think I may try halving the ingredients, and then splitting the resulting dough in two, making two loaves from each half batch. And keep an eye out for the 'buy one, get one free' deal they ran on cast iron last Christmas!
Jennifer