Latest attempt at "sandwichable" loaf without a pan
I baked another loaf on Sunday for sandwich bread this week. I used this recipe as a starting point and took some liberties with the kneading and baking process: http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php?content=sfsd1
Differences being I used dark rye flour instead of whole wheat and I seem to make the dough wetter than the author does. My intro to bread was actually pizza and I'm comfortable with Jeff Varasano's kneading procedure so I end up using that procedure (until I loaf the bread at least; Jeff doesn't re-ball his dough according to his website but I do re-loaf and let it double again) and I use more water than the author to let me use the kneading procedure I'm comfortable with right now. I still get good windowpaning when I'm done kneading and the bread ends up lighter per slice and, at least to my eyes, it has the coveted large(r) irregular holes. At least larger and more irregular than store bought bread. I baked it at 500F with steam for 5 minutes and then 15 minutes at 400F without steam until it reached about 205F internal temp.
It's my most sandwichable loaf to date, and is very tasty, but still not quite ideal shape (it's a wide loaf). Its shape is somewhere inbetween a boule and a batard. Batoule? I have a Williams Sonoma goldtouch 1.5 pound loaf tin on the way so that should help, but I'll still work on my non-pan loaf shape. Any critiques are welcome! For some reason that's the only picture I can upload from my phone so the one pic will have to do until I get home.
That looks quite nice to me. Reshape your sandwich not your loaf at least until you get the pan.
Stu
I use a Hearth Bread Pan, which gives the finished loaf a good shape. I think it may be the shape you are looking for.
Bob
...but only oven safe up to 450°F. I assume the limit is because of the coating but it seems odd to produce bakeware with such low heat tolerance.
That's a cool bread pan! I'll see how the gold touch works too.
i have been reshaping my sandwiches this week do. :)
Couple things:
Are you averse to using a pan? Probably 70% of our loaves are formed in baskets and fired on the stone but we do use pans also, especially for sandwich shaped breads. Both styles are popular and reflect the art of the baker well. Our personal favorite is the standard Pullman Pan. You should be able to pick these up at your local restaurant supply or on line. The pan produces a loaf that emphasizes crumb over crust making it ideal for the sandwich lovers. Wit a little experimentation most any formula will bake well in the pan.
Also, by nature, doughs containing even small amounts of rye are notoriously sticky, so to your comment that the dough seemed wetter makes sense. Try autolysing your dough for 20 minutes after you incorporate and before your first mix. It will still be sticky, but perhaps a bit more manageable on the board.
Nice looking bread by the way. That crust looks delicious. :-)
And I'd also echo what Stu says; reshape your sandwich :-)
I have a selection of pans/tins which I use regularly - mostly because my customers have asked for it...
Obviously UK orientated, but I have both large and small bakery tins from here:
http://www.breadmatters.com/bread-tins
These do not need oiling, even for Rye loaves.
and some Silverwood ones:
http://bakerybits.co.uk/bakery-equipment/tins-trays-and-cases/bread-tins/1lb-or-450g-seamless-aluminium-loaf-tin.html
These do need a bit of release spray on them else they have a tendency to stick.
I did have some "Masterclass" tins, but the non-stick started to flake-off after 6 months of frequent use, so they're in storage until I work out what to do (thinking of wire brushing all the non-stick off then seasoning them in a traditional manner as they're otherwise a good tin).
I suspect that since Victorian times people here expect certain loaves to be a certain shape. The "farmhouse" loaf traditionally has rounded corners and almost a mushroom-like top, so describing a loaf with the word "farmhouse" in its title sort of leads people to know what to expect... This is my "5-seed farmhouse" Obviously with a contemporary score and bake, however note the rounded corners and people don't bat an eyelid as that's what they're expecting...
My 100% wholemeal loaves are baked in tins - they'd pancake otherwise. I'd not even try using a banneton or couche with them - and the people that wanted me to start making 100% wholemeal loaves wanted it done in a tin...
So I guess it's simply personal preference at the end of the day. We've just had some slices of the sourdough version of the above loaf which I hand-shape and prove in a banneton - not difficult as the hydration is only about 65% - this is (was!) the result:
Not too dissimilar to yours I think - I tend to make "open" sandwiches with loaves like this - butter then cheese & pickle, or something sweet, or pop them in the toaster :-)
-Gordon