Rotating Rack Ovens & Tartine-style loaves
Hello all!
I'm expanding my current bread-baking operation and have a few questions for anyone who might be willing to bring forth a few pointers.
I've been an avid baker at home for some time and have experimented with various loaves for many years. At the restaurant where I work, I also developed the bread program. High hydration loaves are my wheel-house, and I've had success baking them in my home in cast-irons and have baked the same style loaves in pullman pans at a lower temperature (350 F) at the restaurant, with desirable crust formation and color development.
I am looking to expand with respect to production in order to bake for my personal farmer's market stand this summer, and have a viable venue that has a rotating rack oven with steam capacities. I'm wondering if anyone out there has A.) any experience with such ovens and high hydration SOURDOUGH, not yeast risen, breads and/or B.) has a recommendation when/if to employ the steam element of these ovens. I know that typical deck ovens and especially high hydration loaves have some element of steam involved for optimal crust and color development, as well as oven spring, and I am hoping to master this rotating rack oven to be able to boost my production and create a high quality and satisfying bread that delivers the same **yum, BREAD!** feeling to customers that I get when creating leaves already.
Any help, tidbits and feedback would be absolutely fantastic, thank you so much.
I've always baked in deck ovens, but the steaming principle should remain the same. In theory, at least. You steam once the bread has been loaded (or as you're loading each door in a deck oven), and then vent the steam when the breads have fully risen and just started to color. Wish I could offer more help. Good luck with your baking endeavors!
Cheers!
Trevor
If you mean a ferris wheel oven like the old middleby marshalls and cutler ovens then my experience is that steam isn't super effective because the chamber is so large and typically not sealed really well. Figure out where the steam bar is and try to load and allow the loaves to sit under the steam for a little bit...My experience is also that the ovens aren't terribly effective at holding high heat. When I was working on one it would take me about 45 minutes to get the oven from 400 to 500 degrees presumably because so much of the heat was leaking out and the chamber is so large...By the time I was done loading the 6 decks it would be down to 420 (and that's with 2 people loading. Literally open the door, slide in peels, close the door, rotate etc.). Perhaps my experience is in part due to the particularly oven I was using. Maybe others are better. I guess try it out and report back and I can try to offer more advice based on what you experience...