The Fresh Loaf

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Combo Cooker vs. Cloche - advice please.

MCW's picture
MCW

Combo Cooker vs. Cloche - advice please.

Ever since the bottom of my cloche broke I've been baking dual loaves side by side, one in a combo cooker and the other directly on my baking stone covered (initially) with a cloche.  The loaf baked in the CC consistently comes out better looking than the other one.  In the picture the loaf on the left was cooked in the CC.  In both cases I got a bit of spread, which isn't surprising given the 83% hydration.  But while the loaf on the left is nicely rounded, that on the right has a bit of a lip or brim (look closely at the left edge of the loaf on the right) and one side rose more than the other.  Actually this loaf looks better than my last few loaves cooked this way.  Any idea what is going on here?  Why are the loaves baked on the stone under the cloche getting a bit misshapped?  The loaves are otherwise identical and scaled at the same weight.  This bread is essentially Della Fattoria's Pane Integrale with rye sourdough substituted for wheat and cracked rye used in place of cracked wheat (this is 60% whole wheat, 20% bread flour - I use Anson's white, 10% cracked rye, and 10% pumpernickel; the leaven is 14% and the formula includes 7% honey and 2% salt).  Advice would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Trevor J Wilson's picture
Trevor J Wilson

It looks to me like the cloche was simply placed a bit too close to the edge of the loaf. As the loaf spread out and rose up in the oven it likely bumped the edge of the cloche and followed its contours during the ovenspring. 

MCW's picture
MCW

That makes sense - and would explain why the lip/brim is limited to one side.  Thanks.