The Fresh Loaf

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How much heat can a buttered baking croc handle?

ChefEd Bethesda's picture
ChefEd Bethesda

How much heat can a buttered baking croc handle?

In using the no knead slow rise recipes (Baggett, etc.) the recipes call for oiling the cooking vessel, say a cast iron Dutch oven. Vegetable oil imparts a taste my wife doesn't like. OK, how about oiling with butter? Will it handle to 400 -450 degree pre-heating OK?

Windischgirl's picture
Windischgirl

Since it has a lower melting point than cooking oils, probably because it's not pure...has milk sugars, etc. in it.  Same thing with extra virgin olive oil...but straight or light oilve oil works.  Clarified butter/ghee might do it for you.

In cooking--pan sauteeing, for example--I have used a combo of butter and oil, and this increases the smoke point temperature.  So you could try a blend of both butter and oil.  Or maybe a specialty oil--peanut oil can stand high temps and yet has a different taste than canola.

If you are using a well-seasoned cast iron utensil, the seasoning process forms a non-stick type coating anyway...and if your cast-iron is smoking-hot, you shouldn't need to oil it.  The dough should immediately crust when it hits the hot metal surface, even faster than dough hitting a baking stone, since the metal will hold the heat better than tile.  So really, you should be able to get away with no oil at all.

Windi 

ChefEd Bethesda's picture
ChefEd Bethesda

Windi - - - that is wonderfully thought through and I thank you for your prompt response as I am a couple of hours away from second rise and baking. This pot gets used for everything so maybe I will hedge my bets this time - company is coming - and use a littel canola. Thangs again... ChefEd

cordel's picture
cordel

I use a Kitchen Aid dutch oven, enamel over cast iron, inside and out.  At first I oiled it, but after the first few times I tried without once, and have never oiled again. The only difference I saw was that I had to scrub the oil off the inside of the dutch oven.  The bread never stuck at all.

ChefEd Bethesda's picture
ChefEd Bethesda

Should hve saved my money. Used a little canola oil but I suspect now it didn't do much. Thx

holds99's picture
holds99

I use a dutch oven frequently without oil just parchment paper between the dough and the dutch oven interior.  i preheat the dutch oven to 450 deg. and let the dough rise in a parchment lined stainless steel bowl then lift it from the bowl and place it into the preheated dutch oven, cover it and put it back into the oven.  Guess you could do it without preheating the dutch oven but have never done it that way.  Anyway, here's a link that shows the results.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/6287/rustic-country-bread-baked-dutch-oven

Howard - St. Augustine, FL