Wild Yeast

SonVolt

NPHuskerFL said:

@SonVolt Never read or even know of Jim Lahey or his method🤔
I have been using the Challenger Bakeware.  Preheat the egg or oven with the CI DO or other cooking vessel (500F). Turn out the loaf on to the bottom section of the Challenger Bakeware (I like to use parchment). Place 2-4 ice cubes around or near the loaf. Put the lid on and place back into the egg or oven.  After 20 minutes bump the temp down to 475F-450F.  After a total of 30-33 minutes remove the Challenger Bakeware's lid (or D.O. lid).  After roughly 10 minutes (or once you get the color on the bread that you are looking for) remove from the egg or oven and immediately place the loaf on a wire cooling rack.

Gotcha! This clears a lot up - thanks. 

As for Jim Lahey, I'm hesitant to say you wouldn't be baking bread the way you are without him, but - he popularized baking bread in a scorching hot Dutch Oven almost 20 years ago. He set the home-baking world on fire with his "no knead" technique back in the day. Everyone and their mother was melting their plastic Le Creuset knobs in the oven which prompted Le Creueset to release stainless knobs (and issue out free replacements to everyone if you blamed "Lahey" -and- Lodge to start pushing their 5qt DO hard after it appeared on the cover of Lahey's cookbook - My Bread. I live near the Lodge factory and they had his cookbook floor to ceiling for several years. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU

https://www.nytimes.com/video/dining/cooking/1194822343127/no-knead-bread-revisited.html

Anywho... you're light years head of me in adapting these techniques to the Big Green Egg. 

Hoster05

I got my starter rejuvenated and ready to bake.  I stumbled upon some dumb luck with this one.  I added 150g of raspberry chipotle bacon with 2 tablespoons of the grease.  14 hour bulk fermentation followed by 12 hour ferment in the proofing basket in the fridge overnight.   This bread has the perfect thing of the raspberry chipotle taste throughout the bread. The crust has this light crispy texture that I am going to assume is from the bacon fat.   Definitely will be adding this to the rotation.  

paqman

I can’t believe that I missed this thread.  I’ve been practicing baking bread for a few months now but I’m still using active dry yeast and same day baking inside into the oven.  My next step is sourdough but it kinda scares me having to feed it on a regular basis when I’m not baking.

@NPHuskerFL your bread art is impressive.  What is it that you used on your last few loaves?  Paprika and stencil?  What are your stencils made of?

I started with a CI dutch oven but messed up a few loaves when dropping the dough so I ended up getting a ceramic bread cloche from Emile Henry (which makes it easier to transfer the dough).  I might order the CI bread baker that you posted.

NDG

Great looking bread yalll.  Long story . . But I now have the starter used at the famous California bakery “TARTINE” . . Xmas gift so haven’t used it yet but super excited.

SciAggie

Trying to start the new year out right. I haven’t baked a loaf of bread in a while. 

20stone

caliking said:

smokingal said:

Question for those of your who keep your starter in the fridge:

After you remove it from the fridge, let it warm up, then feed it, do you immediately place it back into the fridge or do you let it ferment first?  Or does it matter either way?

I should probably be charged with starter abuse.

 Usually pull it out of the fridge, take what I need for the levain, and dump all but a tablespoon or so out. Flour 2/3cup + tap water 1/2 cup to replenish, then back in the fridge.

That’s right, @20stone, I don’t weigh any of it!!

@caliking -  can’t argue w your results, though I am saddened by your process. 

@smokingal - I don’t know if it is necessary, but I do let my starter get frisky before putting it back in the fridge. 

caliking

20stone said:

@caliking -  can’t argue w your results, though I am saddened by your process. 

  

caliking

That’s a real beauty @SciAggie

Great looking loaf @paqman!!
I never quite got the hang of slinging the dough into a hot CI DO either. I found that turning it out onto parchment,  then using it as a sling, worked far better. 

Lay a wide piece of parchment across the top of the dough while it’s still in the banneton. Place a plate or the lid from your dough tub over it, and flip the banneton over onto the plate. Once the dough has released, lift the banneton off, and use the parchment as a sling to place the dough right where you want it. Easy peasy. 

Here’s a loaf I baked last week. 30% WW, wheat bran, and flaxseed. 78%ish hydration. 

blind99

my problem with preheated cast iron is that i overcooked the bottom.  so i'd end up cooking super hot for 20 minutes or so, until the loaf had all its oven spring and the crust had gotten to its final state, then take the DO out and very carefully tip out my loaf, and finish browning, placed on a silpat to insulate. lot of work to stop the bottom from cooking to much.

for the past 6 months or so i've been using an emile henry potato pot, with a small piece of parchment in the bottom. after shaping, scoring, and letting it rise a bit, it goes into the oven.  i can cook a good 30-40 minutes, then take the lid off to finish browning.  

NPHuskerFL

@blind99 Try a doubled up parchment on the CI. Basically just fold it over one time.  It's what I do and you'll find it leaves you with solid spring and lessens chances of the bottom scorching. Also right before you put the lid on the CI try either spritzing with water what I've been doing is placing a few ice cubes in just before I shut the lid.

NPHuskerFL

@paqman Stencils vary from regular printer paper (my Wife's artwork with an exacto knife) to precut lightweight plastic stencils. The two Christmas stencils I used were both pre-made lightweight plastic. I used ground Hatch chile.  I have used flour, a special green tea, Hatch Chile, bakers cocoa powder etc. Anybody that enjoys making bread would love using a Challenger Breadware Pan and it fits nicely in the LBGE.

SonVolt

blind99 said:

my problem with preheated cast iron is that i overcooked the bottom.  so i'd end up cooking super hot for 20 minutes or so, until the loaf had all its oven spring and the crust had gotten to its final state, then take the DO out and very carefully tip out my loaf, and finish browning, placed on a silpat to insulate. lot of work to stop the bottom from cooking to much.

for the past 6 months or so i've been using an emile henry potato pot, with a small piece of parchment in the bottom. after shaping, scoring, and letting it rise a bit, it goes into the oven.  i can cook a good 30-40 minutes, then take the lid off to finish browning.  

I've had good luck not burning the bottoms with a 500F preheat but dropping the temp down to 425F as soon as you drop the bread into the dutch oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid for the last 12-15 minutes.  I also use a parchment sling so, if I feel the bottom is getting too much heat it's easy to pull the loaf out and drop a small round resting rack in the pot and place the bread back into it. I would typically do this after removing the lid.

blind99

Nice, thanks for the suggestions. Glad to know other people have the same challenge with CI. 

caliking

blind99 said:

Nice, thanks for the suggestions. Glad to know other people have the same challenge with CI. 

A buddy and I tried a cold start i.e. hot oven, cold DO. IIRC, there wasn’t a significant difference. But it was a while ago, and my memory of the results may be a tad fuzzy. 

I’ll try it again some time and post here. 

SonVolt

caliking said:

blind99 said:

Nice, thanks for the suggestions. Glad to know other people have the same challenge with CI. 

A buddy and I tried a cold start i.e. hot oven, cold DO. IIRC, there wasn’t a significant difference. But it was a while ago, and my memory of the results may be a tad fuzzy. 

I’ll try it again some time and post here. 

Cooks illustrated confirmed the same... start with a cold dutch oven and you'll get the same results, but it'll take long to bake. 

NDG

@NPHuskerFL ever heard of Granite Ware ??http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/56822/cast-iron-cooker-vs-graniteware-thermal-data

NPHuskerFL

@NDG I haven't. 

paqman

NDG said:

@NPHuskerFL ever heard of Granite Ware ??http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/56822/cast-iron-cooker-vs-graniteware-thermal-data

I’m pretty sure I have one of those somewhere in the basement or in the shed 🤔

paqman

NDG

paqman said:

NDG said:

@NPHuskerFL ever heard of Granite Ware ??http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/56822/cast-iron-cooker-vs-graniteware-thermal-data

I’m pretty sure I have one of those somewhere in the basement or in the shed 🤔

Haha my exact thought when I read this!

SonVolt

paqman said:

Interesting - I never knew this. I always cut straight down. .

nolaegghead

 Baked a loaf of poppy seed and one of caraway seed last night.  I mixed up the dough Sunday and kind of forgot about them until last night.  Gave half to my buddy Chris who was over here and on oyster shucking duty.

nolaegghead

FYI - I didn't use any recipe or measure anything.  I just poured ingredients out into the bowl.  Estimated the salt/yeast.  Water was just a texture thing when mixing.

nolaegghead

They were both delicious.  Fermentation was almost 2 days. Out side temp was between 45 and 68F (they sat outside).

lkapigian

nolaegghead said:

FYI - I didn't use any recipe or measure anything.  I just poured ingredients out into the bowl.  Estimated the salt/yeast.  Water was just a texture thing when mixing.

I had my best loaves over xmas and pretty much winged it as well, I even skipped the slap and fold, I just let it go

nolaegghead

lkapigian said:

nolaegghead said:

FYI - I didn't use any recipe or measure anything.  I just poured ingredients out into the bowl.  Estimated the salt/yeast.  Water was just a texture thing when mixing.

I had my best loaves over xmas and pretty much winged it as well, I even skipped the slap and fold, I just let it go

I just used a spatula and dumped them into the dutch ovens.  No scoring or giving AF at all.

paqman

SonVolt said:

paqman said:

Interesting - I never knew this. I always cut straight down. .

I’ve seen so many conflicting instructions when it comes to scoring the dough, I’m not sure what is the right way.  I was cutting 90 degrees as well but I tried 30 degrees on my last loaf and had good results (no pictures).  45 degrees sounds like a good middle ground.

Hoster05

@paqman
can you explain your oven setup in the pictures above?  i know you said you bought an Emily Henry ceramic cloche but it appears you set that on round stone on top of something else?  

that cloche looks like it is larger than the 5Q dutch oven i currently use.  

Also does the group use the convection bake setting or regular bake setting on their ovens?

NPHuskerFL

@Hoster05 I can't speak for others but, when I use the oven for sourdough baking I use convection.

paqman

Hoster05 said:

@paqman
can you explain your oven setup in the pictures above?  i know you said you bought an Emily Henry ceramic cloche but it appears you set that on round stone on top of something else?  

that cloche looks like it is larger than the 5Q dutch oven i currently use.  

Also does the group use the convection bake setting or regular bake setting on their ovens?

@Hoster05

The round stone is my Big Green Egg pizza stone.  In the picture, it is sitting on 4 small square cordierite baking stones.  That’s NOT how I am typically setup for baking bread.  The square baking stones are usually sitting directly on the bottom deck of the oven when I bake Detroit style pizza.  When I bake bread, I place the CI Dutch Oven or Ceramic Cloche as high as I can in the Oven directly on the grate but I did try various setups with no major change in the end result.