Baking time adjustments for double recipe in 7-8 qt pot?
GB said:
I have been using my 7+ quart LC dutch oven. Right now with one loaf it sits on the bottom and does not touch the sides. The bread does not rise a ton, but that is fine with me. I am thinking with if I double it then it will climb the sides some and come out a bit taller.
hi GB
well, ppl here and elsewhere have reported success using smaller pots - down to 4 qt capacity but with higher sides - precisely to get that higher loaf (even Bittman says this) Your 7+ quart LC dutch oven could probably take a double recipe. (Maybe you could try using a little less than twice the recipe - you don't have to use all the dough even if you double the recipe)
I'm finding with my 5qt CI dutch oven, the bread pretty much fills the pot to the top when I take the lid off after the first 30 min of baking. I also find that the bread bakes up higher when I use a somewhat domed CI lid, rather than the flatter Lodge CI lid (even this small, additional "room at the top" makes a difference). The dough has so much water, it needs not only room to expand, but extra room at the top to trap the steam during the entire lid-on baking stage, to create the appropriate environment for a good rise. I also find the loaf shrinks back a little during the last 15-20 min baking with the lid off, as it continues to emit steam.
If you double the recipe, you need a longer baking time. I would guess about 40-45 min with lid on (rather than the 30 min the recipe calls for) and maybe 25 min with lid off, though the lid-off stage would be easier to monitor. It would be the lid-on stage that would be trickier in terms on timing. And it would need a longer cooling time, since the loaf continues to bake from stored heat and give off additional water vapor as it cools.
What do other ppl think would be appropriate baking times if the recipe is doubled and baked in a 7-8 qt LC dutch oven? Anyone tried something like this?
