Old Crock

[Dick Rademacher]

Mornin, I don't know how I got here, but i'm really glad I did. I am finding that this is the place I wanted to be, instead of playing around with so many of the onlinecooking and baking sites. I like to experiment With baking different types of bread. I made a discovery the other day and I wonder if this is new or just something I should have known a long time ago. I baked a loaf of italian bread in a preheated cast iron pan with the cover on for half the cooking time. It turned out great with a hard crust andit is quite dense but really good . Thanks for letting me join the club.

 

[GLC]

Baking bread in a closed container is a common practice. The container can be ceramic, like a clay cloche:

or a Dutch oven or similar metal pot, or any other oven-safe material.

One of the nice effects is that steam is trapped in the vessel, and that contributes greatly to the crust, similar to the injection of steam into commercial ovens.

And when preheated, it more closely simulates hearth baking, and the bottom of the loaf isn't so likely to be overdone. Very nice for rustic type breads where you like robust crumb and lots of crust.

 

[chopper]

Welcome. Don't you just love the smell of bread baking?

 

[Kylie1969]

Hello and welcome to DC

 

[kadesma]

Hi Dick,
welcome to DC. I'm just getting back into making bread, so I'm hoping we can get together and share some recipes.
kadesma

 

[Bigjim68]

I cook round loaves in cast iron skillets. A one pound loaf fits in a #5. It gets a better overall crisp. Never tried covering it.

I've got a covered chicken fryer, I will try it covered.

 

[Dick Rademacher]

I cover my pan for the first half of the baking time then lower the heat for the second half. Preheat the pan along with the oven to 450 F then cut down to 350f No nead to form the loaf after the second rise, just dump it into the hot pan and cover. Be careful the pan and lid are hot.
Old Crock

 

[Rocklobster]

Howdy, Old Crock