Is there an optimum size of Dutch oven to bake an ~900 g loaf of bread in? I have a Staub round - I think it is the 5.5 qt size and I find it maybe a little small - the sides of loaves are always a bit wrinkled from pressing into the folds of the parchment paper. Should I try my larger (7 qt) Dutch oven? Will the spring of the loaf still give the same height?
I think a round loaf will JUST fit in a smaller DO, but larger is better, generally. It shouldn't hurt spring to put it into a larger pot. One thing to try is cutting your parchment to just cover the bottom of the loaf, plus enough to give you something to grab onto. It doesn't need to be square, I cut mine into long rectangles. That way you'll have less extra parchment getting in the way of the loaf.
I started making this tonight - excited to try it! I have 2 comments/questions. 1) the crusts, especially the bottom crust, of the toasted bread were very hard to break up. (I used instant coffee made with boiling water to make sure it was hot.) Would you suggest trimming the crusts off? 2) the dough seemed much drier than the oatmeal maple bread despite the same amount of water. Maybe due to not having something like the maple syrup? Any advice?
Cynthia - I think trimming off crusts is entirely acceptable here. I forgot to mention that I mashed my bread soaker up with a potato masher, I'll add it. And it's not the end of the world if the bread doesn't break up fully before it goes into the dough. As for the dryness of the dough, I don't remember making a comparison between those two doughs, but I think you are correct that they are different. The oatmeal bread is on the wet side compared to others.
Cut into it this morning and it's great! Thanks! PS: The look reminds me of whole wheat: any plans to do a loaf with more whole grain, maybe with added wheat gluten or something for a better rise?
I just finished baking this and it turned out well. It has nice roasted flavour notes and I added poppy seeds that I think go well, since I have a bunch I need to use up.
I had a couple questions after the bake, coming from the changes I made. What would you suggest if you start from frozen bread? I figured I'd just bake my frozen cubes longer at 300 F, but the 90 minutes it too for them to turn dark brown was maybe a little long. (Thankfully we're still running the heating here.) Second, if your bread soaker doesn't mash into a paste, would you recommend adding more hot water and subtracting cold water from the final mix? Mine mashed into smallish chunks and it took a fair bit of work in the mixing stage to break them down into the dough.
I baked this yesterday. Unfortunately, I was not too smitten with the taste. Eaten as a sandwich, with cold cuts, it was okay. Sampled by itself, I found it noticeably bitter. Therefore, though it looked very attractive, no repeat.
I usually dry, grind, and toast my sourdough leftovers, using them as aromatics in new breads.
Is there an optimum size of Dutch oven to bake an ~900 g loaf of bread in? I have a Staub round - I think it is the 5.5 qt size and I find it maybe a little small - the sides of loaves are always a bit wrinkled from pressing into the folds of the parchment paper. Should I try my larger (7 qt) Dutch oven? Will the spring of the loaf still give the same height?
I think a round loaf will JUST fit in a smaller DO, but larger is better, generally. It shouldn't hurt spring to put it into a larger pot. One thing to try is cutting your parchment to just cover the bottom of the loaf, plus enough to give you something to grab onto. It doesn't need to be square, I cut mine into long rectangles. That way you'll have less extra parchment getting in the way of the loaf.
I started making this tonight - excited to try it! I have 2 comments/questions. 1) the crusts, especially the bottom crust, of the toasted bread were very hard to break up. (I used instant coffee made with boiling water to make sure it was hot.) Would you suggest trimming the crusts off? 2) the dough seemed much drier than the oatmeal maple bread despite the same amount of water. Maybe due to not having something like the maple syrup? Any advice?
Cynthia - I think trimming off crusts is entirely acceptable here. I forgot to mention that I mashed my bread soaker up with a potato masher, I'll add it. And it's not the end of the world if the bread doesn't break up fully before it goes into the dough. As for the dryness of the dough, I don't remember making a comparison between those two doughs, but I think you are correct that they are different. The oatmeal bread is on the wet side compared to others.
Never mind, the potato masher info is already there! (It's early here)
let me know how the dough seems once you go to shape it
Dough looked good when I shaped it. I just pulled it out of the oven and it looks great! Can't wait to cut it open!
Cut into it this morning and it's great! Thanks! PS: The look reminds me of whole wheat: any plans to do a loaf with more whole grain, maybe with added wheat gluten or something for a better rise?
Yes! I have a 100% whole wheat loaf in the works, hopefully in the next month. It doesn't need VWG!
I just finished baking this and it turned out well. It has nice roasted flavour notes and I added poppy seeds that I think go well, since I have a bunch I need to use up.
I had a couple questions after the bake, coming from the changes I made. What would you suggest if you start from frozen bread? I figured I'd just bake my frozen cubes longer at 300 F, but the 90 minutes it too for them to turn dark brown was maybe a little long. (Thankfully we're still running the heating here.) Second, if your bread soaker doesn't mash into a paste, would you recommend adding more hot water and subtracting cold water from the final mix? Mine mashed into smallish chunks and it took a fair bit of work in the mixing stage to break them down into the dough.
Thanks for an interesting recipe!
I baked this yesterday. Unfortunately, I was not too smitten with the taste. Eaten as a sandwich, with cold cuts, it was okay. Sampled by itself, I found it noticeably bitter. Therefore, though it looked very attractive, no repeat.
I usually dry, grind, and toast my sourdough leftovers, using them as aromatics in new breads.
it is good to eat so so so so good to eat for when ever it is good to eat
it is good to eat