adventures in sourdough or how to nearly kill your bread without actually doing it Hearth Bread and Flatbread Discuss adventures in sourdough or how to nearly kill your bread without actually doing it in the Brick Oven Cooking forums; I weigh everything too. It took me a while to accept using a calculator to BAKE, but with the baker's ...

[egalecki]

I weigh everything too. It took me a while to accept using a calculator to BAKE, but with the baker's percentage stuff, I have to! I've done a lot of baking by feel, but I get more consistent results, especially with the wet doughs, by weighing.

I have asked for a brotform too. The bowls with towels work ok, but it would be nice not to have to wash all those floury towels every time. The pattern on the bread from a brotform is really lovely.

[nissanneill]

Hi Elizabeth,

"overcaramelised" loaf has a distinct imprint from the oven floor- and evidently only ONE brick was nuclear hot.

This could be a high temp firebrick (which would weigh considerably more than the other low fired variety) which should be relatively easy to lift out and replace, if you haven't mortared them down.
Keep your eyes open for the culprit. Have you noticed it on previous bahes?
It is highly unlikely that it got so much hotter than the adjoining bricks as the demarcation line is really quite distinct.
I have some sourdough bread underway and hoping to cook it in around 24 hours so will keep you all posted.
Hopefully it won't be too much of a disaster.
Tim dropped around last night to weld up his vent and he gave me some of his leaven starter.
I will feed his and keep it in the fridge until I get this bread making system going.

Neill

[james]

Here is my first loaf with my new Brotform; this is a multi-grain sourdough boule. The Brotform definitely works -- but I'm not sure why I ended up making an oval loaf from a round form? :-)

Maybe it's because I'm left-handed. Anyway, I would highly recommend my new banneton.

James

[Frances]

Originally Posted by james

I'm not sure why I ended up making an oval loaf from a round form? :-)

That's what happens when all the slashes are parallel. I know this because I often shape my bread round and put one deep slash across the top. The finished bread is always oval. I think its really interesting to see how the slashes can change the bread's shape.

[egalecki]

Neill, I don't think I have any high duty bricks. They were all about the same weight when I put them in. I think maybe that one was just where the bulk of the fire was, and it hadn't all spread evenly yet. I do have a general idea where it was, so I'm going to keep an eye on it.

James, that's a really pretty loaf! Doesn't matter if it's round or oval- it's got great color. Are you doing most of your baking in the Primavera? I think I'm going to recomend one to my brother who lives near DC. It would be a great size for him.

Tomorrow is my husband's family birthday party- I'm going to break out the caputo flour for the first time and we're having pizza! In the freezing cold! It's what he wants... so he gets it.