sorry Jeremy - this is another pot loaf
I don't know if you can call it 'time saving' - it took 24 hours from go to whoa, but it is certainly 'time efficient'. As to whether it will stand the test of time - well only time will tell!
I cut back on the salt in the Glezer recipe as it seemed too much, with the additional salt from the olives. I also used my starter at 60% hydration rather than the 100% starter in the recipe. Overall hydration was 71%
Carol - the olives were drained and pitted, left whole. They were then 'folded' into the dough (after 3 quick kneads). The dough had one more fold during bulk fermentation before shaping.
I have tried chopping the olives previously, but the whole loaf ends up stained purple.
this is my best olive loaf to date (if I say so myself)
will make again - but it uses a lot of olives (~300g unpitted)
Time? No the process, the whole love of kneading, folding, that is the poetry of bread, plopping it in sounds so unromantic! The Glezer book is good but I think there are some typos? I do an olive bread from Bouley that is really tasty, they would cut the olives in half though, and it also depends on what olive is used to determine the salinity, kalamata or French, Morrocan etc....
Happy baking, if that is what the pot does for you?????
the pot doesn't take away the romance. The main thing that I miss is seeing the loaf expand before your eyes through the oven door. In exchange you have the 'surprise' that awaits you when you take the lid off half way through the bake.
There is no need to change your folding/kneading technique to use a pot to bake in. I have moved back to my own personal adaptation of Dan Lepard's kneading/folding.
Using a peel to transfer the loaf into the pot - is not so different to transferring on to a hot stone.
The main limitation is the number of loaves that can be baked at once (depends on the number of pots that you have). And obviously there is a shape limitation. I would dearly love to bake baguettes in a pot, but don't know where I would ever find something suitable.
Sure looks mouthwatering Dom!
Must do another loaf with olives soon, but still too much bread in the freezer - sigh! But Xmas ist the time of giving... And everybody seems happy to accept bread from me
Have a look at this [url=http://www.amazon.com/Sassafras-2575-Superstone-Covered-Baker/dp/B00004S1DW/sr=8-2/qid=1165363399/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-1296271-3858429?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden]La Cloche[/url]. It's probably not long enough to be a true baguette, but home ovens don't tend to be big enough for those anyway!
Hi Carol,
After reading the comments on the Amazon site I would be a bit sceptical about this baker.
This is to be used like a baking tin, you let the bread rise in it then put the lid on and bake the bread. Now that is NOT how we all bake - we try to put the bread into as hot an oven as possible.
One of the comments said that it will break quite easily from thermal shock, so it wouldn't be good to heat it up the put the (relatively) cool dough into it.
Another comment was that to prevent sticking you will have to really grease both the top and bottom the first several times you use it, and also generously sprinkle the the bottom with cornmeal. And if it sticks then you can't wash it with soap as the stoneware will absorb it and make your bread taste funny.
at almost $50 US I will probably have to defer that little acquisition, but it does look like the sort of thing I was after - if only it could be a bit longer. If I could get one the width of my oven it would almost be true baguette length, though it might be a bit tricky getting it in and out when hot!
I would be surprised if the dough would stick to a clay pot - used as we have talked about using it. That may be different if you proved the dough in the pot, I don't know. I also doubt whether the temperature of the dough would be enough to cause a hot clay pot to crack.
Yes they are expensive and difficult to source other than overseas so freight is on top. They've always been too expensive for me, and I generally like to bake more than one loaf at a time.
I believe these are used in many different ways by different people, but from what I've read using them as people are using their pots is perfectly acceptable. Heat them up then drop the dough in and pop the lid on, no greasing required, it's very similar (if not the same) material to commercially produced pizza stones, so sticking should not be a problem, but spraying with water can cause similar problems to an oven stone (and is not necessary).
at almost $50 US I will probably have to defer that little acquisition, but it does look like the sort of thing I was after - if only it could be a bit longer. If I could get one the width of my oven it would almost be true baguette length, though it might be a bit tricky getting it in and out when hot!
I would be surprised if the dough would stick to a clay pot - used as we have talked about using it. That may be different if you proved the dough in the pot, I don't know. I also doubt whether the temperature of the dough would be enough to cause a hot clay pot to crack.
perhaps I need to find a friendly potter?
Dom
[/quote]
Saw a documentary a few years ago where a team reconstructed an ancient Egyptian bakery, and proceeded to bake as per the ancient way. One thing that I remember is that all the bread was baked in terracotta pots that had been copied from original samples.
That must be Ed Wood and his team. There are pictures in his book, [url=http://www.amazon.com/World-Sourdoughs-Antiquity-Ed-Wood/dp/0898158435]World Sourdoughs from Antiquity[/url] and an interesting read on how he researched and recreated the pots.
I alway's love the way they make breads in the middle east, against the walls or in meso-american cultures with flat griddles, pots, that's for planting flowers no?
Replies
Did this beautiful vision spring forth from that pot in the background?
I think so, notice the blue Creusest behind the loaf?
Well you made some bread but is it a time saver or will this overtake the tried and true methods?
Jeremy
Oh olives ... yummo!
Dom, how did you handle the olives before mixing them into your dough? Simply drained? Or lightly dusted with flour?
I love olive bread.
Carol.
sorry Jeremy - this is another pot loaf
I don't know if you can call it 'time saving' - it took 24 hours from go to whoa, but it is certainly 'time efficient'. As to whether it will stand the test of time - well only time will tell!
I cut back on the salt in the Glezer recipe as it seemed too much, with the additional salt from the olives. I also used my starter at 60% hydration rather than the 100% starter in the recipe. Overall hydration was 71%
Carol - the olives were drained and pitted, left whole. They were then 'folded' into the dough (after 3 quick kneads). The dough had one more fold during bulk fermentation before shaping.
I have tried chopping the olives previously, but the whole loaf ends up stained purple.
this is my best olive loaf to date (if I say so myself)
will make again - but it uses a lot of olives (~300g unpitted)
cheers
Dom
Time? No the process, the whole love of kneading, folding, that is the poetry of bread, plopping it in sounds so unromantic! The Glezer book is good but I think there are some typos? I do an olive bread from Bouley that is really tasty, they would cut the olives in half though, and it also depends on what olive is used to determine the salinity, kalamata or French, Morrocan etc....
Happy baking, if that is what the pot does for you?????
Jeremy
Ah Jeremy - you old romantic you.
the pot doesn't take away the romance. The main thing that I miss is seeing the loaf expand before your eyes through the oven door. In exchange you have the 'surprise' that awaits you when you take the lid off half way through the bake.
There is no need to change your folding/kneading technique to use a pot to bake in. I have moved back to my own personal adaptation of Dan Lepard's kneading/folding.
Using a peel to transfer the loaf into the pot - is not so different to transferring on to a hot stone.
The main limitation is the number of loaves that can be baked at once (depends on the number of pots that you have). And obviously there is a shape limitation. I would dearly love to bake baguettes in a pot, but don't know where I would ever find something suitable.
cheers
Dom
Esquisite loaf of bread Dom! Hurrah! I have some Kalamato olives I've been planning to get into a loaf, haven't done it yet.
Teresa
Sure looks mouthwatering Dom!
Must do another loaf with olives soon, but still too much bread in the freezer - sigh! But Xmas ist the time of giving... And everybody seems happy to accept bread from me
Dom,
Have a look at this [url=http://www.amazon.com/Sassafras-2575-Superstone-Covered-Baker/dp/B00004S1DW/sr=8-2/qid=1165363399/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-1296271-3858429?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden]La Cloche[/url]. It's probably not long enough to be a true baguette, but home ovens don't tend to be big enough for those anyway!
Regards
Matthew
Matthew, that's sensational! I'm gonna talk to Santa about one of those!
Carol
Hi Carol,
After reading the comments on the Amazon site I would be a bit sceptical about this baker.
This is to be used like a baking tin, you let the bread rise in it then put the lid on and bake the bread. Now that is NOT how we all bake - we try to put the bread into as hot an oven as possible.
One of the comments said that it will break quite easily from thermal shock, so it wouldn't be good to heat it up the put the (relatively) cool dough into it.
Another comment was that to prevent sticking you will have to really grease both the top and bottom the first several times you use it, and also generously sprinkle the the bottom with cornmeal. And if it sticks then you can't wash it with soap as the stoneware will absorb it and make your bread taste funny.
So lots to consider before asking Santa I think!
Ah, and to think that I knew you all before you had a pot to bake in.
thanks for that link Matthew.
at almost $50 US I will probably have to defer that little acquisition, but it does look like the sort of thing I was after - if only it could be a bit longer. If I could get one the width of my oven it would almost be true baguette length, though it might be a bit tricky getting it in and out when hot!
I would be surprised if the dough would stick to a clay pot - used as we have talked about using it. That may be different if you proved the dough in the pot, I don't know. I also doubt whether the temperature of the dough would be enough to cause a hot clay pot to crack.
perhaps I need to find a friendly potter?
Dom
Dom,
Yes they are expensive and difficult to source other than overseas so freight is on top. They've always been too expensive for me, and I generally like to bake more than one loaf at a time.
I believe these are used in many different ways by different people, but from what I've read using them as people are using their pots is perfectly acceptable. Heat them up then drop the dough in and pop the lid on, no greasing required, it's very similar (if not the same) material to commercially produced pizza stones, so sticking should not be a problem, but spraying with water can cause similar problems to an oven stone (and is not necessary).
Matthew
[quote="SourDom"]
thanks for that link Matthew.
at almost $50 US I will probably have to defer that little acquisition, but it does look like the sort of thing I was after - if only it could be a bit longer. If I could get one the width of my oven it would almost be true baguette length, though it might be a bit tricky getting it in and out when hot!
I would be surprised if the dough would stick to a clay pot - used as we have talked about using it. That may be different if you proved the dough in the pot, I don't know. I also doubt whether the temperature of the dough would be enough to cause a hot clay pot to crack.
perhaps I need to find a friendly potter?
Dom
[/quote]
Saw a documentary a few years ago where a team reconstructed an ancient Egyptian bakery, and proceeded to bake as per the ancient way. One thing that I remember is that all the bread was baked in terracotta pots that had been copied from original samples.
That must be Ed Wood and his team. There are pictures in his book, [url=http://www.amazon.com/World-Sourdoughs-Antiquity-Ed-Wood/dp/0898158435]World Sourdoughs from Antiquity[/url] and an interesting read on how he researched and recreated the pots.
I alway's love the way they make breads in the middle east, against the walls or in meso-american cultures with flat griddles, pots, that's for planting flowers no?
Jejejejeje!
Jeremy