Wetter Dough; Bigger Holes; Other Improvements

Okay, so I ordered a Cloche from Amazon; it should arrive in a couple of days. There are reports of breakage during shipping, so my fingers are crossed.

I built a simple spreadsheet to calculate my builds and hydration percentages. It makes scaling doughs much easier.

I baked at high heat yesterday (500+) and still didn’t get the golden brown top crust that I want. So heat alone is not the answer. I also applied steam via a cast-iron frying pan on the oven floor. Some people use lava rocks for additional thermal mass in the frying pan. Not a bad idea—like a sauna. It does give a good burst of steam, although once the initial blast is through (from adding pre-boiled water to the frying pan from a tea kettle), the water just simmers in the pan. I also tried blocking the exhaust port for the first half of baking. Didn’t die of CO poisoning, but neither did I get the crust I wanted. It *is* difficult to retain the steam inside the oven; you have to open the door to pour the water into the pan, and some (if not most of the steam escapes). I did not spritz the loaves, nor did I spritz the oven walls this time.

I did not allow sufficient preheating time. The stone was not hot enough to caramelize the bottom of the loaf, so it ended up underdone. Just because the oven is up to temp doesn’t mean it’s ready to bake.

I think I’ve turned the corner with handling wet dough. I’ve successfully made a 70% and a 74% hydration white sourdough. Yesterday I accomplished this without any bench flour. I mist the countertop with water before I turn the dough out onto it, and I keep a bowl of water nearby for dipping my hands and bench knife. Folding is easily accomplished this way. Some bakers claim that as many as seven foldings during primary fermentation allow sufficient strength that the dough can proof on a peel without spreading too much. Perhaps. I am definitely getting larger holes and a more open crumb with the wetter doughs. That’s a big step forward in quality.

Some folks swear by rice flour for dusting bowls, benches, and bannetons. I got some brown rice flour at the co-op and it seems to work well, though the bloggers specified white rice flour. Others use semolina, or wheat bran. I don’t like having crunchy stuff on the outside of my finished breads, so I provisionally favor the rice flour.