I’m using a closed ceramic cloche and baking at 475 closed for 25 minutes and then open for 20. The bottom is getting way too dark and not pleasing in flavor or texture due to this. Any suggestions on how to mitigate this problem? I’m putting the cloche on the center rack of the oven. Thnx.
Interesting. I get this with cast iron, but not clay. Either way, you’ve a few options.
- put a baking sheet directly under the cloche (with contact, not lower shelf) about 20 minutes in…maybe you can wait until 25 minutes when you take off the lid.
or - put a doubled-over sheet of aluminum foil onto the base of the cloche, then place your dough, that is also on parchment paper, onto the foil: cloche, foil, parchment, dough.
I’ve never done dough directly onto foil, so I don’t know if that works okay.
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Thanks Melissa! In the first option do you mean wait till the first 25 minutes before putting the baking sheet under or have it under the whole time?
You’re welcome. I’d wait until 20-25 minutes in. I think the sheet sucks some heat out of the clay, along with blocking a bit too.
Gotcha. I don’t actually mind the darker bottom but others in the house grouse about it. Little red hens. Thanks again!
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David I had that happen once in my cast iron dutch oven when I had the oven on normal bake cycle. Normally I use the convection bake cycle and according to my spouse she told me that on our oven in the regular cycle most of the heat comes from the bottom. In the convection cycle it comes from all sides.
On the little oven we have, the bottom overcooks even on the highest rack setting in convection so each oven must or can be a little different.
I burned the bottom of a pizza also by doing the same thing and I use a stone. Just something to check.
Thanks, Dennis! My loaves in the cast iron Dutch Oven were coming out too dark on the bottom. When I read your post I realized that I also have a convection setting on my oven that I haven’t tried yet. Do you adjust the temperature when using the convection setting?
Generally “when” I made bread yes, 25 degrees less in our oven. When I make pizza “presently” no. I say when with the bread because I haven’t made bread in the conventional oven or grill for that matter in months since I bought the Rofco Bread oven.
I believe Melissa (on this forum) uses foil under the bottom of the DO in her conventional oven, when I use a DO I place baking paper on the bottom inside the DO. Could try either and see which is better for you.
I tried convection baking with foil in the bottom of the DO- a MUCH better loaf- now I can easily slice through the bottom crust! Thanks!!