I have made bread occasionally. It’s getting harder for us to find a really good crusty loaf. I came across this site in a search. I have problems with the rising, living in Florida and having A/C it’s not easy to find somewhere that is an even temperature to make it rise.
When it says tepid water for the dry yeast, it’s difficult to know if I have that right as well. I see there are some recipes where it’s all mixed together and left for 12-18hrs. How effective is that method in getting a good loaf.
I look forward to hearing how you all get on and for a pretty bad novice like myself, can I make a decent loaf!
My house temp this summer was 79. I use AC all the time but am cheap, so I don’t put it low. Rising is faster than most recipes at this temp. And my starter doubles in 4-6 hrs.
I’m a little nervous about winter, when I’m green the other way, and my house will be 65. Might take me 18 hrs for a rise that now takes me 8!
I use a 5 qt Lodge cast iron pot w/skillet lid, so i can flip the whole thing upside down and load the dough easier. See pic.
You’re welcome. Here are more pics. I’m new to this and pretty dorky and excited with the camera. I forgot to mention that my other cooking vessel is a 9 qt dutch oven. They seem to cook exactly the same time and shape loaf.
Absolutely! Having tried all possible baking “vessels” I must say that I think La Cloche is the best! My only! comment/concern is that I seem to break either dome or bottom more often than I’d like. Maybe I am just clumsier, and not only do I drop it, but sometimes just put it down with too much force. This is no fault of the La Cloche as this material will break, whereas cast iron and other don’t. Still, I think that the equal dispersion of heat and the ability to have it steam (spraying inside of dome as soon as it is in oven) creates a wonderfully crusty, baked bread.
I have ceramic Emile Henry tagine, they sell cloche both have lifetime guaranteed. The ceramic is their patented material and is just excellent, I have used mine hard for 5-6 years, nary a problem. If I only wanted a cloche - I would buy an Emile Henry for its durability. I had the tagine and have adopted it to baking bread and pies. It is an excellent vessel for baking or stove top slow cooking, in fact for most everything including open fire and grilling. You can see it in tools, I’ve posted a photo, don’t want to over post the photo, but it is a unique cooking vessel with many uses including doubling as a cloche.
I ordered my sour dough starter an La Cloche earlier this past spring I have made many loaves of many types of breads in ovens and bread makers but never sour dough in a La Cloche. I tried to make the starter at home with a recipe several times epic failure. I decided to purchase 2 starter packages thinking for sure that I would ruin one but I had starter growing everywhere. Thank goodness for moms and aunts. When it can time to bake the first loaf of bread I was very nervous but it turned out great and was so easy. I have made so many loaves since.
Rising is faster than most recipes at this temp. And my starter doubles in 4-6 hrs.
