Tough bottom

Ever since I found the no-knead sourdough recipe here, it’s all I bake. I follow the technique with very little variation, probably because I’m not clever enough to vary on my own, so here I am.

I bake at 500 degrees for about 25 minutes; 450 for another 10 (by which point it’s already looking/smelling burn-y. Use an enamel 4.5Q dutch oven.

It’s good, but I hate the bottom, which bakes so hard. Anything I can do to make for a softer bottom crust?

Thanks.

Two things you can try:

  1. Put an empty cookie sheet on a rack beneath the one your dutch oven is on to deflect some of the excess heat hitting the bottom of the dutch oven.

  2. You can try baking at lower temps for longer periods. Try dropping down to 450 for 20 minutes and 425 for 20 (or even 400 for 30).