Dutch Oven Bread?

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Low-N-Slow
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Re: Dutch Oven Bread?

Post by Low-N-Slow »

hungryone wrote:RLB seems like a nice lady, but I find her recipes & instructions overly fiddly & complex.
I'm beginning to see what you mean. "Bake covered at 450 for 30 minutes, then lid off for 15 minutes, then out on the baking stone for 10 minutes, then 5 minutes with the oven off, then 5 more minutes with the oven door ajar." Sheesh...

This is turning into a strange little odyssey: learning about seasoning-- and already re-seasoning-- cast iron before actually cooking in it; dissecting Mark Bittman/Jim Lahey videos online; figuring out how to get some loft and oven spring and good crumb from whole grain doughs; resisting the urge to scavenge flea markets for vintage cast iron pieces to restore.

I did, however, manage to put out something edible that didn't stick to the DO. A little parchment paper worked. I'm going to play around with the hydration and the VWG, and see if I can improve on it.
"I find the pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted cured meats. Hungry?"
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hungryone
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Re: Dutch Oven Bread?

Post by hungryone »

I admire your devotion to uncoated CI. I have well seasoned 10" and 12" skillets, but for dutch ovens, I'm way too lazy for anything but enameled. If you want the last word in whole-grain baking, seek out Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads. An entire volume of WG variations, with very good info on soakers, pre-ferments, and the time & temp manipulations essential to good whole grain loaves.

The one no-knead loaf I bake repeatedly is this one: http://bouillie.wordpress.com/2010/03/0 ... eat-bread/
The ground flax adds flavor & texture.
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Low-N-Slow
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Re: Dutch Oven Bread?

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My 30+ year-old 12" CI skillet laughs in the face of dishwashing liquid. I am, however, keeping an eye out for a 4 or 5 qt. ECI pot on sale. I thought I had some milled flaxseed around here, but it's apparently been used up or it went buggy. The new KA catalog has a no-knead recipe similar to yours that calls for 3/4 cup of their organic flax flour.
"I find the pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted cured meats. Hungry?"
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hungryone
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Re: Dutch Oven Bread?

Post by hungryone »

Wallyworld carries ground flaxseed, only in the supplements/vitamins section in the pharmacy. I store it in the freezer, as it "goes off" pretty quick.
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Low-N-Slow
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Re: Dutch Oven Bread?

Post by Low-N-Slow »

The stuff I had was from Walmart also, but in the grocery aisles-- Hodgson Mills, IIRC. Are you making a distinction between "ground" and "milled"?
"I find the pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted cured meats. Hungry?"
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hungryone
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Re: Dutch Oven Bread?

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No, I'm using ground & milled interchangably, b/c it's just a flavoring for the loaf. I don't add enough to disrupt the flour & yeast, so the relatively coarse texture of the "supplement" ground flaxseed doesn't matter. A friend gave me some fresh, homegrown flaxseed--a lovely gentle flavor, not nearly as strong as the dried.
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Low-N-Slow
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Re: Dutch Oven Bread?

Post by Low-N-Slow »

I picked up some more flaxseed, but, in the interrim, have spent more time on researching cast-iron restoration and seasoning methods than on baking bread. The history of US-made CI is quite interesting, and there is a huge collector's market for the old stuff from Griswold, Wagner, and, to a lesser extent, Lodge. I've also learned the best oil to use to oven-season CI is, coincidentally, flaxseed oil. I've used it on both the "pre-seasoned" Dutch oven, and on a slightly rusty piece I found at a flea market. After a requisite six passes in the oven, the DO now looks and cooks like it's been moderately used for over a year. The skillet, de-rusted and treated with nothing but the flaxseed oil, has an interesting gun metal-colored patina, and also already has reasonably good non-stick properties.
"I find the pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted cured meats. Hungry?"
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hungryone
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Re: Dutch Oven Bread?

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The old Griswold stuff is so much smoother than the modern Lodge. I've heard of more than a few folks taking a grinder to the new Lodge stuff to polish up the rough interiors. Too much work for me: it's easier to fill in the texture with some grease & carbon through seasoning!
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Re: Dutch Oven Bread?

Post by Low-N-Slow »

I have read about using fine sandpaper on the newer, grainier stuff. I also think just further seasoning will do the trick. The Wagner skillet I bought appears to have been factory machined or lathed to smooth the interior; it's evidently not a truly vintage piece. I'm also about 90% set up now to do some electrolytic cleaning, anticipating a great estate sale or flea market bargain to try to restore. Through my Googling, I've been able to determine the 12" workhorse skillet I have is an old Lodge.
"I find the pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted cured meats. Hungry?"
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