ElsieD

Hi: I have now baked two loaves from my fist batch of dough. The first batch was only so-so (very doughy) so I went back through all the comments (and copied and pasted all comments of specific interest into a word document for future reference) to see what I might have done wrong. The second loaf I baked using Chris's method - covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 15. The result was amazing - just a beautiful loaf, with nice holes on the inside and a crispy crust. I can't wait to bake another although my waistline can. I covered the dough with my kitchenaid stainless steel bowl which worked very well as it has a handle which made removing it after the first 20 minutes very easy. And oh, yes, it was baked on parchment on a pizza stone that I had preheated. When I removed the bowl I also removed the parchment. I am anxiously waiting for the mail to arrive as I am hoping the book will come today. Meantime, I am off to a restaurant supply store to buy a proper 5 quart container and maybe see if they have a stainless steel bowl with a handle that is not as tall as the kitchenaid as the kitchenaid only clears the broiler element by about an inch which makes removing the bowl from the oven rather awkward. Thanks to all who responded to my pleas for help both on this board and by way of personal messages. It was (is) much appreciated. Elsie

Okay folks, I've just made up a batch of dough and am giving it the appx. 2 hour rise. Once it has collapsed and I'm ready to put it in the fridge, can someone tell me how necessary it is to put it in a 5 quart container? Looking at it in it's current bowl (the one from my kitchenaid) it seems like overkill to put it in a 5 quart container. Or does it rise that much in the fridge that it needs the room to expand? I realize I may be just having a case of beginner's jitters, but I really would like to know.

Welcome, ElsieD! A cloche is usually a clay enclosure (think of a terra cota pot) that you pre-heat and bake the bread in. It is designed to mimic a stone oven as it not only holds the heat really well, but holds the heat close to the baking loaf (as opposed to your oven walls). The primary advantage of a cloche is that it is much easier to get that crispy artisan crust that many people like. Forgot to mention that you can use plastic wrap in the fridge, I do it all the time. If you're worried, you can always buy one of those large plastic containers (like they sell at Sam's Club, etc.) and just leave one corner cracked. But I've never had a problem just using plastic. If you do use a dish towel, I would suggest moistening it first. When I first started making bread, I would only cover my bowl with a dry towel. When I returned to punch down or shape the bread, there would always be a thin crust on top of the dough. ← Tino, thanks for your response. I should have thought to look cloche up on the internet but didn't think of it. Do you think a kitchenaid cast iton enameld pan would work? Elsie

Hi: I have just joined egullet and have just finished reading all the posts re: artisan bread. I have ordered the book and my questions may be addressed there, but I plan on making up a batch before the book arrives. I have two questions: What is a cloche? What do you cover your dough with in the fridge? I know that you are not to cover the container with an airtight cover, but do you use loosely drapped plastic wrap? A dish towel? If the latter, will it dehydrate the dough? Thanks for answering these questions.