Tartine Bread or 'artisanal bread' and par-baking

[Joshua]

I am enjoying good success with the Tartine Bread book, and am really enjoying the wild-yeast risen bread I am producing. My wife is also really enjoying it, and just about refuses to eat a sandwich on anything else. I have even modified the process to suit my weekly schedule: I do a 4 hour initial proofing phase in the evening, and then shape it and let it rise for about 18 hours at 50F, baking it the next day when I get home from work. Even with that, I have the problem that it keeps well for a few days (it usually disappears before it stops making great toast), but I dont have the time to be baking a new loaf every 3 days.

This leads me to my question. I have been thinking about par-baking off a few loaves of bread so that through the week I can finish the loaves in the oven and have decent bread in the house. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is there a specific internal temperature I am looking for before I take it out and cool the loaf quickly (I was thinking about blowing a small fan across the loaf)?

Baking the bread in the dutch oven for the first 20 minutes means that I do not have an issue with the bread browning at all and I get fantastic oven spring, but I am still a bit unsure as to when to remove it from the oven.

Thank you,

Joshua

Attached is an image of a previous loaf. Very tasty

[jmolinari]

This may be heretical, but bread freezes very well. I would fully cook the whole thing in loaves that last you 2-3 days, let them cool to room temp, freeze. Then take a loaf out of the freezer every couple of days.

[Joshua]

To be honest, I was so focused on the par-baking thing that I had kind of forgotten about that. I shall try that with one of my next loaves and see how it does. Thanks.

I would still be interested, though, in trying the par-baking if anyone has any experience or thoughts. There is still something about the smell of baking bread and the sound of the crackling crust as it cools. Magic.

Joshua

[HungryC]

I bake the Tartine style loaf regularly, and I've taken to freezing fully baked loaves. Sometimes I freeze the whole (or half) thing, other times I slice thickly, double-wrap in plastic, then bag for the freezer. This way I can have a whole or half loaf when I want it, or just a couple of slices to accompany a meal. I defrost the loaf overnight at room temp, or in a 350 oven for 20 minutes or so. (Slices, obvi, take less time.)

As for par-baking, you need to bake it to an internal temperature of at least 205. It's a wet dough, so lower temps won't yield a sufficiently "dry" crumb. (An enriched sandwich loaf can be fully done at 190 degrees). One thing to consider with a parbaked Tartine loaf: will the crust end up overly hard and/or the crumb dry out excessively if you put it back into the oven to brown after being frozen? I've done parbaked rolls and small breads, but never a loaf as large as the Tartine boule.

[Joshua]

As for par-baking, you need to bake it to an internal temperature of at least 205. It's a wet dough, so lower temps won't yield a sufficiently "dry" crumb. (An enriched sandwich loaf can be fully done at 190 degrees). One thing to consider with a parbaked Tartine loaf: will the crust end up overly hard and/or the crumb dry out excessively if you put it back into the oven to brown after being frozen? I've done parbaked rolls and small breads, but never a loaf as large as the Tartine boule.

What would you think of keeping the loaf in the dutch oven for around 25-30 minutes to get the internal temperature, but not really allow it to dry out much? I could then cool it and the second baking would dry it out a bit more and properly form the crust. If I do this, I might also make the loaves a little smaller so heating and cooling are faster (take a recipe and make 3 boules not 2).

Also, where did you get the 205F? I am always curious about the sources people use.

[HungryC]

I can't recall the precise source...I have 12+ baking books, from Ortiz's Village Baker to Reinhart's BBA to Suas's Advanced Bread & Pastry. What I do recall is that enriched breads are done by 190-200, and non-enriched (flour, water, salt, yeast/starter only) need to bake to 205-210. From personal experience, I know that wetter loaves require a higher internal temp or the crust will soften once the loaf cools.