Cuisinart Combo Steam/Convection Oven (Part 3)

[Anna N]

2 minutes ago, Lisa Shock said:

Proofing on the counter obviously has challenges, keep the crust from drying is obvious, and there are temperature variations to consider. Can you give room temperature readings and steam-proof temperature readings for future experiments?

 Sorry but I have no plans on any further testing of the steam proofing function until someone can tell me under what conditions it might work.  I have no difficulty preventing dough from drying out on the counter and although my room temperature varies greatly I simply accommodate it by lengthening or shortening proofing times. I have no reason to be extremely consistent since I am not attempting to make bread commercially.  I bake bread frequently and usually quite successfully and although flour, yeast and water are not expensive consistent failure is.   For now I will stick with proofing on my counter.

[Lisa Shock]

OK, I understand.

[Anna N]

3 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I was out admiring the CSO today............

 And so you should. It does many things brilliantly and I am prepared to accept maybe operator error that the steam proofing function does not work for me so I hope I have not discouraged you from buying one!  

[ElsieD]

11 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 And so you should. It does many things brilliantly and I am prepared to accept maybe operator error that the steam proofing function does not work for me so I hope I have not discouraged you from buying one!  

 

If I recall correctly, you had not planned on buying one (love birthday gifts!)  as you were happy with the BSO.  That is precisely where I find myself.  So sometime in the near future I look forward to hearing you say you would have gotten one long ago if you had realized how much you like it.  Perhaps then I will bite the bullet.  

 

BTW, I have had proof functions in previous ovens and they never worked for me.  I found the proofing  temperatures too warm.  So, I too always proof my bread on the counter, covered with plastic wrap that I have sprayed with Pam.

[Shelby]

I make Walter Sands' Basic White Bread and Grandma's French Bread  exclusively in the CSO (mainly because my oven has become more of a storage place for my cast iron and I don't like moving everything out) and I proof both in the CSO.  The white bread I proof at 100F for about 25 mins and the French bread at 100F for about 15 mins.  I've never had a flat loaf.  

 

Edited to add that I don't think I've ever used bread flour--I always use all purpose.  

Edited May 28, 2017 by Shelby (log)

[Anna N]

14 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

If I recall correctly, you had not planned on buying one (love birthday gifts!)  as you were happy with the BSO.  That is precisely where I find myself.  So sometime in the near future I look forward to hearing you say you would have gotten one long ago if you had realized how much you like it.  Perhaps then I will bite the bullet.  

 

BTW, I have had proof functions in previous ovens and they never worked for me.  I found the proofing  temperatures too warm.  So, I too always proof my bread on the counter, covered with plastic wrap that I have sprayed with Pam.

Elsie, I have lots and lots of experience with the Cuisinart oven because of the one that is up north in Manitoulin and the only thing that prevented me from getting one down here was space.  The space issue has really has not gone away.  I know that I have to find a better solution than the one I have right now.   It is easy to think that once you have found sufficient space for the appliance you are in the clear. That is simply not true.  You need room for the door to open. You need room for a landing pad. You need to be able to easily reach, in this case, the water reservoir. In its present situation it's extremely awkward to lift the reservoir from its position.  So it is still going to have to work damned hard to earn it's real estate.

[Kerry Beal]

45 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 And so you should. It does many things brilliantly and I am prepared to accept maybe operator error that the steam proofing function does not work for me so I hope I have not discouraged you from buying one!  

Do you have a thermometer that would allow you to check proof temperature?  I know between the 5 units I have had the toast setting varies significantly - perhaps the proof temp does too.

[Anna N]

20 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I make Walter Sands' Basic White Bread and Grandma's French Bread  exclusively in the CSO (mainly because my oven has become more of a storage place for my cast iron and I don't like moving everything out) and I proof both in the CSO.  The white bread I proof at 100F for about 25 mins and the French bread at 100F for about 15 mins.  I've never had a flat loaf.  

 

Edited to add that I don't think I've ever used bread flour--I always use all purpose.  

 

 Oh Shelby, I almost had to go and change because I laughed so hard. My oven is exactly the same. Is full of cast-iron, blue steel, baking sheets, etc.   I am near to tears on a Tuesday morning when I want to bake meeting treats for my son-in-law.   By the time I haul everything out of the big oven, try to stash it somewhere where it's not in the way, gather all my ingredients  I am pretty much a basket case.  

I have made Walter Sands white bread many times, in fact I might've been the one who told you about it.   Or perhaps not.   I have never had any issues with proofing it on the counter.   Perhaps tomorrow  I will try your French bread recipe although I will have to be in a much better mood than I am at the moment.

 

 

 Here is my second flatbread of the day. 

 

[Anna N]

3 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Do you have a thermometer that would allow you to check proof temperature?  I know between the 5 units I have had the toast setting varies significantly - perhaps the proof temp does too.

Definitely something to think about. I rather doubt that my oven thermoneter will read something as low as 100°F accurately  but it's worth a try.

[Shelby]

4 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 Oh Shelby, I almost had to go and change because I laughed so hard. My oven is exactly the same. Is full of cast-iron, blue steel, baking sheets, etc.   I am near to tears on a Tuesday morning when I want to bake meeting treats for my son-in-law.   By the time I haul everything out of the big oven, try to stash it somewhere where it's not in the way, gather all my ingredients  I am pretty much a basket case.  

I have made Walter Sands white bread many times, in fact I might've been the one who told you about it.   Or perhaps not.   I have never had any issues with proofing it on the counter.   Perhaps tomorrow  I will try your French bread recipe although I will have to be in a much better mood than I am at the moment.

 

 

 Here is my second flatbread of the day. 

 

 

So, you and I are in the same heavy cast iron boat.

 

You are indeed the one that told me about the Walter Sands recipe--I was trying to split another recipe in half and you smartly knew that splitting in halves wasn't going to work for the recipe I was trying to have success with.  

 

I only proof in the CSO to hurry up the process...that and I keep our house cold because I like it that way....but the bread usually doesn't lol.

 

To me, the bread above looks really good and I would happily dive into that.

[ElsieD]

44 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Elsie, I have lots and lots of experience with the Cuisinart oven because of the one that is up north in Manitoulin and the only thing that prevented me from getting one down here was space.  The space issue has really has not gone away.  I know that I have to find a better solution than the one I have right now.   It is easy to think that once you have found sufficient space for the appliance you are in the clear. That is simply not true.  You need room for the door to open. You need room for a landing pad. You need to be able to easily reach, in this case, the water reservoir. In its present situation it's extremely awkward to lift the reservoir from its position.  So it is still going to have to work damned hard to earn it's real estate.

 

That's right, I had temporarily forgotten about the one up north.  So let me re-phrase the question - having the BSO, should I seriously consider the Cuisinart Steam Oven?  Does it really do so much more/better than the BSO?  

[Anna N]

11 hours ago, Anna N said:

Definitely something to think about. I rather doubt that my oven thermoneter will read something as low as 100°F accurately  but it's worth a try.

 So this morning, even somewhat decaffeinated, I put my oven thermometer in the CSO and checked the temperature of the steam function at a setting of 100°F  end it was bang on. 

[Shelby]

@Anna N

 

 

 

I am up letting Chum outside and thought I'd pop in to tell you that if you do make the french bread, I use the bread setting while baking and keep the temp the same as the recipe says 375F and reduce the baking time to 20 mins.  

[Anna N]

29 minutes ago, Shelby said:

@Anna N

 

 

 

I am up letting Chum outside and thought I'd pop in to tell you that if you do make the french bread, I use the bread setting while baking and keep the temp the same as the recipe says 375F and reduce the baking time to 20 mins.  

 I think I am dead in the water until I get some more yeast.  I thought I still had some in the freezer but apparently not.

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

 So this morning, even somewhat decaffeinated, I put my oven thermometer in the CSO and checked the temperature of the steam function at a setting of 100°F  end it was bang on. 

Can it proof at a lower temperature than 100º?

[Anna N]

1 minute ago, Kerry Beal said:

Can it proof at a lower temperature than 100º?

Nope. Temp range is 100-210°F for steam function. 

[Kerry Beal]

3 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Nope. Temp range is 100-210°F for steam function. 

Wonder if you just preheated steam for a while then turned it off when you put something in to proof?

[Anna N]

Just now, Kerry Beal said:

Wonder if you just preheated steam for a while then turned it off when you put something in to proof?

I think the whole point of the steam proof is to reduce the amount of time needed  for the final proof.   If that is important to a baker then I can see where they would get frustrated if it doesn't work. But if you have no need to rush the final proof then it seems silly  to try to "trick" it in any way.  Right now I guess my only point in continuing along this line is to try and prove that it does work......just because!    It is absolutely NOT a function that drew me to this oven in the first place.   And if I didn't already have this oven it would not be a dealbreaker.

[Kerry Beal]

3 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I think the whole point of the steam proof is to reduce the amount of time needed  for the final proof.   If that is important to a baker then I can see where they would get frustrated if it doesn't work. But if you have no need to rush the final proof then it seems silly  to try to "trick" it in any way.  Right now I guess my only point in continuing along this line is to try and prove that it does work......just because!    It is absolutely NOT a function that drew me to this oven in the first place.   And if I didn't already have this oven it would not be a dealbreaker.

Indeed - but you know me - everything is a nail!

[Anna N]

1 minute ago, Kerry Beal said:

Indeed - but you know me - everything is a nail!

[lindag]

17 hours ago, Anna N said:

 I have been proofing bread on the counter since Methuselah was the top so if the steam function doesn't work for proofing it's not a big deal.  Still the function's there  so I have to assume it works somewhere for some people under some conditions.   Anyone have any success? 

 

I only tried it once and had no success.  I did it only out of curiosity because I already have a Bread Proofer

and it works perfectly.

[Lisa Shock]

I think I will hold off, at least @lindag's proof box has lower temps. Generally, the wisdom is that yeast performs best when it's in temperature zones that us humans like. Here's a chart on performance as related to temperature.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Last night's focaccia from the CSO...

 

 

 

Proofed 90 minutes in the CSO at room temperature.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I was unusually hungry this afternoon, so Dutch baby pancake in CSO.  No picture, I confess the rim was slightly overdone.  And as I said I was hungry.

 

Note to self:  should probably reduce recipe temperature for convection bake.

 

[Anna N]

 

Steam baked 325°F x 30 mins.