4 hours ago, Smithy said:
That's a beautiful set! I look forward to the results.
I asked this question a few weeks? months? ago, with an unsatisfactory although well-meaning series of responses. Now I'm going to ask you, directly: how do you control the thickness of the outer crust, whether in Dutch Ovens or on bread stones or whatever? I find that in my cast iron Dutch Oven the crust is beautifully caramelized - that is, almost reddish golden brown - but downright tough on the bottom. The sides and top are satisfying for a good crusty bread. I almost need a hatchet to cut through the base. I've had the same result, without as good color, with bread on a baking stone.
What should I change so that the crust is the same thickness and texture at the base, where the dough has direct contact with a hot surface, as on the sides and top, where it doesn't?
My issue wasn't crust thickness so much as overbrowning — but when I was baking more on my steel, I often would take the loaves off the stone and move them to a rack for maybe the last ten minutes of cooking.
Lately I have been baking more in my Lodge combo cooker; with that I preheat the deeper half and use it as a "lid" over the bread. The other half (under the bread) I leave unheated.
