Loading wet doughs

[devlin]

My favorite bread doughs are the ridiculously wet doughs, the sort of thing that's nearly impossible even to shape. Because I want to put the dough directly on a hot stone (and ultimately in my brick bread oven), I'm trying to figure out the best method for getting them from the work space into the oven.

Should I just resign myself to misshapen loaves or proofing everything on parchment paper?

Anybody have any advice?

[jim_jimmers]

try letting the dough rise on parchment on an upside down sheet tray. when you put it in the oven, just slide it off the back of the tray. works for me when i do chibatta

[jackal10]

Use a banneton and rice flour; Put he dough in a banneton and retard the dough as the cold dough is much stiffer. Dust the top of the dough in the banneton (will be the bottom) with rice flour or polenta, and invert onto the peel, also dusted. Work fast, so it doesn't have time to spread.

[devlin]

Work fast, so it doesn't have time to spread.

←

Is it possible to work fast with 30 loaves at a time?

[devlin]

I guess I should say more. I already use both methods suggested above when I'm baking in my kitchen in my electric oven (and thank you both for responding, by the way). And although that's doable and simple enough when you're baking only a couple of loaves at a time, or even up to six or so, when you get into the big batches for a wood-fired brick oven which will hold 40 loaves, everything changes.

It's that aspect I need help with right now.

[PassionateChefsDie]

Seen it done with cornmeal and a pizza peel straight of a metal bench. All technique and plenty of cormeal if this doesn't affect the end product too much. Might help Stef

[devlin]

Seen it done with cornmeal and a pizza peel straight of a metal bench. All technique and plenty of cormeal if this doesn't affect the end product too much. Might help Stef

←

This is with the exceedingly wet doughs? Yes? I've done a load (20 loaves) exactly that way of the Peter Reinhart Pain L'Ancienne, which is wetter than most folks are used to, and it was a royal pain. the cornmeal didn't affect the finished product in the least. So I guess it's just practice, practice, practice....

[jackal10]

I use a brick oven. The trick is to retard the dough and keep it cold. That way you can work with a few at a time. Also the cold dough is stiffer and *much* easier to handle.

Again, if the dough is supported, either ina linen couche or bannetons, then it isn't going anywhere, and you can load a few at a time.

If you are into large batch commercial production, then you need a bulk conveyor loader, but that is a whole different game.