does anyone use a cloche for baking bread?

[Nicole M]

If so, do you have a really fabulous, dairy-free recipe you would share?

 

I have one of these:

 

 

(Whoa, that turned out big!)

 

It's taking up room on my shelves and I hardly ever use it. I bake bread three times a week, so I'm no stranger to the whole process. I just haven't found a recipe that seems like it's worth the effort. It's a lot of work for one loaf. And it seems like a waste of energy using the oven for that, too, if the bread isn't spectacular, kwim?

 

Thanks!

[LaxMom]

I don't, but I would think any lean bread, like french or sourdough, would be fabulous. I sometimes make a french boule with fresh rosemary and oil-cured olives snipped into the dough.

 

Isn't most bread dairy free? Or is that just the case in my world, where I'm too lazy to look at recipes so I just add stuff until it's the right consistency?

[Vida Winter]

It would probably produce an artisan bread similar in quality to what I make on a pizza stone, only I bought a pizza stone to fit the bulk of my oven space so I can bake multiple loaves or pizzas on it. I don't think I could ever give up my large baking space, but aside from that it looks fine.

[kalanamak]

Not only do I but I have that exact cloche. This recipe is from Bernard Clayton's Breads of France. I get raves over this. I also like to roll it into thin French loaves and snip 3/4 of the way through at a 45 degree angle and turn the "points" out, so that it ends up looking like the heavily budded stem of a forcythia (this is called l'epi....ears of wheat). One can pull these off without a knife (at a potluck, say) and you have this terrific French roll. I let those rise in linen.

 

Pain de Gruau

 

5.5 C hard wheat

1 T salt

1/4 cup non-fat dry milk (I use NON instant, or if I have instant I roll it with a rolling pin so it is more dense when measured. I've also made it with soymilk powder, just fine).

1 package dry yeast

2.5 C water at room temp

1 teas malt syrup (or sugar).

 

Mix 2 cups flour and all the dry ingredients. Add water and then malt syrup. Add flour 1/2 c at a time and keep beating (I use a KA paddle). Once you've got a heavy mass, pour out and knead for 10 minutes (I won't go into gory detail...any decent bread maker knows when it is time to start kneading).

Put into a clean, oiled bowl and cover tightly with Saran and let rise until tripled at ROOM temp (I have done this overnight in 40 degree weather on the deck for really superior results).

Punch down, knead a bit more, divide into the sizes you're going to want to shape and LET REST for 15 or more minutes.

Shape. I let mine rise in linen (the second rise)....either a linen lined basket (for the cloche) or in folds for the l'epis. The linen, which I flour, helps dry "the skin". Cover with greased wax paper and let rise at ROOM temp until doubled.

 

Preheat oven to 425F.

 

Roll the logs out of their clouche onto a baking sheet, snip, move the tips, stuff in oven with an already hot pan in the bottom waiting. Toss in one cup hot tap water in that hot, waiting pan, pop the door shut and back until the Epis are golden brown.

 

If you use the cloche, soak the bell in water and forget the pan in the bottom of oven. Use a floured pizza peel or something like it, and place over the basket, invert, slide your round loaf onto the cornmealed base of the cloche, slash the top like an unplayed tic tac toe game, cover and bake. Do not under cook. It could be incredibly hollow and brown before you remove it.

 

Oh, such memories, when I had three kinds of starter bubbling on the counter. Good luck. This loaf is a winner and people will beg you to bring it to every party.

[Nicole M]

I was out of commission for a while when my laptop's power cable melted and I missed your reply. Wow. Kalanamak, you are the bomb. You came through for me with the vegan pumpkin pie recipe, and now this. Fabulous.

 

One question. When you say "hard wheat" do you mean white flour or whole wheat? I use a high protein whole wheat flour when I made bread, so I'm not sure if this term also applies to white flour or just to ww.

 

Thank you thank you!

[kalanamak]

 

One question. When you say "hard wheat" do you mean white flour or whole wheat? I use a high protein whole wheat flour when I made bread, so I'm not sure if this term also applies to white flour or just to ww.

 

 

 

It is white flour, but winter wheat, also known as King wheat, a opposed to spring, soft or queen wheat. Does your local store have King Arthur's bread flour?

 

All purp, AFAIR, is a combo, whereas pastry flour is all soft.

 

Geez, the years are passing. I used to have 10 flours in bins and could tell the difference by chewing on a spoonful and then mouthing the gluten left behind. That Breads of France is a great book, if you'd like to look into more. I also learned a whole heck of a lot from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Jewish-Baker-Authentic-Breads/dp/089594605X

 

I have both books, if you'd like a look. They are stained and the spines are broken, but, hey.

 

Another good place to start on the subtler arts of really superb bread is the King Arthur Flour catalog.

[kalanamak]

Shape. I let mine rise in linen (the second rise)....either a linen lined basket (for the cloche) or in folds for the l'epis. The linen, which I flour, helps dry "the skin". Cover with greased wax paper and let rise at ROOM temp until doubled.

 

 

I blew the cobwebs out of my mind, and if you want to google these lovely linen things I'm talking about, the couche is a rectangle of linen cloth (King Arthurs has a nice one that will last you a lifetime). The lined basket can be done with any old basket or google banneton. I find the 4 lb basket too big and now that a rat ate mine, I'm going for the next size down.

Brotforms are unlined and I only used mine for rye.

 

Since you repeatedly flour these and don't wash often, they are tasty to rodents. Put them someplace safe.

[Nicole M]

I blew the cobwebs out of my mind, and if you want to google these lovely linen things I'm talking about, the couche is a rectangle of linen cloth (King Arthurs has a nice one that will last you a lifetime). The lined basket can be done with any old basket or google banneton. I find the 4 lb basket too big and now that a rat ate mine, I'm going for the next size down.

Brotforms are unlined and I only used mine for rye.

 

Since you repeatedly flour these and don't wash often, they are tasty to rodents. Put them someplace safe.

 

I actually have one of those lined baskets. Somewhere. I think I used it once. You're getting me all inspired to try this again! Thanks.