momtolgd Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 The first time I made a batch, everything tasted good (made 2 loaves of bread and 2 pizzas with it) but the outer crust was almost rock hard (my dh kept calling it rock bread). Is it supposed to be that way? What do I need to do to make it a bit softer? I've got a batch of olive oil dough ready and planning to make pizzas tonight again. Is there anything I can do to prevent the crust from being too hard on the bottom? Also the cornmeal REALLY smoked up my house. Is there something else I can substitute for it? Thanks. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly IN Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Maybe Arrowroot powder for the Corn meal? Sorry I do not know the book. Just a top of the head guess. Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 The first time I made a batch, everything tasted good (made 2 loaves of bread and 2 pizzas with it) but the outer crust was almost rock hard (my dh kept calling it rock bread). Is it supposed to be that way? What do I need to do to make it a bit softer? I've got a batch of olive oil dough ready and planning to make pizzas tonight again. Is there anything I can do to prevent the crust from being too hard on the bottom? Also the cornmeal REALLY smoked up my house. Is there something else I can substitute for it? Thanks. :001_smile: Did you have a pan of water in the oven while baking to make steam? Another way to soften the crust is to bake it in a pan rather than on the stone. They do comment on that in the book. If I am remembering correctly the pan has to be non-stick and you have to take the bread out immediately so it doesn't get soggy. Do you clean up the cornmeal after each baking or leave it on the stone? If you clean it out it shouldn't burn or smoke. We have been using this book/system for a couple months and love-love-LOVE it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 We have been using this book/system for a couple months and love-love-LOVE it. Really? Why? And did you bake bread prior to using this book? I'm curious. I checked it out from the library but was not impressed enough to even make dough. I do lots of bread baking anyway. Do tell what it is you like, and how it compares to regular bread making (I enjoy making different recipes). Maybe I should check it out again? Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtolgd Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Did you have a pan of water in the oven while baking to make steam? Do you clean up the cornmeal after each baking or leave it on the stone? If you clean it out it shouldn't burn or smoke. QUOTE] For the pizza it says you don't use steam. And the cornmeal smoked during the baking on the first pizza I made last time, so it was just what was on it from that first pizza. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macrina Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 try semolina flour instead of cornmeal, that what we use. It's pasta flour and it only takes a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Really? Why? And did you bake bread prior to using this book? I'm curious. I checked it out from the library but was not impressed enough to even make dough. I do lots of bread baking anyway. Do tell what it is you like, and how it compares to regular bread making (I enjoy making different recipes). Maybe I should check it out again? Ria We used bread machines for many years but got frustrated with having to buy a new one every couple years. It seemed so wasteful. Then we tried making bread from scratch. I have to credit dh with making this work for our family. Personally, I am NOT good at remembering to set things up ahead of time--making bread to be ready for lunch just never seems to happen for me because I am so airheaded. Dh, bless his heart, got in the habit of whipping up the dough before leaving for work and leaving the timer on for me. I would then take over and punch it down, let it rise a second time, and bake it. We preferred this over a breadmaker--the bread tasted fantastic, and we liked not having another small electric appliance on the counter and eventually in a landfill. I like the artisan bread in 5 minutes method because it's even easier than the system dh and I had worked out, and dh doesn't have to make bread several times a week. It takes him just a couple minutes to whip up the week's bread--probably ten minutes at most??? We leave the pizza stone and the broiler pan for water in the oven at all times. When I eat my breakfast I get out a wad of dough and let it sit on the counter a while, then bake it. It's fresh every single day and extremely tasty. Our total effort on the bread for the entire week works out to half an hour, possibly 40 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Try to use parchment paper instead of cornmeal. I usually bake the loaf more that half way, then take the paper off and flip the loaf upside down for it to have a crisp bottom as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMA Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 The first time I made a batch, everything tasted good (made 2 loaves of bread and 2 pizzas with it) but the outer crust was almost rock hard (my dh kept calling it rock bread). Is it supposed to be that way? What do I need to do to make it a bit softer? I've got a batch of olive oil dough ready and planning to make pizzas tonight again. Is there anything I can do to prevent the crust from being too hard on the bottom? Also the cornmeal REALLY smoked up my house. Is there something else I can substitute for it? Thanks. :001_smile: Did you put on the stove exhaust? I remember that the book says that you need to turn on your fan because the cornmeal will smoke the house. I have made the recipe with the fan on and it eliminated the smoke and burning smell. If your pizza is rock hard, I would recommend a lower temp. or less cooking time. Watch the pizza through the oven window as it bakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Ria, I don't have the book yet, but after tasting bread a friend's children (oldest is ten) had made using the method yesterday, I'm sold on it. It was heavenly -- and while I'm unwilling to put in the time to hand-make bread with traditional methods, I'm absolutely going to give this a try. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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