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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Bread - What are you baking today…..

    Hobbies and Pastimes
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    • ChapC
      Chap
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      Perfect shape

      God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

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      • GilesG
        Giles
        IHUK Crew
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        "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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        • neph93N
          neph93
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          Looks very good.

          I’m quite enjoying my baking steel but there is something about the way it conducts heat that means the loaves aren’t splitting. I miss that aesthetic. I’ll be doing sourdough on Sunday for the first time, so we’ll what occurs them.

          «Stevie Heighway on the wing!
          We had dreams, and songs to sing…»

          • Dame Vera Lynn
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          • ChapC
            Chap
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            Yep… I know it’s just the look, but I hate it, when my bread doesn’t split

            God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

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            • neph93N
              neph93
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              @Chap:

              Yep… I know it’s just the look, but I hate it, when my bread doesn’t split

              There is a baker in Oslo who uses steel exactly because of this. She does beautiful things with the even canvas though:

              «Stevie Heighway on the wing!
              We had dreams, and songs to sing…»

              • Dame Vera Lynn
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              • ChapC
                Chap
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                Yes that’s amazing… have seen some of those bread artists on Instagram. I wonder how their dough balls keep the shape while they make patterns. Mine would turn into a pita bread

                God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

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                • neph93N
                  neph93
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                  @Chap:

                  I wonder how their dough balls keep the shape while they make patterns. Mine would turn into a pita bread

                  That is where the baking steel comes in. The rise is even and long lasting.

                  «Stevie Heighway on the wing!
                  We had dreams, and songs to sing…»

                  • Dame Vera Lynn
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                  • GilesG
                    Giles
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                    Yeah, but you don't take the dough out of the proofing basket and put it on the steel to score (do you?).  I think that is Jens's point, when it is inverted it needs to get into the oven quickly otherwise the proofed dough tends to 1 molecule thick - at least mine does

                    "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                    • neph93N
                      neph93
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                      That is what they do. It goes from the basket onto either the peel or the Lazy Susan (useful for complex patterns), then onto the steel in the oven. The doughs deflate meaningfully, but the steel creates a long even oven spring.

                      When I started using the steel I was scared to death when my dough went in the oven as it had deflated so much. The height tripled every time.

                      The spring had already started on these:

                      And they turned into these:


                      «Stevie Heighway on the wing!
                      We had dreams, and songs to sing…»

                      • Dame Vera Lynn
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                      • ChapC
                        Chap
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                        Cool that’s interesting… so it’s all about the steel. A pizza stone won’t work, right? Will we see some patterned loaves soon? You can probably start with an easy wabash and then some crazy checks?

                        God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

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                        • neph93N
                          neph93
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                          @Chap:

                          Cool that’s interesting… so it’s all about the steel. A pizza stone won’t work, right? Will we see some patterned loaves soon? You can probably start with an easy wabash and then some crazy checks?

                          Haha… I’m tempted to have a go at some patterns. But I’m also tempted to go back to baking without the steel if it my sourdough fails to split tomorrow.

                          The advantage with a steel over a stone is that in standard electric ovens the steel gets much hotter, much quicker.

                          «Stevie Heighway on the wing!
                          We had dreams, and songs to sing…»

                          • Dame Vera Lynn
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                          • GilesG
                            Giles
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                            As long as a put the dough in the proofing basket (though I have started using a bowl and a floured tea towel) seam-side down, I always get a split whether I use a stone or a Dutch oven….

                            "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                            • ChapC
                              Chap
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                              @neph93:

                              @Chap:

                              Cool that’s interesting… so it’s all about the steel. A pizza stone won’t work, right? Will we see some patterned loaves soon? You can probably start with an easy wabash and then some crazy checks?

                              Haha… I’m tempted to have a go at some patterns. But I’m also tempted to go back to baking without the steel if it my sourdough fails to split tomorrow.

                              The advantage with a steel over a stone is that in standard electric ovens the steel gets much hotter, much quicker.

                              I see… therefore the steel should be a good option for pizza too... with bread I will stay with my cast iron pot for the moment

                              God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

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                              • neph93N
                                neph93
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                                @Giles:

                                As long as a put the dough in the proofing basket (though I have started using a bowl and a floured tea towel) seam-side down, I always get a split whether I use a stone or a Dutch oven….

                                That is the weird thing. Before the baking steel I was the same, and that was baking on a regular oven tray that wasn’t even pre-warmed. I was using foil hats however, to keep the steam in, which is a non-starter with the steel, so maybe that was this difference.

                                «Stevie Heighway on the wing!
                                We had dreams, and songs to sing…»

                                • Dame Vera Lynn
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                                • neph93N
                                  neph93
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                                  @Chap:

                                  I see… therefore the steel should be a good option for pizza too... with bread I will stay with my cast iron pot for the moment

                                  I think pizza is the best use for the steels. I’ll be making some tomorrow so I’ll let you know how it goes.

                                  I have the steel because the wife bought it for me. When we move into our new house I am investing in some cast iron pots.

                                  «Stevie Heighway on the wing!
                                  We had dreams, and songs to sing…»

                                  • Dame Vera Lynn
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                                  • ChapC
                                    Chap
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                                    @neph93:

                                    @Chap:

                                    I see… therefore the steel should be a good option for pizza too... with bread I will stay with my cast iron pot for the moment

                                    I think pizza is the best use for the steels. I’ll be making some tomorrow so I’ll let you know how it goes.

                                    I have the steel because the wife bought it for me. When we move into our new house I am investing in some cast iron pots.

                                    Cool… what dough will you use for pizza tomorrow?

                                    God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • neph93N
                                      neph93
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                                      @Chap:

                                      Cool… what dough will you use for pizza tomorrow?

                                      Forkish 80% Biga based on this Tipo O flour:

                                      «Stevie Heighway on the wing!
                                      We had dreams, and songs to sing…»

                                      • Dame Vera Lynn
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                                      • ChapC
                                        Chap
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                                        Excellent… my usual Pizza dough. Love it... (re-)opened a complete new Pizza world to me. When I made it the first time I had almost tears in my eyes. The taste reminded me of Pizza I had some 40 years ago as a child in Bari while I was there with italian friends of my parents

                                        God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

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                                        • neph93N
                                          neph93
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                                          Sunday bake was interesting. Beautiful airy sourdough (two country blondes, two country browns), but no split with the steel despite a lot of spring. Something about the thermodynamics just means it doesn’t happen. I’m considering going back to the old way…




                                          Very pleased with the pizza I made on the steel. Used a Biga for the base. The heat was such that they cooked in 5 mins and at one point the oven stopped working as I obviously tripped som internal sensor. I had to cool it down a bit before I could bake more pies.



                                          Proscuittio, pine nut kernels and pesto:

                                          Diavola witj mushrooms:

                                          I had major problems getting the pizza to leave the peel. It is stainless steel and I have no issues launching bread with it but despite liberal amounts of flour I need to practically scrape the pizza into the oven.

                                          «Stevie Heighway on the wing!
                                          We had dreams, and songs to sing…»

                                          • Dame Vera Lynn
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                                          • ChapC
                                            Chap
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                                            Oh that pizzas look great… I am doing a Biga bread right now and pizza tomorrow. The breads look great too, very nice and airy crumb.

                                            God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

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