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Bread Pans

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    Bread Pans

    I occasionally bake bread, maybe 6 or so loaves a year. I have a bunch of bread pans, and most of the basic tools for baking bread.

    I've recently become enamored with King Arthur Flour's website and products. I've made sourdough from scratch (woohoo! and very good) and some other things. Recently I got a catalog with a recipe for 'Light-As-Air Seed Bread Recipe Bundle'. The recipe sounds great, but I'm balking at paying $130 for the ceramic 'long covered baker' to cook it in.

    Here's the recipe: https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/ite...BQ2JQQ78&trk_s

    So here's my question: is there a relatively inexpensive alternative?

    #2

    Comment


      #3
      I'd use a dutch oven and just make a boule instead of a batard. Follow the recipe otherwise. It may take a bit longer to bake as a round instead of oblong shape.

      Comment


      • btuckertx
        btuckertx commented
        Editing a comment
        For sourdough, I used a ceramic dutch oven and got a very nice boule. I'm really hoping to go with the oblong shape.

      • RonB
        RonB commented
        Editing a comment
        The question is Is it worth the $$ for a different shape...

      #4
      I would keep an eye on your local Craigslist and maybe Facebook Marketplace.

      Comment


      • btuckertx
        btuckertx commented
        Editing a comment
        We don't have that where I live (extreme SW Oklahoma), but I might try Ebay...

      #5
      If you don't need the glazing they have another one at half the price: http://shop.kingarthurflour.com/item...-covered-baker

      Otherwise, I would be tempted to cover a traditional pan with foil to trap steam. It won't provide the heat retention of the stoneware, but it should still help.

      Comment


        #6
        I wouldn't pay that for a first time bake. An 8-9" bread pa will work fine put a water pan in the oven for moisture which is what a ceramic cooker provides. It keeps the moisture in. If you cover it with foil you need to make it tight and loose enough for the loaf to rise. I have been baking bread for a long time because we like to know what is going into it and can add what we want. We also bought a Bread Machine to make it easier.
        Last edited by mountainsmoker; August 2, 2019, 07:54 PM.

        Comment


        • btuckertx
          btuckertx commented
          Editing a comment
          I'm thinking about putting the dough in the 8" pan, and inverting a 9" pan over it. Should give me a pretty good seal and plenty of head room. Put a pan of water in the oven with it?

        • Thunder77
          Thunder77 commented
          Editing a comment
          spray with a mister before covering the bread.

        • mountainsmoker
          mountainsmoker commented
          Editing a comment
          A 9" pan and misting would do the job over the pan of water.

        #7
        BTW, here's the recipe in question: https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/ite...BQ2JQQ78&trk_s

        Comment


        #8
        You could also do a batard in a proofing basket, then bake it free-form on a baking stone. You can cover it with a large stainless steel bowl, or just heavily mist the bread with a sprayer when you put it in the oven.

        Comment


          #9
          I've been making bread all my life and I have a pile of pans in various shapes and sizes - most get used rarely if at all. Faced with that recipe, my choice for a first bake would be for a covered dutch oven (my preference is CI but ceramic works too). If that is a success and you really want an oblong loaf shape, search the interwebs for a SuperStone /Covered Baker by Sassafras. Its not coated ceramic but it will cook like it, just won't clean up as nice and if you use it for something other than baking it will absorb liquids. And its slightly more fragile. I've got a round one and it bakes a loaf with a slightly softer crust than my CI dutch oven. And best of all it can be found for about $60.

          KAF offers a very good selection of quality bakeware BUT it is overpriced. Some determined searching can usually turn up the same if not acceptably similar products for considerably less $. Now their flours can't be beat IMHO. Happy Baking.

          Comment


          • btuckertx
            btuckertx commented
            Editing a comment
            I've used a Lodge cast iron ceramic with good results. I'll try that before it go after (another) pan I'll rarely use. Thanks!

          #10
          I am running into this as well. I have the bug after making bread last week in my 4 qt dutch. and now seeing all the photos of bread as my mind starts jumping ahead of myself / skill level. Seems like good bread baking dishes (or what I assume to be) are pretty expensive and not really available easy enough with out a lot of searching. I am going to start a savings for some of this bake ware, but damn. 50 bucks would be far better then all the $100-150 dollar options I am finding. Seems to me and what I have read at least, a lid is necessary, and something heavy like cast or enameled cast is the preferred method

          Comment


          • Thunder77
            Thunder77 commented
            Editing a comment
            That is correct. I use a spray bottle to mist bread. You can use a pan of water, but that is not my favorite method.

          • Thunder77
            Thunder77 commented
            Editing a comment
            Enjoy the journey! It's a lot of fun. But be warned, it's addictive.

          • Richard Chrz
            Richard Chrz commented
            Editing a comment
            Thunder77. Thank you. How often you mist your bread? and yes, this went from, it would be fun to amake a few loaves to, I am now into bread porn. LOL

          #11
          ( Richard Chrz too) Visit this page ( https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ourdough-bread ) for some good tips on baking sourdough bread. It's a loooong thread, but a great one. The originator is no longer with us, but he was a danged good baker. He also was way too anal about somethings, so take his "gospel" pronouncements with a grain of salt.

          BTW, an easy way to bake bread in a moist environment is use a large (12-ish inch diameter) metal bowl (Costco sells a four pack of stainless mixing bowls in graduated sizes for $20-ish) and invert it over the loaf (a boule in this case, or a very short "loaf" would be OK) on top of a baking stone or steel. To facilitate handling, just attach a cabinet door pull to the bottom of bowl. I think there's a photo somewhere in the sourdough thread.

          Both the bowl and the stone are pre-heated, of course.

          Enjoy your baking adventure!

          Comment


            #12
            There are quite a few good alternative suggestions here, and I've done many of them myself. But nobody here has shared first hand experience with the EH pan. First off, if you're just experimenting with bread recipes to see what comes of any one of them then doing a boule in a dutch oven is the best way to go. Especially if you already own one, and if not, it's a fantastic multi-tasker that will repay it's investment multi-fold. All that being said, I bought the EH pan this past week and did my first loaf in it a couple days ago. I did the Forkish Saturday loaf recipe (even though it was Thursday), and I've got to say, the results were fantastic. Heretofore we've done almost all our loaves in the dutch oven, with some in the standard metal loaf pan. But this baby makes a big difference in outcome from my point of view. The crust was heavenly (for a crunchy crust lover like me anyway, tender mouths may differ). The crumb (admittedly greatly affected by the ingredients and handling) was terrific. Yes, it's not a cheap date, and some might see it as a single tasker, though I'm tempted to do a meatloaf in it. I got mine from Williams-Sanoma using the 15% subscription discount, wasn't able to find a better price in my time frame. Better yet, for the rest of the weekend they are having a 20% off sale, so if you're committed that might give you enough incentive. As for the unglazed option offered in two posts above, that might work though it's slightly smaller. Unglazed won't stand as much temperature (many recipes encourage 475 degree bake, while the unglazed recommends 450 max), and being unglazed leaves it more vulnerable to damage, not to mention the cleaning aspect. The EH has a 10 year warrantee worth considering.
            Last edited by Uncle Bob; August 11, 2019, 05:28 PM.

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