Re: 5th Rock Oven Bake Today

Posted by Herb (206.191.197.247)

In Reply to: 5th Rock Oven Bake Today posted by Herb

I will jot down the notes I took during yesterday's bake.

Outside temp. +12.6° F.

1 pm: Started mixing bread ingredients: 50% rye flour. Threw in all the caraway seed that I had.

1:45: 1st dough rise begun
3:33: Kneading dough on thick slab cut from one of my own pine trees.
3:50: 2nd rise begun
3:55: Lit fire in Rock Oven. Paper shoved into ash pit. Flames rise up through grate and ignite branches, twigs, blocks and wood chunks; good roaring blaze
4:07: Reloaded stove with more wood; lots!
4:30: Reloaded stove: pine scraps and small blocks
4:55: Reloaded stove: some short oak pieces
5:30: Oven temp 600 F. PLUS!
5:42: 550 F.
5:48: 525 F.
5:55: 475 F.
6:02: Bread in at 425 F.
6:17: Repositioned loaves; look kind of dark
6:27: Bread out; darker crunchy crust! (300 F.)

Results were good, but the crust got a bit too dark (but not burned) and the loaves were slightly shrunken. But still very tasting and crunchy which I like. Last time I put the bread in at 400 F. and it had a softer crust. That 25 degrees made a difference.

Probably hat wood reload at 4:55 was not necessary. Or I could have let the stove cool down to 400 F. before putting the bread in. Don't know how accurate this cheap Walmart thermometer is and I keep forgetting it in the oven where it gets REALLY hot on fire-up.

Like Rado said, every time the results are a little different and that's true. The rye bread is good but a rather light rye. So far I still like the straight French bread recipe best using BREAD flour (not all purpose which tastes different).

I need to find an digital thermometer that sits outside the stove with only the sending unit inside. As it is now, the thermometer hangs inside the stove and the numbers are heat faded so I had to file notches in the metal to read it more easily when I open the stove door and peer into the hellish interior. I will have to look for a external thermometer as I have to closely monitor the falling temperature and catch it just right.

Once I really get the hang of baking in this Rock Oven, I know I will be heading towards darker breads like pumpernickel, etc.

Re: 5th Rock Oven Bake Today