"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
> The starter was just flour and water that I've been feeding for a while.
> Sometimes I use rye flour, but usually I use all purpose.
>
> I put a pound of bread flour, and scant tsp of salt dissolved in a cup of
> water in the bread machine. Added about a cup and a half of starter, and
> ran the "dough" cycle. Two hours later, had a nice very wet lump of dough
> that hadn't risen at all yet like it would've had I used bakers yeast.
>
> I turned it out into a greased Corningware casserole dish, then flipped it
> over in the dish (so the top would be greased a little) and put the lid
> on. Checked it an hour or two later and maybe it had risen a little if I
> used my imagination...
>
> So I let it sit out all night, and by this morning it has risen nicely. I
> didn't dare punch it down. I put the lid on the casserole dish and put it
> in a cold oven and turned the heat to 375. Checked at about 35 minutes
> and it kind of looked done but not browned at all and maybe a little moist
> in the center. I took the lid off and baked another 10 minutes. It was
> nicely browned and sounded right when I thumped it. I let it cool a
> little in the dish, then turned it out and put it on a rack to finish
> cooling. I squeezed it a little and the top crust was thin and had a nice
> crack to it. Hopefully there's still some left when I get home :-)
>
> Do you see any room for improvement in my "recipe"? Do the proportions
> look about right? It doesn't need any fat or milk or sugar, right?
>
> -Bob
>
These days, for all my free-form loaves, I use the NYT baking method. I heat
up a Lodge cast iron dutch oven, and lid, in the oven to 450-500F. I then
tip the proofed dough into it, put on the lid and let it bake for
~30minutes. I then remove the lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes,
depending on the size of the loaf.
I've had too many failures baking from cold although I know it works for
some, DA for example.
Graham