On 8/18/04 1:23 PM, "Ron Anderson" > wrote:

> Interesting the Romertopff. I have one and it tells me to always start with
> a cold oven. My thought was placing a soaked non fired clay pot in a hot
> oven will shatter it.
> Have you done this in a hot oven?
> I tried one time a loaf in it with a cold start and was not happy at all
> with the result.
>
Ron,

The way I do it is:

1) be sure the finished bread will release. I use corn meal, if the pot is
not well seasoned it may require oil (as in lightly spread Crisco ((frankly,
lard is healthier)) + corn meal)
2) proof bread covered in pot. Do not soak pot...
3) place pot in COLD oven, set temp to 500
4) bake for about 20 minutes (this obviously depends on oven, slow oven will
be longer) by the end of 20 minutes the oven should be very hot...
5) after this initial 20 minutes, REMOVE THE TOP and bake the bread for
another 15 minutes or until the crust is well browned. I prefer mine very
dark but fine tuning will be your call...

What you have done is recreate the environment of a small steam oven within
your larger oven. The dough will release enough water vapor to fully develop
the bread and set the stage for an excellent crust when it finally hits the
hot dry air. The finished bread will not be dense or damp. The crust may
crackle as it cools. A good sign...

As I write this, I've got two rye breads waiting to go...

Will