I finally got to try this recipe over the weekend. I made the dough Saturday. It rose rapidly at room temperature, and I had visions of overflow in the fridge overnight. However, the dough behaved and stayed well within it’s designated space. I pulled out some of the dough Sunday to make a baguette style loaf. It was so nice to simply take dough out of the fridge, shape it, and leave it to rise. It didn’t rise much before baking, but more than doubled in the first minutes of baking. Instead of imperiling my glass oven door by pouring water into a pan (thank you prior posters for the warning!) I spritzed the loaf with water immediately before putting it into the oven. The result was a very crunchy, crackly crust. The loaf was gone before the night was over.
One problem I did have was that the crust started to burn before the center was quite ready. Should I adjust my temperature down a few degrees overall, or maybe turn the temperature down after 20 minutes or so and bake a little longer? I’m inclined to try the latter. Do you think it would still have the crusty exterior if I did?
Hi Becky,
Try the high heat first, lowering it after 15-20 minutes. You want a nice hot oven to give you oven spring and get the steam going. Drop the temp by 25°, and continue the bake until the bread is done. Hope this helps. ~ MaryJane
January 11, 2010 at 11:44am