I started experimenting with this method a couple of months ago. I was tired of having my beautifully risen loaves lose some of their "pouf" when I plopped them into my hot Dutch oven, and/or getting burnt knuckles doing it. Every loaf I bake is a bit different--some have more whole wheat, some I use potato water, others whey from Greek yogurt. I also don't bake every week, so have devised a refreshing routine for my starter which doesn't involve throwing out half the batch before I use it. Sometimes I leave the lid on the whole time, sometimes I take it off halfway though. So far the result are very promising. And no more singed knuckles!

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