Two thoughts: 1) My wife is allergic to corn products. I have used both Wheatena and Malt-o- Meal cereals as unders for bread in my oven as substitutes for corn meal and both seem to work fine. 2) You recommend starting the oven toward the end of the rise cycle. This is a function of knowing your oven. My oven heats slowly particularly at higher temperatures. I have gotten into the habit of starting my oven at least a 30 to 45 minutes before my supposed end of rise. This normally allow enough time for the oven to heat fully to the proper temperature. Better to have the oven on too long than not long enough.

• Reply