Don't make this ONE STUPID MISTAKE when Baking Bread

I feel really stupid now - this one unobvious and stupid mistake could likely make You miss on massive oven spring when baking bread.
Recipe for the dough:
- 350g bread flour (14% protein)
- 50g whole wheat flour (14% protein)
- 320g water = 80% baker's math
- 80g sourdough starter = 20% baker's math
- 8g salt = 2% baker's math
Instructions for the overnight sourdough (video upcoming soon):
- Mix all
- Add a lot of dough strength
- Wait until sample doubled
- Shape
- Proof 1 hour at room temperature
- Proof 8-24 hours in the fridge at 4°C
- Bake in preheated oven at 230°C for 25 minutes
- Bake another 15-20 minutes without the lid
-- links --
Flour I am using:
Blog article on different flours in Germany: thbrco.io/blog-flour
Drax Mühle Manitoba flour 14% protein: thbrco.io/drax-flour
For ze Germans - T550 at Rewe 11-12% protein: thbrco.io/rewe-aurora
Mulino Padano 15% protein: thbrco.io/mulino-flour
Strong whole wheat flour: thbrco.io/whole-wheat-flour
Follow me here too:
Github: thbrco.io/github
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My blog: thbrco.io/blog
My website: thbrco.io/homepage
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Support me/Merchandise:
All my custom designed shirts/hoodies: thbrco.io/bread-shirts-hoodies
Batard sourdough shirt for all you batards 🤣: thbrco.io/batard-shirt
Get some of my starter Bread Pit: thbrco.io/my-starter
Happy open crumb sourdough shirt: thbrco.io/happy-opencrumb-shirt
Neapolitan pizza shirt: thbrco.io/neapolitan-pizza-shirt
Tools:
Banneton proofing basket (25cm length, 15cm width, 8.5cm height): thbrco.io/banneton
Cooling rack: thbrco.io/cooling-rack
Digital kitchen scale: thbrco.io/kitchen-scale
Dough scraper: thbrco.io/dough-scraper
Dutch oven for batards (Challenger Bread Pan): thbrco.io/dutch-oven-batards
Dutch oven round (Lodge): thbrco.io/dutch-oven-round
Dutch oven with glas lid (Brovn) - BREADCODE = 5% off: thbrco.io/dutch-oven-glas-lid
Infrared thermometer: thbrco.io/infared-meter
Loaf pan (30cm length x 12cm width x 9cm height): thbrco.io/loaf-pan-regular
Loaf pan with lid (34cm length, 13cm width, 12cm height): thbrco.io/loaf-pan-lid
No stick spray (vegetable based): thbrco.io/non-stick-spray
Ooni pizza oven: thbrco.io/ooni-pizza-oven
Oven gloves: thbrco.io/oven-gloves
pH meter to check acidity (advanced): thbrco.io/ph-meter-advanced
pH meter to check acidity (basic): thbrco.io/ph-meter
The best bread knife (made in Germany): thbrco.io/bread-knife
Weck starter jars: thbrco.io/weck-jars
Useful videos:
Debaked ep. 1 - Pizza journey to Napoli: thbrco.io/debaked-napoli
Debaked ep. 2 - Journey to a flour mill: thbrco.io/debaked-flour-mill
Discard starter bread: thbrco.io/discard-starter-bread
Fermentation time table: thbrco.io/fermentation-time-t...
Make a sourdough starter: thbrco.io/make-sourdough-starter
Make your starter more active: thbrco.io/more-active-starter
Recommend sourdough bread recipe: thbrco.io/sourdough-recipe
0:00 Intro
1:05 The recipe
2:05 No ovenspring
2:52 Finding the mistake
4:18 The best baking temperature
4:31 Amazing oven spring
4:52 Testing different temperatures
8:00 The best temperature for oven spring
8:40 Comparing the results
9:57 3 tips on baking temperature
10:50 Further research ideas
11:23 Closing remarks and taste test
#sourdough #sourdoughtips

[@svenleeuwen]

Even the "failed" bread would be a succes for me.

[@doorstepcult2407]

For real, the loaves that made him sad would have me jumping for joy.

[@the_bread_code]

🤣sorryyyyy. You will get there Sven!

[@TheKrogon]

The Failure is way better what i drag out of the Oven every Week :D

[@valeriafuriasse9903]

agree

[@verucasalt9182]

Ho ho ho. My first loaves of bread could be used as weapons of self defence. 😂

[@milesmorse2619]

You're getting plenty of oven spring on most of your loaves. The phenomenon you're calling "oven spring" is usually referred to as an ear. For most sourdoughs the only case in which the heat can be too high is if you don't have adequate steam (and the excess heat sets the crust before the loaf has time to fully spring). Adding an ice cube to the inside of your dutch oven or just using sufficiently high hydration dough such that it releases enough steam naturally. If you want to consistently get ears you need to develop enough gas and strength in the dough during bulk fermentation. You also need to make sure that you generate enough tension in the final shape such that the dough still spreads in the way you want, even as it runs out of gas while baking. Finally when scoring it's important not to completely relieve all the tension in the dough by cutting too deeply. This is hard to describe but basically the phenomenon of the dough pushing against the score as it opens plays a huge role in the development of an ear. You can score an underproofed dough more deeply and an overproofed dough should be scored much less. Your loaves are fairly small as well so I'm not sure how much steam they're generating inside the challenger pan. Great looking bread regardless!

[@Alex-ck4in]

Underrated comment

[@chevpowr]

Absolutely nailed it

[@ekokes5704]

Thanks for this. I always thought I wasn’t getting oven spring since I wasn’t getting the “ear”.

[@1234567895182]

Extremely informative. Honestly more than this video. Thank you so much!

[@mamaduck308]

Wow! I have been watching videos for a couple of weeks now here and on Bake With Jack as I’m learning how to make sourdough. I’m keeping a journal of recipes and techniques, as well as helpful info I’ve gleaned. I dedicated a whole page just to your comment. Thanks so much! I’m going to try again tomorrow with this in mind. You put all the info I’ve seen over the last two weeks quite succinctly and it makes perfect sense now. 🎉

[@bradrogers5101]

I went through a similar troubleshooting process. For years, my bread had fantastic oven spring, and I was able to develop a great ear. Then suddenly, with a different starter, and a change to the flour that I was using, I was getting awful oven spring, and no ear. I tried increasing hydration, decreasing hydration, increasing and decreasing salt, changing my bulk fermentation and final proofing times. All to no avail. Then I started playing with temperature. Previously I had baked covered at 500f for 30 minutes, then uncovered at 450. The magic bullet was preheating the dutch oven to 500 for an hour (and checking it with an IR thermometer), adding the dough to the dutch oven and immediately turning the oven down to 425. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake at 425f for another 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, crack the door, and leave for another 30 minutes while the temperature coasts down. Suddenly I was getting amazing oven spring, a great ear, AND it solved my longstanding problem of overly moist and chewy crumb! Another benefit is that the bottom of the loaf is now thinner, and doesn't need a saw to cut through. That has been my standard technique for a year now, and it has never failed. I was simply cooking too hot.

[@treatb09]

Ill have to give it a try. Makes sense. If you bake the crust too quickly the inside will cook slower. Basic baking. Lower temps cook the inside even with the outside and vice versa.

[@RaechelleJ]

I went to a sour dough bread making class and the instructor put her dough in the bread over night and straight away into the hot oven and had good results

[@adyoster]

Can

[@debcambria665]

No folding?

[@wendyshine8548]

Would this work with einkorn flour? What kind of flour do you use?

[@angelikaradominska5512]

I really apreciate that You show us failures, not only sucseses 👍

[@the_bread_code]

My pleasure!

[@angelikaradominska5512]

@@the_bread_code I was first on your newest post on Instagram 😄

[@alexisdetocqueville9964]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Trying the lower temp + introducing water into the dutch oven for more spring has been a revelation - it's like an entirely new bread. Never thought I could get this much oven spring or such a gorgeous ear as a beginner bakey. Seriously this video has been a breakthrough for me.

[@Alexis84DE]

I’m an avid baker myself and I know baking is a science, but you took it to another level 😂

[@silencerbear9347]

This is the most German video about bread in existence. Beautiful.

[@Gr8Layks]

A complement 👍

[@jenbrasil1340]

So excited! Yesterday I followed everything you shared in this video, as well as dough strengthening, fermentation and proofing times. I wrote notes like crazy about times, temperature, etc. and this morning I finally had success all the way through the process!! Huge oven spring! Great crumb, taste, and moisture inside. And the whole trick that made the difference is your discovery that if you preheat and bake at 230c instead of a hotter oven, the crust doesn’t bake hard so quickly and the oven spring can keep expanding. Thank you so much 💗 for all you teach us , excellent videos and truly caring about your followers and wonderful sourdough bread.

[@Jess-Rabbit]

Im actually happy to see that even a good dough baker has issues with sourdough sometimes. Im pretty new and am getting frustrated thinking Ill never figure this stuff out

[@the_bread_code]

Happens all the time. But this streak of no oven spring has been the longest for me haha. I really thought I had it figured out. Wrong 🤣

[@nudibranch1379]

@ Jess Rabbit when I saw your comment I thought take heart you will get there trust me😊 then I noticed your post was 9 months ago and I am sure by now you will have cracked it! I am completely self taught or rather KZbin taught; started October 2020 and although not much made sense to me initially now all good and my bread is quite popular with family and friends. Home made really is the best!

[@the_bread_code]

So - lesson learned, too hot is not necessarily better. Interesting future experiments: 1) Ice cube to lower the temperature and create steam, 2) Preheat only the bottom part of the dutch oven? May the gluten be with all of you.

[@Phlya1]

How about baking on the stone with steam from a tray on the bottom?

[@voidremoved]

what about this experiment trying to make a loaf of sourdough using shredded wheat instead of flour, even if you can make the starter from shredded wheat. Also I wonder how lower or higher oven rack would effect your loaf. Except my oven is different than yours. I don't have any shredded wheat I am just curious if it could make a loaf

[@patricksweeney556]

Chilling the dough down briefly in the freezer before baking?

[@BenniOSM]

@@Phlya1 will not give you enough steam. A dutch oven or the brovn he is using, which is basically the same, is always the preferred method for at home I'd say for enough steam. Otherwise a small tray with vulcano stones or many stainless steel balls works for others like the ploetzblog guy for example.

[@krzysztofmedyna3661]

I was wondering as to your spritzing your doughs with water prior to baking. Have you seen a notable improvement in oven spring with adding this as well?

[@tda1044]

I'm a newbie at home-baking, and love watching your videos and your enthusiasm for bread-baking. Thank you for sharing your knowledge which you have gleaned from your experiments. So refreshing to watch you. I downloaded your free book, and am hoping to use it to improve my skills.

[@ruthshin695]

I discovered this secret quite accidentally the other day. I forgot that I normally preheat my oven to about 475 F and set it to 450F instead. I usually use a lidded clay pot instead of a dutch oven. I normally soak this in water and then heat it up in the oven while preheating but just decided to see what would happen if I just soaked it in water and not preheat it. I put my dough in this cold damp pot and I discovered the best oven spring I've ever gotten. My dough basically doubled in size. The bread ended up with a nice brown crust as usual too.

[@markskibo5159]

I bake in an clay baker too. Was always wanting to try that but was afraid of cracking the baker. used to soak the lid only but didnt make a difference. Now I spray my loaves after i put them in.

[@evelyngrunstein7025]

At what point do you take the lid off? Or do you bake until the end with lid. Do you keep the temp at 450 throughout?

[@fco.nutrition71]

This video offers a helpful perspective. A few days ago I baked two loaves back-to-back and the second one had much better oven spring. It makes me think the temp was too high for the first loaf, and that the dutch oven cooled a bit by the time I baked the second loaf. I will try lowering my oven temperature from the get go next time and see what happens.

[@midi166]

Thanks for testing that temperature parameter. I have a combi steam oven that only goes to 225 C. So, I always thought I was shut out of good spring because I couldn’t get to those upper end finishing temperatures. Now, I will try to play with other recipes.

[@priayief]

I admire your perseverance and tenacity. There's so much work behind producing this wonderfully informative video. Thank you.

[@nozoris1]

This is by far the best advice anyone can give…just tried it now and wowwww what a difference it made…thank you

[@virginiavoigt2418]

Although you are a remarkable "bread teacher," you teach a lot more than bread. I love your persistence and placing a high value on failure. A true learner and a an excellent teacher.

[@alang253]

Try NOT preheating your dutch oven. The King Arthur no knead sourdough recipe they instruct you to fully preheat the oven, and place dough in the room temperature dutch oven and bake for 45 minutes before removing the lid, and another 15 minute without the lid. I swear I get much better oven spring out of any loaf. I think this prolongs the 'life' of the yeast while it's in the oven and encourages more oven spring vs. killing it all quickly...

[@lbamusic]

The pronto posting is very muchly appreciated! My new normal is now 450deg F.

[@jaykeyz9094]

in the intro, they both looked amazing! YOU ARE HEADS AND SHOULDERS ABOVE MY LEVEL

[@the_bread_code]

Sorry 😅. You will get there 🙏🏻

[@the_bread_code]

You can read about this in detail in my free book called “The Sourdough Framework”. You can get it here: thbrco.io/book. You can support the project with a donation, but there is absolutely no knead. I believe information like this should be free and accessible to everyone. The book is made for everyone who wants to understand the important details when making sourdough bread. Thank you!

[@doinamarina6616]

You couldn’t loose your mojo even if you wanted to. You’re the sweetest baker KZbin can provide 🤗

[@the_bread_code]

Aww 😍, thank you!

[@julie55hope]

Agreed. You won't lose the mojo

[@stephaniewilkinson4784]

Thank you! I’ve always wondered why I get no ear and my bread is flat!!! And I’ve been searching for the reason. I can’t believe it’s so simple. Thank you!

[@shizzl0rable]

As a German when I heard this guy is also German I knew I was in the right place 😂 cold hearted efficiency in every way. I don’t know if anybody else enjoys the fact that bread gives you the time to work an entire day in between

[@Cuppytan]

Very true about the variability of the oven temperature- as home ovens aren't calibrated routinely (as you would with a critical lab equipment). We do need to learn and adjust the settings based on previous results (in manufacturing, we call this validation process) until you find the perfect parameters! Thankyou for sharing this video.

[@JonathanSundy]

Oh dip. This just reminded me that I think my oven actually has a calibration process.

[@x70101]

I've been making bread using a poolish but didn't get the nice ear on the loaf :( your method of lowering the temperature slightly worked wonders and now it does! :D thanks for sharing!!!

[@Austin1990]

Thank you so much for running all these tests for us! This was a lot of work.

[@debbiewrazen5233]

Great presentation. Thank you for inviting us into your trials and errors. Your bread is beautiful!

[@OO_sunflower_OO]

“Please, try to eat some bread” he yells desperately as his neighbors try to leave his house

[@IsabelleLutze]

🤣🤣

[@permculture]

Watching the top cuts to the bread prior to baking it is noticeable that as soon as the cuts are made the relief to the dough lets it start to open and expand immediately. Of note is that some of the doughs were more active in their expansion, thus raising the question if the doughs were actually handled exactly the same prior to cooking.

[@robetheridge4008]

Really interesting! Thank you for such a detailed method. I’m excited to try this in my oven. Take care, and be safe. From Toronto Canada 🇨🇦

[@mrtuncer]

You should have continued this experiment with different lower temperatures. For example, at a temperature of 220-200 celcius. The actual temperature of the ovens in many people's homes may not reach 230 degrees. I started making bread by baking in midi ovens and the temperature of my pizza stone could reach a maximum of 210 degrees. However, when I could provide enough steam, I was able to make breads with the perfect crumb and outer texture. Your posts and the passion you have about it are inspiring. It highlights the channel of scientific approaches and sincerity in a field with thousands of parameters. Hope you continue this way, thank you.

[@susanc3519]

I recently tried baking my no knead bread without heating up the dutch oven and it worked amazing but I generally get pretty good oven spring. Since then I've quit preheating the dutch oven. I might try preheating again and see if I find a difference. Thanks for your great helpful videos!

[@Syth17]

My first ever loaf was done by putting my final shaped bread in the dutch oven in the fridge overnight to ferment before baking in the morning and it was my best one. As soon as i started trying to shape it and transfer to the dutch oven its been a long 3 weeks. In 8 hours I test out this theory.

[@dderby5171]

My Dutch oven has walls so it is hard to drop the loaf in gently when it is hot. I lose some of my crumb just from the handling. Now I set the loaf on a parchment paper which allows me to score and then lower it gently into the hot Dutch oven without disturbing the loaf.

[@seon-hwa]

Me, a german, listening to a german explaining bread in english. Hah, globalisation!

[@ankevonjanuszkiewicz8458]

I love it too!!!

[@yardleyj9391]

He's so articulate. I love his diction.

[@SpencerJ289]

I’m an American and I seem to keep following German bakers haha

[@gingerlife9590]

Haha me too 😅

[@freaki0734]

@@SpencerJ289 Bread is the one food-item germans are good and maybe even best at a

[@twiggyinc1]

So many comments after an hour of posting. Also kudos for the reason for posting, Natasha in the original post. Your a nice guy which is pretty good at making bread.

[@the_bread_code]

Thanks!

[@julie55hope]

ThankYou so much for sharing your experience, failures and possible options to correct. I think my oven and Dutch oven may be too hot now too. My bottom crust is always too dark and difficult to cut through. I use a pizza stone on lower rack and bake in middle; believing that the stone would keep the bottom from getting over done. 😕 hmmm, time to experiment again without the stone and lower the temperature. Bless you much😊

[@overlanderlite1600]

I’ve been fighting this since moving a couple months ago. The temperature, elevation, and a new gas oven vs. old electric, where all present in this move. Before the move I got good oven spring and a good ear. Since the move, Been one failure after another! This video unlocked the secret for me! My new oven is running about 30 degrees hot! I used a thermometer in the oven, adjusted the temperature to 450 inside , and boom! Oven Spring and the ear is back! ❤. Thank you so much!

[@ugeneous]

Just getting into making bread and one trick I found is heat your oven and as you put your sourdough inside the oven turn the oven off for 20 to 25 minutes while it’s cooking covered. You will get the maximum spring.

[@RandomnessUK]

I really love this tip as I feel like my ear development is the weakest part of my sourdough. Even when I have a nicely shaped dough it seems that the ear never truly develops. I did try placing the "base" of the Dutch Oven on top of the "top" when preheating, which makes the base hotter than the top. This did help but I'm still baking at gas mark 9 (245c) and reducing to 230 after uncovering. But Gas ovens are unreliable! I check the temp of the DO with an IR thermometer and it usually goes up to anything from 250 to 270! I'll try a lower temp bake and see how it comes out, thanks!

[@Areugay404]

i just started using a pizza stone and steaming my oven with my last two loaves, watching this video was so eye-opening as i was discovering the reasons behind such a better oven spring than i ever had with my dutch oven! thanks so much :)

[@user-eu5jc6qj4r]

Some little thing to improve the crust even more: have the oven door open some centimetres for the last 5 minutes of baking. This can do wonders to that crust.

[@GeologyUpSkill]

I have found you get better "ears" by working some flour into the surface of the dough during shaping. It produces a thin layer of low hydration dough on the surface that is stronger so it "pulls" up better as the high hydration dough expands inside.

[@Erth]

👏🏻 Bravo! You are a master! 🙏🏼 thanks for sharing.

[@jacquelinen8545]

So grateful for your research!! Can't wait to try it out!

[@jonashaas8143]

I wonder why you even decided to up the temperature since your bread last year (which is when I watched a lot of your channel) was always on point already. Also thank you so much for now always sharing the protein content of your flower. It took me ages to figure out why my bread never looked as the ones I saw on KZbin. Until I asked about the flour underneath a video once. And that was quite the game changer. Well I haven't baked in ages due to it being so time consuming but I really want to get back into it. So I'm gonna try out your easy overnight recipe.

[@the_bread_code]

My pleasure. The full overnight recipe will be out soon 🙏🏻👍

[@moonwalk1031]

I had the same problem. My small oven intensifies the interior heat of the dutch oven. So if it's as hot as it can be--which a lot of recipes tell you is the best way to bake the bread--the bread gets a crust too fast. This traps the expanding dough and, you end up with"flying saucer" shaped loaves. The minute I turned down the heat--to pretty much the same temp as you--the crust didn't form so fast, and the dough was free to expand. In short, I got good oven spring. You absolutely need to know your oven and how it's generating heat. Smaller, older ovens tend to do what mine did--create too much heat in side the dutch oven.

[@pokey3010]

Yum! Thank you for this now i know for sure my oven is not accurate temp. Awesome video!

[@ai-baking-f1]

I changed a few things a couple of weeks ago and my last loaf had no spring or ear. One element was heating the over and cookie sheet to 470 and then turning down to 450 once the bread goes in. The other was messing with the bulk fermentation times. This helps a ton. Thank you so much

[@yasminni485]

I make baguettes from a high-hydration dough. I bake them at 200c for about 20 minutes or so, in a preheated oven with a pan of boiling water on the bottom. I make sure there is plenty of steam in the oven when the dough goes in, and I spray the dough with water as well. This also works really well on other rustic type of dough.

[@the_bread_code]

Sounds good! Matches with what I observed 200C is better than too hot.

[@rcbustanut2057]

Lol, I feel your pain in the pursuit of perfection with dough. I have been making wood/coal fired brick oven neapolitan pizza for many years now. And although all who have tried my pizzas have fell in love with them, I still strive for perfection in every detail. I have another batch of dough ready in my fridge slow fermenting as I type. I currently use 00 flour, 67-70% hydration, poolish starter for my pizza dough. My next experiment will be using a biga starter to see how it affects the overall crust. Great work, keep on baking & never settle for "just ok", raise the bar with every loaf lol. 😎👍

[@karaholland7093]

Thank you for sharing your experiments! This perfected my loaf! ❤

[@walteradamsbe]

Brilliant revelation. I will definitely take your tips to heart on my next bake !

[@donaldbest1295]

Thank you so much for this inspiring lesson. I'm just about to bake my first bread this weekend... first ever! It won't be sourdough - but I'll give that a try in a few weeks. Cheers from Barrie, Canada.

[@panibodo]

Donald, I don't think you should 'start with Hendrick' as a beginner. He is fantastic and I enjoy watching his videos. For a beginner who is just starting to bake bread, however, he is too scientific and therefore too complicated for me. Regards from Germany.

[@zookytar]

@@panibodoAs an experienced home baker, I concur. Do a bunch of basic recipes first and enjoy your delicious bread before trying to do this stuff. He is using more advanced techniques like scoring at a particular angle with a lamé (a specialized scoring instrument) in order to optimize the ear formation. Just focus on making yummy bread first, then add more techniques gradually. Start with easy yeast recipes to maximize your baking fun.

[@MrSurfferchik]

Great experimentation! I love seeing that other home bakers need to figure things out 😄. I do regular and gluten free for my son and that brings out tons of 😫! These two doughs work so differently so I have to remember very different procedures haha 😄. Thanks for the fun and may the gluten be with you haha😆.

[@michelleslifeonrepeat]

I’d love to hear of your gf recipe and how you make your starter. I would be so happy to make my daughter a gf loaf. Please do share. Or email it my email in in my about page on my channel. Thank you

[@EzyTiger123]

Amazing! Your passion for bread is infectious...

[@leannagreene3085]

Wow this is an amazing experiment, running to my kitchen to try this out! I’ve been having this problem for so long, thank you!!

[@GraemeRobinson]

You're crazy, both of those loaves have amazing spring and look fantastic.

[@markzanetti6228]

I know, he might as well be comparing golf balls.

[@ankevonjanuszkiewicz8458]

Do not forget he is German (me too) we like it PERFECT😉

[@robertjohnson1109]

Nein. He wan'ts excellent bread. He's looking for a simple technical excellence. That's ok.

[@dabeezkneez8716]

@lll lll True! But I'll take any slice lol😋👌🏽

[@demonetized4377]

@@ankevonjanuszkiewicz8458 yes. The final, perfect solution.

[@vashxux]

I discovered this fact also a couple of days ago. 6 days left in the 30 day trial and i finally feel close to getting consistent results. Also I feel like everyone's oven is also different in its ability to retain/reheat after opening to start the bake. So preheating hotter or cooler depending to start may factor in. Definitely something everyone has to play a little with

[@sandrad2506]

Yes I feel the same, I heat the oven to 245 and turn it down to 230 when I put in the bread, but I’ve noticed the heat keeps dropping until it gets down to about 215

[@catharinepizzarello4784]

Awesome! Hello from Jersey City NYC. You are helping me understand sourdough bread. You saved my beautiful starter from the brink of death by explaining that it needs whole grain flour. I

[@stinkdyr301]

Very helpful vdo, and all of your breads look delicious! Your experimenting shows me that I will need to take the journey with my own oven and try a lower temp for the first phase of baking. Thanks and gutes snack!

[@sandrajohnson9926]

I heat my Dutch Oven for a half hour at 450°F. But that is not for sourdough. Just an amateur who has been baking bread for 50 years just occasionally. Thanks for the science lesson. Sometimes I toss hot water in oven as I add a loaf. It helps with crusty bread.

[@DANVIIL]

After pre-heating the oven for 1 hour I bake at 260 C (500F) . After I put the bread oven, I turn down to 233C (450F). After 20 minutes off with the lid. I'm pretty happy with that but your advice is excellent. Don't trust your oven thermometter.

[@lllbbbzy]

Thank you so much for this. Its amazing what a difference the temp made!

[@CrystalAnatta]

Your experiment blowed my mind. What on earth i always thought that dutch oven would make "ear" to all the bread. That's why i would like to buy DO. But your video showed that the temp was so much important. Last time i baked a bread with my casserole pot. I reduced the temp to 230°C for the first 20 minutes. Wow. It turned great! There was a ovenspring. Thanks!

[@stefanmansukhani8797]

Very interesting, I've never made a sour dough bread ever. Though I learnt a Turkish bread which is super easy and can be used as either a German brochen or a French baguette. The procedure involves dropping the bread before baking in boiling water for a minute, it's an amazing technique that makes crusty bread making so much easier.

[@ONEly-uc4et]

That is similar to the techniques used with making bagels. There is a lot of science there but it makes a great crust.

[@jameslevi6030]

Turn off the oven for the first 20 minutes, then open the Dutch oven, turn the oven back on at 425° and bake for 25 minutes.

[@TheBigreenmonster]

I was one of the people who answered your poll. I bake at 500° F for 20 mins ­lid on - 450° F for 20 mins lid off (260° C - 230° C) and always got just ok ears and oven spring compared to yours . I always put it down to the widely available bread flour here in the US being only 12.7% protein and my general laziness when it comes to scoring the dough. Next bake I will try your temps and see if I get any different results.

[@drivingthenation]

I do the same but get great oven spring. I use central milling OO flour.

[@JonathanSundy]

How did it go?

[@basecampcrypto5995]

Great video. I am somewhat new to sourdough and this is super helpful! Thank you.

[@FreshisReal]

Thank you for sharing your sourdough bread baking experiments!

[@divenatty]

I found the same results a while ago. I started using a Breadware pan I got for my birthday and lost all my oven spring and ears. I used a kitchenaid dutch oven before this and always had great ears. So i dropped my temperature to 450 for 20min but I added 2 icecubes. WOW! The difference was out of this world! Even if i overproof I always get an ear and some oven spring. I wish i could post pics :( I've learned so much from you and a few others on youtube over the pandemic and now I feel like a pro whenever I make bread 😁 Thank you for all your guidance!

[@the_bread_code]

Awesome. Glad to hear that!

[@HowardBaileyMusic]

I bought a KitchenAid Dutch oven last year but haven't tried it yet. Did yours have the rubber/silicone thing in the handle? I'm wondering if I have the same one. Mine is oval, quite large and slightly thinner iron than my 60 year old Wagner Ware D/O I'm wondering if the thinner iron contributed to a crispier crust?!

[@thierrybalfroid5169]

Just at tip to calibrate your oven : use phase transition. Sucrose (usual sugar available in our kitchen) melts at 186°C. So just put a sample in a alumium sheet and check what is the temperature on the dial of your oven when the phase transition happens.

[@jelly8594]

Why aluminium sheets?

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

@@jelly8594 Disposable aluminium foil: toss it when done rather than cleaning burnt sugar off something reusable.

[@jelly8594]

@@AndrewHelgeCox ah, sure. It was just so specific that I thought the aluminium did something important in this reaction.

[@davidboudreau4054]

@@jelly8594 Yeah I was hoping that with a Tylenol and the aluminum sheets you could get super pure blue meth like Walter did...Oh and check your oven temp at the same time....

[@mardigammon4061]

That kind of reminds me of what potters do. They put cones in the kiln that melt at different temperatures and check through the peep hole if the cone has melted, and that way know that the type of clay they are using has vitrified enough. Really smart, actually :)

[@thejesmeister]

Great video! Loving your hard work 💪🏼🍞

[@PiotrTymkow]

I bake at 425F for the first 35min. Then I open the cast iron pot, reduce temperature to 400F and keep baking for another 20 min. I love my bread and am very happy with it. I have a very good spring but I don't really care about having a great ear. I don't spritz the dough before baking. I will in my next test. Thank you very much for all your tutorials and advice. I love to watch them.

[@rayong1]

My first thought is too much spraying. I just spritz two or 3 times and I get a great ear every time. Another way to get the dutch oven hot quickly is to heat it on the stove top for 5 to 10 min then sticking it in oven for 10 mins for the heat to distribute. This shortens the preheat time a little.

[@thegiftlady1]

Vid suggestion: Results from different washes & glazes. I just learned brushing your bread heavily w water gives a different result (beautiful blisters) then spraying (smooth, shiny). Very curious about all this. And building strength. OMG, so important for great rise. I'm still practicing building tension on my ovals and long breads. FYI, I've practiced my "ears" on no knead breads to save time, effort and see results in a few hours. Got my first effect was on a Challah boule. I'll use that technique on my next Soursdough.😉

[@trimitiri]

Very helpful insight, 230C worked for me also! Thank you!

[@anthonywinters7603]

This video is super helpful thanks for making it. That bread was beautiful as well.

[@scottdavis2036]

Here’s the funny thing. I actually recently raised my starting temperature to 550 degrees Fahrenheit and have gotten better oven spring. You have to remember that after 10 minutes whether 450 or 550 all the yeast has been killed. So I still believe that shaping and handling is the difference. Unfortunately you really can’t test this. But I keep trying and know that the bread will taste just as good even with a little less or more oven spring. I have also noticed I get better oven spring if I score more towards the top of the batard.

[@davidh5940]

Next experiment- water spraying like mad vs no spraying. What are the outcomes of all this spraying?

[@the_bread_code]

Good idea.

[@RaabNicklas]

My thought as well! I stopped spraying my bread a while back. I found I didn't get any less of an oven-spring (I'm not that experienced so I might be wrong though). Plus, I found they came out nicer looking when using rice flower :)

[@johnh9754]

@@RaabNicklas ......I've had decent bread. Very tasty bread. But I've never seen a single blister yet. I'm going to try preheating only to 230⁰C ......actually measured with my thermometer 230⁰C. Makes a loaf of sense😁

[@thegiftlady1]

Spraying gives you a completely different result than brushing with water very heavily. See this vid. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZaolJqjfKyVeNU

[@thegiftlady1]

Spraying vs brushing give a very diff result. Brushing off the flour does also: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZaolJqjfKyVeNU

[@joanray6897]

Very informative and educational. Thank you!

[@mandyhasler4802]

Hi. I only preheat the Dutch oven NOT the lid. And bake at 230°c for the first 15 mins. Then lower the temp to 200°c for another 10. Then finish off with lid off for 10. Good spring and always a good ear. Love your videos.

[@JoseLausuch]

The stone "steals" a lot of the heat so it takes more time heating everything. I normally take it out if I use dutch oven. And I normally bake at 250ºC, but now I'm gonna try 230, just to see what happens. Will share results soon :) Thanks for sharing your findings!

[@the_bread_code]

Yep. I learned the hard way to pay more attention to the baking temperature. Please do share them. Thanks!

[@ravenserpent31]

What were your results?

[@LesEssentielsPHOTO]

Thanks Hendrick! Very interesting. I was wondering what that mistake could be, but wasn't expecting it to be the oven temperature. I'll try to bake my next loaves at 230 then 210. Usually I've always kept it at 250/230, or even 250 all along. What is even more confusing is that, in bakeries, they usually bake even higher, according to the kind of bread. But it's surely a different kind of oven... Professional edition! 🤣 And by the way, kudos for the clickbatish title 🤣🤣🤣. Works wonders I'm sure 😉

[@shippuuden28]

they have steam injection.

[@damnthisusername]

Oh hearing that crunching at the end, very satisfying!! Yum!

[@traneste]

I like your idea to test only preheating the bottom of the Dutch oven

[@frojo416]

Hey there, really loved the video. I’m extremely new to bread baking so these videos are great! I just have one question. Is the dough coming straight from refrigeration or is it room temperature?

[@the_bread_code]

Thank you! Directly from the fridge into the oven.

[@dillbourne]

Huh. For once, my underpowered gas stove seems to be a boon! I'm never able to hold my oven above 450F, so that's what I bake at. I very easily get decent oven spring and this was true even for my first few sourdough loaves. Seems like it saved me a lot of headaches in figuring out oven spring. 👍

[@innayan987]

Well ,it takes watching 100 videos to get to this one and actually find it to be useful! Thank you

[@pimm6678]

Thank you for your hard work experimenting this

[@marcushyppy]

Only guy on internet that : eats his experiments and it makes you feel to ring his door bell to try. And says may the gluten be with you and even selliacs want to come over....

[@DickonThompson]

Glüten tag!

[@jngx5211]

have you ever thought about experimenting with a steam oven? i've been using a steam oven with my breads for the last half year or so and have been really happy with the results. I've gotten really good rise out of all of my loaves even though i know my shaping isn't always the best.

[@the_bread_code]

Great idea for another experiment. My mom has one and I could hijack it for some tests.

[@pieterjdw]

Could you share your best practice with steam oven

[@jngx5211]

@@pieterjdw I have the Cuisinart steam oven. I normally preheat my bread pan for 45 mins at 450 then put the dough on some parchment paper and bake it for 20 mins at on bread function for 20 mins. Then I bake for 17 mins at 425

[@samiamhere]

@@the_bread_code I would be really interested in this. I have a Wolf Steam oven and I cannot seem to get an ear out of it. Most of my loaves look very similar to your 'failures' in this video. I wonder if it is possible to still get that awesome ear in a steam oven. You know any examples of this with a steam oven?

[@wyattalexander4041]

What a great video !!!!! I cant wait to try this thank you !!! 🙏

[@randynundlall2601]

Thank you for explaining it so clearly.

[@natashas4713]

I know that my oven drops a lot when I open it to take my cloche out to load the bread. So have you considered the differences occurring that are a result of the actual temp of the Dutch oven vs oven itself and the changes in temp that occur while loading?

[@the_bread_code]

Great comment. Yes, 100%. This is something that needs to be considered too. I leave the other half of my dutch oven in the oven while I load the dough. If you don't the 2-3 minutes could already have you at around 230°Cish temperature, perfect for the bake.

[@Josehenrique-se9dh]

I have to ask, have you tried spraying less water? this comes from the concept that the dough is already hydrated and the water inside the loaf will evaporate into the dutch oven while it bakes, creating the moist environment. I see you spraying so much water that makes me think the dutch oven takes a hit to temperature before going back to the oven. I try to spray as little as i can, just to wet the dough a little. I also use non adherent food paper to minimize contact with iron, which makes the bread hot but not burn on the bottom. i use less hydration but the loaves come out beautiful. 48 hours of fermentation.

[@the_bread_code]

Very interesting idea. Thanks! This is another variable that should be investigated.

[@liliannaevan4581]

I never spray with water and my bread comes out beautiful. I always bake at 450 F . 30 min with lid 15 min without. I use bread challenger baker now . And 48 h it takes to produce my bread also 😂

[@toddbohlke5660]

What temp do you ferment? I'm guessing a little while at room temp while you do your stretch and folds and then into the fridge for the rest of the time? That's how I've been experimenting and am getting good sourness but my oven spring has gotten worse

[@liliannaevan4581]

@@toddbohlke5660 after 3 or 4 stretch and fold in ambient temperature I bulk ferment till double or triple in ambient temperature too. Then I shape gently and put in the fridge for at leat12 hours. I bake straight from the fridge. If the sourdough bread has sweet inclusion I tend to bake at maybe 430 f to 450 . Savory inclusions 450 f to 465 . Lately I started including dry milk in the dough. I noticed amazing improvement in quality of flavor and crust . Good luck !!! One more thing . Last weekend it took me 12 hours to bulk ferment my prosciutto bread . Then I shaped it and put on the fridge for 12 h . It was delicious !!!!!

[@samclements8246]

I spray when I want blisters.

[@davidh5940]

Love your scientific approach 🍻

[@rlwalker2]

I've definitely got to try this. Thank you. Mix at night. Let the chemistry occur. Bake in the morning (I'll even try the 230C.) This may end up being my go-to recipe. Keep up these type experiments you may need to open a bread store. lol

[@katarinabevccernilec7398]

thank you for this informative video. i'm just wondering who ate all the “failed” bread😀

[@the_bread_code]

🤣my neighbours and - the extra 5kg I gained. But - failed bread is perfect for making German style "Knödel". Very good!

[@katarinabevccernilec7398]

@@the_bread_code ooo knoedl🥰. we know it too in Slovenia. i am just starting my sourdough journey and your channel is really helpful. thanks for all the info/experiments you share with us.

[@RL-fj9xz]

surprising he doesn't weigh 500 lbs.

[@HussiAli123]

@@the_bread_code well all the failed attempts were delicious and no one can feel bad about that

[@CnexS]

I've had the idea of adding sauna stones to the water tray. With the larger surface it should create a more steamy environment in the oven. Have you tried this or what are your thoughts on it?

[@the_bread_code]

Excellent idea. I have tried that too in the past. It does create a lot of steam yep. This way you also lower the temperature in the oven as the steam evaporates. I'd say this plus a tray on top of the bread for indirect heat makes the perfect DIY dutch oven.

[@MechTronMan]

Thanks for the tips, just got a dough hook machine and I am trying out baking.

[@jobagirl]

What a great scientific approach