Finger on the Shutter

By: Jill Finger

Jun 15 2016

Category: Uncategorized

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Since February, I’ve been baking sourdough bread at least once a week. Sourdough has to be baked in a steamy environment for the first 15-20 minutes, which makes the crust cuttable and chewable. Otherwise, the crust has to be dunked to be edible.  Wes always helps me with the steam part.  He sprays the inside of the oven, just as I put the bread in, and while I’m pouring boiling water  into the cast iron frying pan on the rack underneath the bread.  We had perfected this little dance, which may sound like a lot of work, because the finished bread is so worth it.

I knew that if I baked the bread for 15 minutes in a covered Dutch oven and then removed the cover for the rest of the baking time, we wouldn’t have to perform our little steam dance.  Except,  I didn’t own a Dutch oven.  We’ve been visiting yard sales and flea markets all spring in hopes of finding a Dutch oven without any luck.  Finally, I gave in and ordered two Dutch ovens from Amazon.  The little piece of bread in the picture is what’s left of the first loaf about an hour after it came out of the oven. The bread baked in our jury rigged steam bath came out fine and was delicious, but it doesn’t begin to compare with the bread baked in the Dutch oven.  There’s a depth of flavor that’s amazing. I’m predicting a whole lotta baking going on in our house.