Par baking, grrrrrrrr

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skiaddict1 on 10 Apr 2015 at 18:51

Greetings all,

I have a wonderful no-knead Ciabatta recipe (necessary because I have RSI in both wrists) which I want to be able to par-bake:

1.5C water

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp yeast

3C flour

Mix, leave overnight, shape on baking paper, bake 30 minutes at 230°C.  Enjoy :-)

I did some research here and elsewhere and have been trying to follow the advice, particularly that given here: http://weightloss-slim.fit/node/14281/need-help-par-baking%3C/a%3E, but I'm not having any luck.  I can't seem to get the internal temperature to 85°C and have no browning.

Today's attempt was 30 minutes at 190°C (non-fan) -- one loaf, the flatter one, was at 85°C inside, and the other one, a slightly taller one, was under 80°C.  Both had small spots of brown on the top.  I haven't yet done the second bake so can't comment on the final result, but it bothers me that I can't seem to get the right temperature for the first.

I really don't know what to try next!  Can anyone give me some tips please?

Grateful TIA :-)

 

PS I don't have a Dutch oven, and my oven vents (by fan) the entire time it's on, so there's no point trying to create steam, so the loaves just sit on baking paper on a metal baking tray in the middle of the oven.

a stainless steel bowl (or reusable aluminum roasting pan) on top of the couch when you put it in, the dough stays wet longer and get a little steaming on its own. This prevents the fans from drying the crust out so you can bake longer until you get a nice brown crust and the center is at 96C.

to make an aluminium tent out of foil. I think that's a great idea from Bob.  But even at 190C it's hot enough to brown.  Maybe you can turn the oven down (or even off, so there's no fan) after the bread has sprung and just let it come to temperature internally on residual heat for a par bake with no browning.

...unfortunately I don't have anything big enough to put over the loaves (I bake them two at a time) but I tried turning the oven off after 25 minutes today, and the internal temp did indeed rise to 85°C.  I still got some browning, so will try turning the oven off earlier next time, perhaps after just 20 minutes.  Unfortunately there's no way to stop the exhaust fan from operating (save turning the oven off at the wall!) so there's a limit to how long I can leave the bread in there, but I get the feeling this may work.  Thanks for the idea :-)