I preheat cast iron Dutch oven for 1 hr @ 500F. Take Dutch oven out, pour in a layer of cornmeal, place loaf on parchment paper, lower the loaf & parchment paper onto the cornmeal, replace lid and return to oven. Bake 20 min @ 500F. Remove lid, lower heat to 450F. Bake 25-30 minutes more.
Even with the cornmeal layer, which has prevented blackened burnt bottoms, I still get extra hard bottoms. Like, really hard to cut through with a sharp bread knife. Any tips?
StrangeInsight
Try putting a sheet pan on the rack under the loaf, to create more indirect heat!
hronikbrent
I’ve been throwing a pizza stone on the rack under, about halfway into the bake as I’m removing the cover on the Dutch oven(beautiful loaf,btw)
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dyerean
Wrinkled up aluminum foil in the DO, it helps to diffuse the heat at the bottom of the DO.
archelxo
I sprinkle a handful of flour on the bottom of the Dutch oven, and then baking paper with the bread on top
dunaway87
I use shower caps from Amazon for my overnight proof. It keeps the top moist and soft when in the banneton and the final product with a thinner softer bottom.
Also a sheet pan on the rack directly below your Dutch oven keeps it from burning.
diamondt1ts
Parchment paper! It both helps me lower the boule into the hot Dutch oven and prevents the bottom from burning
CafeRoaster
I’ve tried the sheet pan on the rack below but have still gotten issues. I’ve had better luck with placing the DO on top of the sheet pan when I load it into the oven. Sheet pan is not pre-heated with the oven.
FWIW, I’ve had better luck not scorching the bottoms when I use my tiles and lava rocks method, but it’s trickier, more work, and not as reliably springy as the DO.
shybear93
Layer of corn meal on the bottom of the dutch oven.
10 Comments
[Recipe](https://basicswithbabish.co/basicsepisodes/sourdough-bread)
I preheat cast iron Dutch oven for 1 hr @ 500F. Take Dutch oven out, pour in a layer of cornmeal, place loaf on parchment paper, lower the loaf & parchment paper onto the cornmeal, replace lid and return to oven. Bake 20 min @ 500F. Remove lid, lower heat to 450F. Bake 25-30 minutes more.
Even with the cornmeal layer, which has prevented blackened burnt bottoms, I still get extra hard bottoms. Like, really hard to cut through with a sharp bread knife. Any tips?
Try putting a sheet pan on the rack under the loaf, to create more indirect heat!
I’ve been throwing a pizza stone on the rack under, about halfway into the bake as I’m removing the cover on the Dutch oven(beautiful loaf,btw)
[deleted]
Wrinkled up aluminum foil in the DO, it helps to diffuse the heat at the bottom of the DO.
I sprinkle a handful of flour on the bottom of the Dutch oven, and then baking paper with the bread on top
I use shower caps from Amazon for my overnight proof. It keeps the top moist and soft when in the banneton and the final product with a thinner softer bottom.
Also a sheet pan on the rack directly below your Dutch oven keeps it from burning.
Parchment paper! It both helps me lower the boule into the hot Dutch oven and prevents the bottom from burning
I’ve tried the sheet pan on the rack below but have still gotten issues. I’ve had better luck with placing the DO on top of the sheet pan when I load it into the oven. Sheet pan is not pre-heated with the oven.
FWIW, I’ve had better luck not scorching the bottoms when I use my tiles and lava rocks method, but it’s trickier, more work, and not as reliably springy as the DO.
Layer of corn meal on the bottom of the dutch oven.