07/04/07

Cold Oven Test - Part 2

I was invited to a dinner with Dan Lepard and a few bakers from Singapore. I came back very inspired. I asked Dan how he got into baking and he recalled how he was intrigued by a teacher who added Vitamin C into a bread which she was baking. Dan said that it was in the 70's and he wondered how this teacher knew about the effects of ascorbic acid. He recalled how he was fascinated by the science behind bread.

I found Dan to be very inspiring and affable. Needless to say, I am now a fan.

Since I am in the midst of cold oven testing, I had to verify it again with a sourdough version. The starter was made with some left over organic whole-wheat flour. I used a one step build of 7 oz flour at 100% hydration. The main dough was 40oz with a tablespoon of barley malt powder and some vitamin C powder. The dough had a hydration of 75%. I should have used my usual 70% but then, senior moments happen more often nowadays. This time round, the final proof was in the fridge.

The results were unexpected. Oven spring was tremendous. Both the loaves were hideous with huge blow-outs at the bottom. My conclusion is that cold oven works extremely well.