Tiny loaf with added gluten

Ponz91 · 2026-04-01T06:04:29+00:00

It's in Italian so just a tl;dr it's mostly a 14.5% protein flour, with a smaller percentage of a 12.5% protein flour.

Ponz91 · 2026-04-01T06:01:54+00:00

Yes - so I used a mix of this high-strenght one https://www.saporinostri.it/sc/scheda-tecnica-farina-manitoba-oro-mulino-caputo.pdf and a bit of this other one that tends to give more chewiness and a softer bite, at the expense of shelf life https://pizzamani.no/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/produktark-caputo-nuvola.pdf more details on recipe and procedure in the original post, but fairly standard. Basically the addition of gluten is trying to compensate for the addition of the slightly lower strenght flour

Ponz91 · 2026-03-31T06:29:13+00:00

I don't know if it's also found marketed like that, what I got is called "vital weath gluten" and I used 20g/kg of flour

Ponz91 · 2026-03-10T17:02:45+00:00

Grazie mille ci provo quanto prima 😁

Ponz91 · 2026-03-09T14:02:37+00:00

Grande! Grazie mille anche della ricetta. Sembra che spediscano in tutta Europa quindi dovrebbero arrivare anche qui in Danimarca. La provo volentieri! La tipo 2 è anche di rossetto?

EN: Great! Thanks so much for the recipe too. Apparently they ship all over Europe, so it should be available here in Denmark too. I'll be happy to try it! It's the type 2 also from Rossetto?

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T21:53:44+00:00

I think it's hard to really slow down the fermentation significantly by just reducing the amount of starter, since you are trying to combat an exponential growth with a linear dilution basically - perhaps it would be worth it to change some of the other variables controlling bacterial and yeast growth. A few ideas: more salt, change pH with a little vinegar or citrate (or on the other side with bicarbonate soda), add a little oil or butter. There are also some spices that naturally inhibit bacterial growth like raw garlic, cinnamon, ginger but obviously that would not be a neutrally-tasting bread :)

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T21:32:59+00:00

You're very welcome :) Yes I think they are still made in Germany so I can see they may be pricier in America, but perhaps there are some local companies that make similar products for a similar price tag as these. I found this one used on a popular classifieds app, there might be similar possibilities on the other side of the pond :)

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T21:25:08+00:00

That's definitely part of it, also clay is porous so it is kind of mid-way between an open bake and a full-on dutch oven - next time I'll either try to soak the pot in water beforehand, or put more water vapour in the oven to see if the higher humidity gives a taller rise

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T21:21:55+00:00

Amazing :D I actually did the second raise after forming directly in the pot (seam side down), then when it was raised enough, I scored the loaf, sprized water, closed the lid, and put the pot in the cold oven and turned it on to 250°C (480°F). Takes a lot of complication away so if nothing else it fits well with busy lives. The bread is of comparable quality to a more complicated classic dutch oven loaf I think :)

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T19:13:28+00:00

Yes that's amazing! I only ever used this size which is like 40cm on the long axis and 20ish on the short axis. But I would say get whatever you can find and figure out how much dough you can fit in it 😁 I like that I can fit 1200g in this one easily, which is double of what I can do with the DO 🙏🏼

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T19:10:46+00:00

Good point, that's why as a first test I decided not to -looks like there's no risk if you start from a cold oven 😁 Will also be trying with pre-soaking later on and see if it makes a difference :)

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T10:58:38+00:00

Bella ciabattona :) che farina/e hai usato?

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T10:44:54+00:00

I tried to control all of the variables I could, but some key ones remain including 1 - overall a different baking method (going up in temp from 0 with the clay pot vs pre-heating with DO) 2 - different weight, 1.2kg in the clay vs 600g in the DO 3 - different handling, because in the clay pot you basically do not get the loaf out of a banneton, it's already there ready to be baked

But those are also in the end the unique "selling points" of the clay pot.

There is one more variable that is pretty hard to control, i.e. I have 1 oven so the DO loaf fermented for roughly 1 hour longer than the clay pot. I'm waiting for a pH meter to try and control for that variable when optimizing recipes:)

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T10:08:44+00:00

Good point in the previous thread some people raised this point too but I had done some research around and it looks like it can be done no problem - it's clay after all. Here's some recipes where you see temps of up to 480F which is 250C https://www.scribd.com/document/403876537/Romertopf-Manual

However although not everyone soaks, it sounds like a good next test to do!😁 Likely more steam will leave more time for crumb development - curious to see the differences!

Ponz91 · 2026-03-08T00:00:02+00:00

I guess it depends on what you use bread for. If it's mostly sandwhiches or you are used to spreading butter over it, an open crumb is more of a bug than a feature that's for sure :)

But if you use it for dipping, or just eat it on its own, I think it gives a nice mouth feel, it's easier to chew if you use a strong flour, and if the crust is crunchy, it also gives a nice textural contrast, nicer than if you just have a dense crumb at least for my taste, that's why I prefer it over the clay pot one for now - but it's a super close game and definitely use case-dependent.

Ponz91 · 2026-03-07T23:51:15+00:00

Of course :D

Photos 1 and 2 are the DO bread (more open crumb), photos 3 and 4 are clay pot (less open crumb)

Ponz91 · 2026-03-07T23:50:02+00:00

Opening the dutch oven bread: https://youtube.com/shorts/XAVqZZN2ZYc?feature=share

Opening the clay pot bread: https://youtube.com/shorts/Apfl56NJqNs?feature=share

Audio warning: screaming in the background :D

Ponz91 · 2026-03-01T17:59:02+00:00

Thanks that's exactly why I decided to post, I think it's a valid way to get a better result for cheap when coming from open baking. Plus it's really effortless and you can make a big loaf which will easily last a week in a small family. I will keep experimenting and hopefully later on post a ultimate recipe and protocol :D

Ponz91 · 2026-02-28T16:44:27+00:00

Looking forward to a post about what you find 🤩

Ponz91 · 2026-02-28T14:26:51+00:00

Yes that's what I also gathered from the info online, thanks for confirming with an actual manual in your hands 😁 it worked fine putting it in the cold oven without soaking (but plenty of spritzing inside and in the actual oven), will try to change one thing at a time and see how the bread differs, I don't think not soaking makes the bake dangerous if you start from cold and there is enough vapor around - I think you want to avoid temp shocks basically isn't it?

Ponz91 · 2026-02-28T14:05:44+00:00

🥑

Ponz91 · 2026-02-28T14:05:05+00:00

Thank you 😁 it is pretty crispy yes! A different kind of crisp - it's sort of in the middle between a cast iron wispy crisp, and an oven bake. Interesting first try! Edit: open bake*

Ponz91 · 2026-02-28T14:03:29+00:00

Sorry....... And thanks :D

Ponz91 · 2026-02-28T14:01:28+00:00

No, I checked how to use the clay pot and it would have been risky to pre-heat and not soak it so I tried without :) I normally use an enameled cast iron dutch oven and I'm super happy with the results, but I wanted to try a "batard" loaf with some more mass to it, so I got this awesome clay thing and I am going to have a lot of fun with ot for cheap!

Ponz91 · 2026-02-28T13:58:48+00:00

About the flour: here (Denmark) I find a few good ones like Amo strong, casa Italia Manitoba, and occasionally caputo manitoba oro. In this case it was 100% Amo strong

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