I have assembled a team of friends who will test these bread bakers, keep records of the use of the pot, take pictures, and make notes.
1. Katya, who has already started, posted about it on Second Dinner. She has one of the overfired, glazed, ugly ones.
2. Joan got an earlier design with added handles, in the best color of clay, fired at cone 6, unglazed.
3. Johanna is taking the one pictured, the nicest yet clay body, a little small for the white and black sesame bread I made this week. She will also ask the When Pigs Fly people to test it in their wood fired oven.
4. Jane will get one of the three that came from the kiln this morning. Hers has a blow out in the foot and interior because I was rushing and it was not dry. The clay was a mix which I find anemic in color and will not use again.
5. Rona will get the other light colored one that has an s crack in the lid.
6. Ejo will get the one made from Standard 547 sculpture clay. It is very groggy, nice color.
Carol and Susan will get pots to test from the next batch in February.
Rereading the NYT article felt essential to me; I'd recommend that the "team" do that. I had read it when it initially was published, but I was glad to be reminded about certain aspects of the process such as the reason for the wetness of this dough and the advantage of using a preheated vessel.
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, in design, what made you go for the pot with lid model, Judy, rather than the more classic cloche, which is kind of like a plate with a bell jar--google 'la cloche' and you'll see. This design is more versatile...
ReplyDeleteyours, the pot, is more versatile, that is
ReplyDeleteI just started reading the introduction and the "Getting Started" chapter of Nancy Baggett's book "Kneadlessly Simple", copyright 2009. It made me curious about the capacity and shape of my pot.
ReplyDeleteKatya,
ReplyDeleteI never really considered the cloche. The dough is so wet when you start I would think it wants the support of the walls of the pot.