Questions using the Zo in making Dough
I am totally a novice to the baking world so my questions may sound dumb but I go on the assumption that the only dumb question is the unasked one, so here goes.
What size baking pan for the 2lb recipes and what type of pan should I look for as to quality of the pan ?
Should the dough be shaped to fit into the pan after taking it out of the machine and let it rise in the pan or let rise in something else and then put in the pan?
If the recipe is for the bread machine how will I know at what temp to bake and for how long?
I have owned a Zo cec20 for about a month now and i have baked several recipes such as Raisin bread,a recipe of the KA owners dad , Crusty french bread, all in the Zo and all have came out very good. Have done the country french dough in the machine and then baked in a La Cloche which came out very well but wasn't as crusty as I would like. I do know how to program the homade cycles so i can adapt them to suit my recipes.
If you will please answer my questions on making dough in the machine and then baking in the oven.
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Replies to This Discussion
- Reply by HerBoudoir on February 20, 2012 at 10:30 am
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Hi there :-) Welcome to the wonderful world of Zo baking!
I'm a use-my-Zo-for-dough kinda gal - I rarely bake in mine. But I use it all the time ~ today is pizza dough day.
For baking pans, you have a couple options. I prefer darker metal loaf pans because they get a nicer crust. Some of those are marked with their loaf capacity, but it's hard to find a 2 lb loaf pan in the store - most are 1 lb or 1 1/2 lb pans.
The one I use for 2 lb loaves is a 10 x 5 x 3 Calphalon that I got at a TJMaxx of all places. I know KA sells 2 lb pans as well. I also have 2 of the 1 lb loaves ~ with it just being my hubby and me, a 2 lb loaf of bread isn't always ideal, especially if it's raisin or whole grain. WIth them, I bake 2 one lb loaves and freeze one or give it away. It's also great to use for making a 1 lb loaf and a half dozen rolls.
Additionally, I have two 9 x 2 round cake pans, with are great for making pull-apart rolls and cinnamon rolls and the like. A 2 lb recipe will easily make two pans full of these.
When you remove the dough from the pan, you'll want to shape it then put it in the pan you want to bake it in for it's final rise. Flour your counter, or a large cutting board (which I usually use, especially if I'm cutting rolls). Drop the bread onto that and shape. If you have nonstick pans, you shouldn't need to use anything but if they're not, you'll need to oil/flour the pans. Put the bread in the pan you want to bake it in, cover with either a clean teacloth or a lightly oiled piece of saran wrap.
Then you'll need to put it somewhere warm to rise. I typically turn the oven light on in my oven, which will warm my oven up a bit but not too much, and put my bread in to rise. I remove it to the countertop when it's close to doubled in size, and turn the oven on. It sits on the counter for a few until the oven is hot. Remove the teacloth/saran wrap to bake. If it's a loaf, I slash the loaf with a sharp knife right before it goes into the oven.
As for how high a temp and how long - that takes a little practice and guesswork, plus you really should get yourself an instant-read thermometer (about $10). Bread is "done" at about 190 to 210 degrees F, and when you don't have a hard recipe for temp/how long, a temp check is very helpful to see where you're at.
That said, I usually bake at 375 to 425, depending on what kind of crust I want. The crisper the crust, the higher the temp. Most rolls are done in 15-20 minutes; loaves generally seem to take about 30-35 minutes or so.
I'm going to send you over to one of my favorite blogs: www.salad-in-a-jar.com. Click on recipes and scroll down to all the sweet and savory bread recipes. She exclusively makes her dough in a Zo then bakes it out of it - and her recipes and instructions are REALLY good. I've learned so much from there :-)
Hope that helps! Have fun.
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