Just like in any market and industry, there are many ways to solve a problem. Bread cloches are designed to handle steam in such a way that they create the right crust for certain bread recipes. A lot of bread recipes call for a really thick crust and soft interior. Bread cloches are designed to produce the right texture, unlike bread machines.
There are many different ways to handle steam, contain dough and trap its moisture to create that right texture. The problem is the same but the solutions vary from brand to brand, manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model. Given all these product diversities and selection, how exactly do you pick the right bread cloche design? Keep the following discussion in mind so you can make the right decision. By reviewing this discussion, you can increase the likelihood that you would make a truly informed decision when the time comes to pick the bread cloche for your particular baking project.
Design limitations due to steam management issues
While it may seem that there’s a huge variety of designs out there, look beyond the surface. Keep in mind, it may seem that there’s a tremendous amount of selection as far as designs go but there is a limit on how diverse and varied those designs can be. The big limit, of course, is bread cloche has to manage the steam rising from the dough in its chamber in the right way. This is a precise operation. It’s very hard to mess around liberally with this task. Otherwise, the bread cloche is just going to do a lousy job managing the steam. You’re not going to get the crust texture you are looking for.
Designs can only go so far until steam management is affected. Keep this in mind. While it’s nice to see many different shapes, sizes, and forms, you still have to focus on the fundamental role of bread cloches. There’s a reason why you bought this particular type of baking equipment instead of just getting a baking pan or tray.
Light design
Another factor you need to consider is that the bakeware you need for proper steam management has to be light enough. You would have to be able to lift and maneuver it easily before, possibly during and definitely after the baking process. This is going to be a lot of hassles if the bread cloche is so heavy that you have a tough time moving it around. This can actually produce a safety hazard because bread cloche can reach a tremendously high temperature inside the oven. You need a light design so you can quickly take out the bread cloche after baking your bread.
Easy design
It’s also very important to insist on an easy design for your lid. You have to be able to take off and replace the lid of your bread cloches with as little effort as possible on your part. Also, pay attention to the shape of the chamber. You should have no problem just putting the dough inside the chamber. You should not have to reshape your dough or do anything dramatic to your dough so just it can fit your chamber. As long as you know the general size that would fit in there, the easy design should have you covered in terms of a quick in and out process.
Snug fit
The lid of high-quality bread cloches fits snugly on the top. This is extremely important. If there’s no snug fit, there might be enough gap for steam to escape prematurely. A well-designed bread cloche traps steam into the chamber long enough so it produces the right quality bread. It’s designed to minimize steam escape. This is almost impossible to achieve if there is no snug fit so insist on a snug fit for the lid of the best bread cloche model you’re considering buying.
Final consideration
The final consideration is actually quite obvious. Given the tremendous amount of heat this piece of baking equipment has to withstand, durability is crucial. Whatever you buy, you recoup your investment more efficiently if the product has a longer life. The longer the life of your bread cloche, the better return on investment it produces. It may seem like investment is too big of a term to use for buying a baking equipment but there is no better word. There is no more appropriate word for describing what you should expect from the things you buy with your hard-earned dollars.
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