BAKING BREAD ON TILES
sinc...@vax309.nhrc.navy.mil
Could someone please review again how to bake sourdough bread on tiles
in a conventional oven. While at a Home Depot yesterday I saw tons of
tile and asked which I could safely bake on and the sales crew did not
know. I wouldn't want to get lead poisoning. Info on tile size, glazed
or not, preheating needs, cooking time and temp, where to place tiles in
oven, and other helpful insights would be appreciated. Thanks bakers.
Ellen Wickberg
I know that you asked about tiiles, but have you considered firebricks
( splits). I have used both and find the fire bricks to be superior.
They give me a much better oven spring. I don't know whether this is
due to their thickness ( about an inch and a half) or to their
composition. They are very cheap. I just make sure that there is at
least half an inch space on the rack on all sides to allow the hot air
to circulate. I prewarm the oven for at least half an hour, often an
hour. The bricks are placed, I forgot to say, on the bottom rack of
my oven and left there most of the time.. Some people have spoken of
using a set of bricks/tiles on the top rack as well. The bricks/
tiles get really hot and simulate the old brick oven. If your
request includes "how to" for actually putting the bread on the
bricks, I use a peel with cornmmeal or semolina or cream of wheat (
something granular) on it. I basket rise my bread and turn it out
onto the peel, slash and slip into the oven immediately ( still at 450
degrees) spritz with water, close the door, spritz again after 2
minutes and then wait til it's done. by the way, if you haven't used
the thermometer method to measure doneness, try it. An instant read
thermometer plunged into the middle of the " should be done by now"
loaf should read between 190 and 210 degrees F. Good luck, Ellen
kenc...@ix.netcom.com (Ken Cates) wrote:
>In rec.food.sourdough, on 28 Oct 1996 22:29:23 GMT,
>sinc...@VAX309.NHRC.NAVY.MIL wrote:
>Sinclair,
>Measure the rack in your oven (or take the rack with you) and buy
>a tile to fit. You want to get a tile that is small enough to
>fit in your oven and large enough to accommodate the size of
>whatever you are baking. If necessary, get the dealer to cut
>tiles for you. If you cut tiles, consider using two layers of
>tiles with joints staggered so that they are not on top of each
>other.
>Use unglazed tile. Lead pigments (if any) would probably be in
>the bright colors of a glaze. So, no glaze, no lead. Use what
>the architects call "machine made tile." There's no big problem
>with handmade tiles, it's just that the machine made tiles are
>smoother and more regular. The idea is to mimic the old brick
>ovens where loaves were placed directly on the bricks which
>comprised the floor of the hot oven. Surely unglazed tile is as
>safe as bricks.
>For pizza, place the tile on a rack towards the bottom of your
>oven. Set the oven for 450 to 500 F, then preheat the oven
>(with the tile) for 20 or 30 minutes. Place the pizza directly
>on the hot tile. Cooking times vary, so check after about 15
>minutes and then every few minutes after that. You will soon
>discover the correct schedule for your pizza and your oven.
>Will some kind soul please fill in with information about bread
>baking?
>Ken Cates
> <kenc...@ix.netcom.com>
> Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
> Heartland of America
Ina Bechhoefer
While on this subject, how well do tiles or pizza stones work with
convection ovens? How much air space around the stone or tiles to keep
the heat flow efficient? What temperature is good?
I am in the process of having a new convection/conventional
(Thermadore) range installed and have never used a convection oven.
Thanks,
Ina
David Auerbach
In message <554al8$l...@orb.direct.ca> - e...@direct.ca (Ellen Wickberg)
writes:
:>
:>I know that you asked about tiiles, but have you considered firebricks
:>( splits). I have used both and find the fire bricks to be superior.
:>They give me a much better oven spring. I don't know whether this is
:>due to their thickness ( about an inch and a half) or to their
[...]
Another good alternative is a kiln shelf, available from potters' supply
places. These have many of the advantages of fire bricks (good heat mass and
they are NOT going to break from heat stress!) and the additional one of
coming in sizes so that one piece is all you need. You can get "seconds"
that are unsuitable for kilns but fine for 500F ovens.
I leave mine in the oven most of the time no matter what I'm baking. Since
it doesn't have the seams that a multi-piece tile/brick setup has the cleanup
is easier.
"What would life be without arithmetic, but a scene of horrors?"
-Rev. Sydney Smith, lettr to young lady, 22 July 1835
____________________________________________
David Auerbach auer...@unity.ncsu.edu
Department of Philosophy & Religion
Box 8103
NCSU
Raleigh, NC 27695-8103
Ellen Wickberg
In response to Ina, this is Ellen again. My oven is a convection oven
and has no conventional capability, but does bake good bread with
firebrick and a half inch clearance. Ina Bechhoefer
Joel Ehrlich
David Auerbach wrote about BAKING BREAD ON TILES
on 29 Oct 96 06:02:16 saying...
DA> Another good alternative is a kiln shelf, available from potters'
DA> supply places. These have many of the advantages of fire bricks (good
DA> heat mass and they are NOT going to break from heat stress!) and the
DA> additional one of coming in sizes so that one piece is all you need.
DA> You can get "seconds" that are unsuitable for kilns but fine for 500F
DA> ovens.
DA> I leave mine in the oven most of the time no matter what I'm baking.
DA> Since it doesn't have the seams that a multi-piece tile/brick setup has
DA> the cleanup is easier.
Clean up?
I just leave mine in the oven during the self-cleaning cycle. One of the
virtues of kiln shelving is that it'll take a lot more than your oven
can dish out.
Joel
sinc...@vax309.nhrc.navy.mil
In article <55are2$n...@server2.ols.net>, Joel Godin writes:
>sinc...@VAX309.NHRC.NAVY.MIL wrote:
>
>>Could someone please review again how to bake sourdough bread on tiles
>>in a conventional oven. While at a Home Depot yesterday I saw tons of
>>tile and asked which I could safely bake on and the sales crew did not
>>know. I wouldn't want to get lead poisoning. Info on tile size, glazed
>>or not, preheating needs, cooking time and temp, where to place tiles in
>>oven, and other helpful insights would be appreciated. Thanks bakers.
>
>and the best I saw was specially mad for Pizza. It is big, fits
>almost all your oven. It is expensive too, $27.00. It was at a
>gourmet shop at the mall. Don't know the name but next time I go I
>will find out. I don't know if I should be cheap and buy the tiles at
>the hardware store or safe and broke by buying the expensive gourmet
>tile.
>
>
Update from the guy who asked the question on tiles for bread baking -
Thanks to all who responded with helpful ideas. I really liked the
idea of a kiln shelf and went that route. I found a shop under the kiln
section on the San Diego Yellow Pages that has many sizes of kiln type
shelves. I took my oven rack in and got a shelf that pretty much covers
the rack but allows for space on all four sides for heat circulation.
It's a one piece ungazed slab that the guy said is fired at like 3000
degrees for a couple days. He said heat would not hurt it and my oven
would melt before I could damage the shelf. If it gets real dirty he
said it's no problem to leave the shelf in the oven for the oven
cleaning cycle. He actually said it's not a true kiln shelf but
something like a rack which is designed to take heat and temperature
extremes used in the pottery or ceramics business. He said alot of
people use them as kiln shelves. He did not have seconds to sell.
I paid $22 for the one I got but there were sizes under $20. It's
1/4 - 1/2 inch thick I would guess and weighs about 5 pounds. He said
it is practically impossible to hurt the thing although it could break
if I dropped it. I'm very happy with it but haven't tried baking with
it yet, but hope to this weekend.
joel_godin
joel_godin
Joel.E...@salata.com (Joel Ehrlich) wrote:
>Clean up?
But are Kiln shelfs okay for food. I was under the impression
(falsely??) that they are made with asbestos.
Lob...@worldnet.att.net
I bought 8 6" x 6" quarry tiles for $6.40. I've used them so far for
bread and bagels and both baked beautifully.
The small size and quantity is nice because they can be arranged several
different ways. they fit together snugly and I had no problem with dough
going between them at all.
I would like to know if the worries regarding lead, toxins, etc. are
legitimate? Any chemists out there? or tile makers who know for sure?
The one posting which said that if there were a glaze we should be
concerned sounded like a reasonable answer to that.
Joel Ehrlich
Joel Godin wrote about BAKING BREAD ON TILES
on 01 Nov 96 11:15:23 saying...
JG> But are Kiln shelfs okay for food. I was under the impression
JG> (falsely??) that they are made with asbestos.
No asbestos. From what I can tell, they are made from a hard ceramic
material. I've also seen some which look like they might be made from
the same kind of material as is used in the interior of pizza ovens.
Joel
David Auerbach
In message <55d48c$4...@server2.ols.net> - Joel GodinFri, 01 Nov 1996 19:15:23
GMT writes:
:>
:>Joel.E...@salata.com (Joel Ehrlich) wrote:
:>
:>
:>>David Auerbach wrote about BAKING BREAD ON TILES
:>>on 29 Oct 96 06:02:16 saying...
:>
:>> DA> Another good alternative is a kiln shelf, available from potters'
:>> DA> supply places. These have many of the advantages of fire bricks (good
:>> DA> heat mass and they are NOT going to break from heat stress!) and the
:>> DA> additional one of coming in sizes so that one piece is all you need.
:>> DA> You can get "seconds" that are unsuitable for kilns but fine for 500F
:>> DA> ovens.
:>> DA> I leave mine in the oven most of the time no matter what I'm baking.
:>> DA> Since it doesn't have the seams that a multi-piece tile/brick setup has
:>> DA> the cleanup is easier.
:>
:>>Clean up?
:>
:>>I just leave mine in the oven during the self-cleaning cycle. One of the
:>>virtues of kiln shelving is that it'll take a lot more than your oven
:>>can dish out.
:>But are Kiln shelfs okay for food. I was under the impression
:>(falsely??) that they are made with asbestos.
:>
Falsely.