L.J. Boggia wrote:
>I use a Kitchen Aid to mix and knead dough. My problem is that when
>baking French or Italian loaves, they both come out about the same.
>That is, not too high and very dense with a very chewy crust.
>
>I have been trying to get results that are more traditional - large
>holes in a light crumb with a crispy crust.
You may be kneading too much and not rising long enough. A couple of long
rises devlops flavor and nice, big holes. Also, try using a lower gluten
flour. It is very regional, but if you can't get a low enough
protein/gluten flour, use some cake flour in your mix to replace the
all-purpose stuff.
I use a dark cookie sheet and I do place a pan of water in the bottom of
the oven to get steam.
I also have a pizza stone, but haven't used it for bread as yet.
I like a pizza stone for bread. Be sure the loaves have risen enough
before popping into the oven. Also, experiment with the depth of your
slashes in the loaves.
Ron
Ron Parker (mailto:rbparker@henning.cfa.org)
Fiber Home (alpha vers.) http://www.angelfire.com/mn/FiberHome
south of Henning, Minnesota, USA at historic Sammen Sheep Farm