Not much of a baker...used several bread machines with good luck but this weekend I'm going to do my first "real" bread. Have chosen one of Beard's recipes for a French "style" freeformed bread. I don't have baking tiles but I do have a cast iron skillet about the size of New Jersey. How would this fare in place of the baking tiles? Also, I've made handmade pasta....how will the "texture" of the dough (when being kneaded) compare?
Thanks in advance. Bubba
I'll (more or less modestly) suggest you try the recipes on my web site. I have a pretty painless introduction to baking that uses several of James Beard's recipes. Around here you'll find a fair amount of disagreement about James Beard as a baker and teacher of bakers. I still like him and respect him.
Anyway, try the introduction at
Sorry... I didn't answer your questions last time.
I'd just not worry about the tiles the first few times. When the time comes, I'd suggest unglazed quarry tiles or a professional baking stone, such as the Fibrament. Don't go with the pizza stones. In my experience they are fragile and over-priced for what you get. Your mileage may vary.
As to texture of dough, it should be a LOT softer than pasta dough. Look for a smooth dough, somewhat sticky that would still rather stick to itself than you, and somewhat moist. If your dough isn't sticky, it's too dry. As Beatrice Ojakangas says, dough would rather be a bit too wet than a bit too dry.
Good luck, Mike
I think a cast iron skillet will transfer too much heat to the dough.
Try it and see what happens. The worst is that you will have an overbaked bottom crust.
Corn bread baked in a cast iron skillet is not uncommon. Not the same thing as regular bread, but it seems to work ok.
Well, the results will be similar to baking on any other metal. One of the advantages of a tile or stone is the way the porous surface can absorb some of the steam.
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