On Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:03:42 -0500, Bob Simon >
wrote:

>I have three questions about baking bread and hope some of you experts
>can give me some pointers.
>
>I used my machine to mix the ingredients and let it rise twice. At
>the beginning of the third rise, I removed the dough from the pan,
>streached it into a longish tube, divided it with a knife, and put the
>two halves into thin metal baking pans with an anti-stick coating like
>silverstone.
>
>Q1: My wife also has glass baking pans. Which style is better for
>baking and why?

I use either sort. The glass ones, by their nature, are a bit more
delicate and unforgiving of kitchen accidents. Although it is
generally said to lower the heat by 25 deg F when using glass instead
of metal, I do not do so myself with bread.
>
>I put the pans in the oven set to 105 and covered them with a damp
>dish towel (because someone once suggested that I do so). About an
>hour later, some dough stuck to the towel when I removed it.

Is this your second rise? Ideally, there should be a first rise in a
greased bowl. The best flavors develop when this rise (and any
subsequent proofing) is done at room temperature, or cooler. Even the
fridge is good for it. 105 deg F is unnecessary.

There are newer trends these days that call for stretching and folding
the dough during this first "bowl" rise. It makes for better gluten
development. If you want more information, google "stretch and fold"
and you can read up on it...

Ok..let's say you are doing a standard first proof. When your dough
has doubled, you want to gently remove it from the bowl, de-gas it a
bit, divide it and shape it. Then you can go for your final rise in
the bread pans (side note again - there are some doughs that get their
final rise as free-form loaves on baking sheets, on a couche or in
brotforms. Again, google for interest. Come back with questions).

>
>Q2: Is the damp towel a good idea and if so, why?

When you have shaped your loaves, you might want to spray your pans
before you put the dough in. You do want to keep the outside of the
dough from forming too hard a skin, so try any of the following....
flour the top, or spray with oil, or butter it. Then cover it gently
with a *floured* towel or plastic wrap. You can also leave the loaves
uncoated, then place them, pan and all, into a large plastic bag, that
is then sealed. That gives it a moist environment for the final
proof. Some folks put a bowl of water into the microwave along with
the loaves in pans. It can also provide a stable temp and moist
environment. YMMV.
>
>I took the pans out of the oven for about 10 minutes while it heated
>up to 350. (I switched to the convection setting which turns on the
>fan.) Even though the pans were warm, the dough fell, which is not
>what I wanted.

They were over proofed and collapsed when you moved them around. How
quickly your loaves are proofed depends on myriad thing - the overall
recipe, the temperature, the hydration, the amount of yeast, or yeast
vs sourdough, etc..lots of variables.
>
>Q3: Can I leave the pans in the oven while it heats up to baking
>temperature?

Some folks start their breads in a cold oven. I do not, as I tend to
bake lean dough (no fats, eggs, etc) breads that require high temps of
450-500 deg F.

Even so, 350 deg F is very low for bread baking.

Boron