I appreciate the extra effort, NC, but we're not opposed to going the full route the first time out. We're confident in the accuracy of the recipe and it'll be interesting to see how the 1 cup of hot water in the pan works. The ATK recipe we've been using does not call for the steam bath routine and the KA recipe eliminates the beer and the vinegar.
The recipe acknowledges that using a dutch oven (which we will) works wonderfully for sourdough and we're certainly looking forward to letting the dough sit for up to 7 days to gauge the sourdough flavor -- another reason to go the full route.
The only thing that was slowing us down was having a 6 qt. container. Our largest was 4.6 qts., but I took care of that problem today with a trip to Wally World. Needed some yeast too. I also ordered a dough whisk and two rectangular banneton baskets from Amazon. We favor rectangular loaves rather than round loaves.
The only thing that puzzles me is using the dutch oven in combination with the 1 cup of hot water in a bottom pan (essentially creating a steam bath inside the oven and probably an artisan, crusty loaf like Italian or French bread). If the loaf is inside the dutch oven with the lid on it, how does the steam bath work?
ETA: We use a scale in measuring flour. Alton Brown convinced us of that.
Yep, I agree. Round loaves (Boules) are, well, kinda weird. I prefer Oval (Batard) myself. I have a whole stack of Bannetons. I think their 10x6x4. Its a good size. 700 to 750 grams is a pretty good dough weight for that size of basket.
Your suspicion about the Dutch Oven AND steam is correct. When using a D.O., no steam is needed, as the bread has enough moisture to steam itself. Although, I know some folks who will spritz the loaf, or maybe toss in 1 single ice cube. But its really not needed. If on the other hand, you are baking directly on a pizza stone, or a sheet pan, then yes, you want a pan to create steam in the bottom of the pan.
My home oven is a Bosch 800 series duel fuel. It holds steam like no ones business. If I want to bake some hearth/artisan loaves in it, I use pizza stones. I put one on each shelf. On the bottom of the stove, I have an old cast iron pan. It stays in their permanently. Also the stove has hidden elements, so no problems there.
I preheat the oven for about an hour, to make sure the stones are well heated. When ready, I turn the bread out onto a pizza peel thats been coated with Semolina, but Cornmeal is just fine. Slash the bread, then launch the bread right onto the hot stones, then quickly pour about 1/2 cup of boiling water into the iron pan. Shut the door fast.
On the other hand, my commercial oven doesnt hold steam worth a hoot. You MUST use dutch ovens with it. It will hold 12 Lodge Combo Cookers, if you want a real workout. I have 8, and thats more then I care for.