Under cover bread baking attempt

This weekend I tried something a little different.  I used my standard loaf recipe and instead of cooking it in a hot oven or hot container, I put it in a cold oven and then turned the heat on.  It took longer to cook, but it  rose incredibly well and I ended up with a much lighter loaf than normal.

Ingredients:

Strong white flour 400g
Wholemeal flour 100g
Water 300ml
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Salt 1 dessertspoon
Dried yeast 1 dessertspoon

Knead it in the usual way and leaf to proof covered for 1-2 hours.  Knock back down and shape into a ball.  I let this rise in a floured banneton for 30 minutes, then tipped it gently onto the base of the cloche, upon which I had sprinkled some polenta.  If the receptacle is hot you don't need polenta, but for this method the dough would stick.  I put the dome on, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then put it in a cold oven.  Then turn the oven on at 230C for 45 minutes.  The dough rises further within its container, protected from the heat initially both due to the cover and the fact the oven starts off cold.  Take the dome off at 45 minutes, then leave for 20 minutes.

What I managed to produce was a loaf at least twice the size of previous efforts, and nice and light - very happy with this method.