Steam is an essential component for getting a classic artisan loaf with good oven spring and a crackling crust, like the sourdough loaves we've been baking lately.
Short of investing in an oven with steam-injection, home bakers have developed a few tricks over the years to generate a steamy baking environment. Here's how!
So far, the best method we've discovered is creating a steam "bath." Place a thick sheet pan, hotel pan, or even a broiler pan on the floor of the oven while it's pre-heating.
When you're ready to bake the loaves, slide them in and immediately pour a cup of very hot water into the pan. Be careful because steam will billow up and can burn you. Close the door immediately to trap in the steam and leave the oven undisturbed for at least five minutes.
Next best--or in addition to the steam bath--you can use a spritzer bottle to spray the walls of the oven (careful to avoid the light bulb!) and close the door quickly to trap in the steam. Do this once or twice in the first few minutes of baking.
Also, don't worry about refilling the pan once the water has steamed off or standing by the oven for the entire baking time with your spritzer bottle at the ready. Steam is really only needed during the first few minutes of baking, after which the crust has already formed and you can leave the loaves to their business.
Anyone else have any oven tricks for getting a good crust?
Related: Essential Kitchen Tools: A Baking Stone
(Image: Bread Oven in Sardinia, by Ezioman via Flickr Creative Commons)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I thought the whole point of baking the no-knead bread in a pot was to keep steam in and avoid having to do this kind of thing. Wouldn't that work just as well?
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After years of doing everything from spritzing the oven light bulb and shattering it to ruining a couple of good pans when pouring in the water to even buying a lawn sprayer thingie expecially to mist the oven, I read Daniel Leader's (my favorite bread baker) tip in his new book, LOCAL BREADS (wonderful, by the way) to use a cast iron skillet. Put the skillet in the cold oven to heat up with the bread stone, then when you put in the bread, toss some ice cubes into the skillet. Works great.
But I have to admit I've become fairly lazy about the whole steam thing and usually just skip it altogether. One of the arguments I've read against the steam is that you usually end up losing a lot of oven heat in the process of pouring in the water, spritzing with a spray bottle for several seconds with the door open, etc. You can lose 50 degrees in just a few seconds - and that first burst of high heat is really important to the bread.
After baking my first loaf of no-knead bread back in November 2006 I even ditched the Dutch oven and the crust still came out nice and crisp. You can see a photo here:
http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2006/12/daily-farm-photo-123006.html
Plus baking it on a stone instead of in the Dutch oven allows you to make two or more loaves at once. The best news? So far nobody's complained about any of my unsteamed loaves. ; )
P.S. That photo is so cool!
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