We've been pretty into our bread baking this winter. A fresh loaf with a crispy crust, just waiting to be pulled apart and dunked into our favorite soups — well there's just nothing like it. Though we don't own a baking stone, but we have perfect crust each and every time with this simple tip!
It's not that we have anything against a baking stone, it's actually been on our list of "items to be purchased" for quite some time, we've just never gotten around to it for whatever reason.
A stone in combination with a steamy oven creates the ultimate texture for your bread. The two are like peas and carrots or any other paired food analogy. To get around our lack of stone, we've been using a muffin tin instead. Instead of putting water in a more traditional vessel (say a pyrex baking dish or roasting pan), we've been using muffin tins.
Because there's more metal in contact with water, the end result is a super-charged steamy oven. So much in fact, we had to photograph our oven before it even came up to temperature, otherwise we'd steam up our camera lens! We bake our loaves on a traditional sheet pan and with it's trip through our oven-turned-sauna, it's just the boost they need to have the "super-flaky-i-want-to-eat-it-right-now" perfect crust, usually achieved with a stone.
So if you're stone-less, don't let it hold you back from bread making, there's loaves for every skill level, here's a few of our faovrites:
• No-Knead Bread Hack: Making a Sandwich Loaf Instead
• No-Knead Bread Recipe: Multi-Grain Peasant Bread
• No-Knead Bread in a Hurry
• Recipe: Easy Homemade Pita Bread
• Book Review: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)
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Excellent. I'll be trying out Julia Child's bread recipe! The lack of a baking stone was the only thing precluding me from trying it out!
A steam-filled oven is perfect for making a crisper crust. I have baked all my bread on a regular cookie sheet and if anything, I've saved a lot of burn bread bottoms.
Just remember if you have glass in the oven (i.e. a glass window on the door) to cover it while adding the water-- otherwise cold water hot glass = explosion! (Well, if you're preheating the muffin-tin with the oven and then adding water to create some more steam)
bigscarykitchen - Thanks for the reminder, I did leave out the order in which it goes into the oven. I simply fill the tins and place it in the oven while it's preheating. That way I'm not dealing with hot water, spills, or sliding racks. It's easy-peasy!
Try using an old cast iron skillet, preheated with the oven. It gets much hotter than a muffin tin. Also, there is a difference in steam between preheating the oven with the water or pouring water into a scalding hot pan. The latter creates a much better oven spring. But some steam is better than none, I suppose.
True - but I find that by the time the water is poured into a hot pan and doing the one arm in-keep your face back-quick close the door dance.... the extra steam created by the preheated pan finds it's way out before the door is ever closed. The muffin tins hold enough water that they steam the entire time they're in the oven and do wonders.
Sarah Rae: The bread recipes linked are for no-knead breads. I thought those needed to be made in a dutch oven or some other high-temperature-safe pot/crock. Can I actually make them on a sheet pan accompanied by the muffin tin full of water (which would be awesome), or is there some other kind of bread you're using with this baking method?
I've been baking boules on an inverted cast iron skillet and adding steam to the oven. They come out wonderful.
after the oven cools a bit, this would be the perfect time to wipe down/clean the inside. The steam loosens up any baked on bits.
@onebravegirl - I usually make the "no-knead" loaves from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day; their recipe doesn't require that you bake it in anything special. I usually make mine on one of those pizza pans with the holes, but they actually recommend just baking directly on the pizza stone if you have one.
marisab: I do a great deal of Artisan Bread In 5 Minutes A Day and this method works perfectly for those!
onebravegirl: Here's a few more: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/gallery-ten-breads-for-soupdipping-075529
Sarah Rae & marisab: Thanks so much for the helpful information. I definitely see some bread baking in my near future! :)
It's the "no-time" bread that needs to be baked in a Dutch oven, I think. I make the Artisan Bread in 5 recipes all the time on a cookie sheet with a silpat. I have been pouring water into a preheated broiling tray at the same time I put the bread in, but it always scares me because I'm afraid the broiler pan is going to warp the minute I put the water it, causing it to splash around. I'm trying this method.
I LOVE Artisan Bread in 5 minutes book!
I like to toss ice cubes in a broiler pan when baking bread. I have a bit of trouble getting the water all in the pan and without releasing too much steam before I shut the door. Ice is easier to do both those things for me.
Spritzing water into the oven with a spray bottle is the method I picked up at school.
I'm a bit confused. I have a baking stone, so do I not need the steam? Or is this something that can be used with a baking stone?
Jilly, in order to produce a loaf that "springs" in the oven and has a nice crust, you need both a hot surface to bake the loaf on and steam. This post is about a shortcut that some people use. If you have a stone, use it by all means. Preheat it with the oven and then use whatever source of steam you have.
bubble-- i'm bollocks at baking, but i tried this tonight, and my rolls came out just wonderful. they're the best thing i've ever made. thanks for the hint!
So glad it worked for you, alysaaria!
Just to clear up-- adding steam to an oven makes it more like a "hearth" oven and is ideal for artisan breads of any kind. Basically if you want one of those crusts that just cracks when you break the bread, a hearth oven is ideal.
I tried this method, @sarahrae, and I am SO in love with it. I've done cast iron, spritzing, etc. etc., but nothing has worked as well at producing and keeping steam in the oven as this one. I can't reccommend this method enough.
Also, when I did do this with a cast iron pan, it completely rusted the pan, so keep that in mind.