crusty bread

[brook]

I would like to make crusty baguettes like you get in good bakeries. Some catalogs offer stone covered baking pans as well as baking stones as solutions when you don't have brick or stone ovens. Books recommend either spraying hot ovens or putting a pan of water on the floor of the oven. I am leary of spraying the oven for fear of warping the sides or causing an explosion. What works best? Have you any other ideas? Thanks!

 

[risa]

You definitely need some sort of steam to get a nice crust. I've tried both the spraying and the pan. I prefer putting a small pan on the floor of the oven and throwing ice cubes into the pan or I just throw ice cubes on the floor of the oven. I think I learned this from a Bernard Clayton book. I haven't had problems with spraying but I've read how you have to be careful not to spray your bread or the oven bulb.

 

[kylew]

I do both. I have a half sheet pan on the lowest rack of my oven. Just above that is the rack with my baking stone. When I am ready to load the loaves, I pour 1 cup of HOT water into the pan, load the bread and spray the bread and walls of the oven. I then respray twice in the first ten minutes. Steam has its most beneficial effect during the first 10 minutes. After ten minutes, 1 cup of water is usually evaporated. I don't mean to disagree with Risa, but I was told that adding ice cubes robs the oven of much needed temperature.

 

[momoreg]

I always used the spray method, and then, a few months ago, I had asked my husband to spray the oven for me. I guess he sprayed the wrong spot, and the whole oven shut down!! (Of course, it was a 3-day dough in there ). Luckilly, it started working about 5 minutes later, and the bread was saved!

 

[kimmie]

I use both methods and they work fine for me!

 

[kylew]

Momoreg - Jordan seems like such a nice man. It would have been a shame if you had had to kill him

 

[kimmie]

...or hurt his other eye!

 

[momoreg]

OK-you got me...

It wasn't surgery at all. I just lunged at him with my lame!

 

[kylew]

A new Pastry Mason mystery: The Case of the Lame Lasher!