July 29, 2023 - 1:32am
Can you steam bread?
Hello,
I recently used a dutch oven in a bid to get ears on my sourdough.
It worked!
But my oven allows the introduction of steam in the baking process (or 'moisture' as opposed to full on steam) and when I use the same dough without the dutch oven I tend not to get ears.
It makes me think the moisture the oven provides isn't enough because the dutch oven technique does provide a nice spring and ears.
Anyway, I was wondering what would happen if I full on steamed the bread for 10 minutes before baking. Would that provide the requisite moisture or would it just produce a wet mess?
Any thoughts gratefully received.
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I wouldn't pre steam the dough. I have a new oven with a steaming function, however, with my old (very old) oven I used this method to great effect: Oven Steaming - My New Favorite Way | The Fresh Loaf
Cheers,
Gavin
Ben, not sure what oven you have, some a true steam and convection - called combi ovens, and some just introduce a bit of moisture. I have a combi, a Miele, and my results are mixed, but I do go with 100% humidity at or below 212 for bagels for the first part, to simulate boiling, and then I change to convection. I did try steaming a loaf of bread ( 100% humidity temp at 212 F ) and the results were not as good as a more typical combi program - which is preheat to 400 ( plus or minus ) then inject steam for a few minutes before loading, then change to combi mode 435 F and 100% humidity for 8 minutes, then finish for 22 minutes at 435 0% humidity.
I love your intrepid experimentation. Thank you for sharing. Very useful.
I agree the dutch oven is the perfect tool to get a nice ear on any loaf of bread.
As an info: I do have a Miele oven with moisture plus function, with one stone on top and one at the bottom, the burst of steam at the beginning of cooking gives great result in terms of ears but never as nice as the one I get with a dutch oven. The only cons for the dutch oven is that it has limits for the bread shapes (ie no baguettes or a dozen of crusty rolls...)
This all makes a lot of sense. appreciate you taking the time, thanks.
Thanks so much for pointing me to this. Appreciated.
Thanks so much for pointing me to this. Appreciated.
I baked this loaf yesterday.
65% hydration, so keeping it safe for now!
I preheated the oven to 275 with stones above and below.
Then I switched the moisture on to high and put the bread in.
I also sprayed the bread with water from one of those plant thingies.
Happy with the result. I wonder how much of a difference the spritzing made?
I also did a second loaf from the same batch at the same time which I didn't feel I had shaped as well and didn't seem to have as much surface tension. It came out without ears. Which makes me think all this mostly all about the shaping. But I shall continue with the stones above and below and the spritzing too and see how a 70% hydration goes.
That’s a beautiful loaf with a beautiful ear!
Thank you. The crumb was too tight but I guess a higher hydration might see to that.
My quest for the ear has been a long and frustrating one but finally a pic I can post that isn't a failure. I'm happy you like it!
I think we bakers can be so hard on ourselves sometimes. If a loaf tastes good, it’s never a failure in my book. But the little details like crust, crumb, and ear are part of what make it so fun and challenging to bake, as well! 😊
Adding some moisture during the baking process can indeed help with achieving those desirable results. If your oven allows the introduction of moisture, it's definitely worth a try! Instead of full-on steaming, you could experiment with introducing some moisture for around 10 minutes before baking. This might create a nice environment for your bread to rise and develop those lovely ears.
Just be mindful not to overdo it with the steam, as you don't want to end up with a wet mess. Gradually adding small amounts of moisture and observing the results might be a good approach.
Baking is a bit of an art, and sometimes, it's all about finding the perfect balance that works best for your specific dough and oven setup.