I'm trying to decide on a suitable upgrade from a home oven used to make artisan breads using dutch ovens to a commercial oven with baking stones and improvised steam. I'm in China and gas ovens save over electric but they usually have stainless steel decks with little rubber bumpers to keep the baking pans from scratching (can be seen in the red reflection below).
I was thinking of putting cast-iron sandwich loaf trays on the sides for steam and a baking stone in the middle of this double-width deck oven. Would I loose too much steam because this is a gas oven?
Another option is an electric pizza oven with baking stone built in.
This might be sealed better but there is not much room for steam trays. It might have to be misted with a water sprayer.
Of these two options, which do you think will produce better crusts for bagels, sandwich loaves, rustic loaves, and pizzas?
I have no experience with either of these ovens, but my thought is to choose the unit with the most versatility. As I understand this would replace your home oven so you will be making foods other than breads, bagels and pizza. The built-in pizza stone may not be the best option when you are making a roasted chicken for dinner. The gas oven's extra width and room for steam pans is very helpful. Opening the door of the electric unit to mist causes heat loss and more energy use. Both ovens look well made, but cost of operation may make the decision. Happy Baking!
Actually I want to buy an oven solely for baking artisan breads. We can still use our home oven for roasted chicken. So I don't need versatility so much as I want nice steamed crusts. In China there aren't so many ovens with steam injection. All I could find was one that "sprays water" for an extra 400 RMB. I'm not sure if that will be any better than using a plant mister. Imported professional ovens are out of our budget. A brick or cob oven seems like an affordable alternative if we build it ourselves. But we don't have a suitable place for one yet, unless it's a portable one built on a trailer.
My way of creating steam in a home oven works great. I do have a Viking Convection oven but it does have a steam injector. I create the steam by spraying my loaf with water after docking/scoring it. Then I put it in the oven on my preheated pizza stone and cover it with a Stainless Steel mixing bowl to trap the steam inside the bowl. I leave the bowl over the dough for half of the baking time. Works like a champ!
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