Posted by admin on 20th January 2012

Artisan Bread: Steam in your home oven

This video from www.breadtechnique.com describes the various ways to get moisture to the dough when you are baking an artisan loaf of bread on a baking stone. I doubt you’ll get more steam than the featured lava rock method. There is a reference in the video to a cracked oven story – read about that at http
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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    24 Responses

  1. konstantinos420 says:

    How could I find/make a baking stone like yours?

  2. bbqstud says:

    Jeeeez, can you imagine this guy teaching sex ed?…”Proceed into the area or room of choice leading or meeting your partner in said room. Enter horizontal, padded furniture piece taking care to place yourself and your partner between the cotton layers of fabric adjacent to one another and engage in directional small talk. Secure a container of lubricant…” ahhhhh you get the message…LOL

  3. Breadhunter2001 says:

    Too much unnecessary work and potentially dangerous. Simply bake under cloches for better results.
    Stu

  4. BreadTechnique says:

    @FMinParis Please don’t do that! The water goes in just after placing the loaf. The door is closed immediately and stays that way for at least five minutes or so. The steam needs to stay in the oven to effect the bread. If you put the water in and wait, then open the door all the steam will come out at once. You’d have little steam in the oven and lots of it on you.

  5. FMinParis says:

    Good technique. A question: Wouldn’t it be better to pour the water in 30 seconds or so before putting in the loaves to create steam so that the oven is steamed when the loaves are put in?

  6. dtothelu says:

    Take care not to pour water into a preheated glass or ceramic dish. It’ll explode. Had to learn this the hard way on a particularly absent minded day.

  7. OghamTheBold says:

    Just looked at some cloches – makes sense – trap steam in a smaller area

    I assume a ‘cloche’ – uses steam from the bread itself

  8. bricitybrac says:

    I wonder why they don’t make any kind of metal devices that can rest on the bottom shelf and spout steam from time to time.

  9. ultrakool says:

    @marlin187 omit the steamer and buy a cloche. you’ll be glad you did

  10. ultrakool says:

    use boiled or very hot tap water to minimize splattering

  11. muchohucho says:

    helpful technique but the audio sucks horribly

  12. dubsaloon says:

    Awesome Ideas and excellent practice of practice before trying it for serious.

  13. FlipSnipeZ says:

    DUUUUDE, we have the same oven!

  14. marlin187 says:

    Do I have to but the steam trade or steamer directly under the loaf or I can get away with putting it on any other place like next to it or on top of it?Thanks for posting.

  15. Lacocinadebabette says:

    @BreadTechnique Thanks a lot! I’m very happy to hear that.

  16. BreadTechnique says:

    @Lacocinadebabette These are the same rocks used to generate smoke in a gas grill. I’m pretty certain that any ‘poisonous gas’ that would come out in the oven would come out in the grill. These rocks are also used in saunas. I don’t believe it produces anything but steam.

  17. BreadTechnique says:

    This would certainly be a lot of work if it wasn’t! Of course it is. If in doubt try both for yourself, I did.

  18. Lacocinadebabette says:

    Thanks a lot for this video. I’ve used the technique and love it, but someone asked me the other day, could the volcanic stone produce with the heat and water any sort of poisonous gas? Thanks.

  19. Jayfoxpox says:

    is there any difference to the final product as to just boiling some water in a stainless steel pan then place it in the oven and let it preheat in the oven for 20 minutes, then pop the loaf in and bake?

  20. BreadTechnique says:

    As high as it will go for the steam production. Most newer ovens stop at 500, but higher is better. Just remember to turn the oven down to the ‘baking temperature’ of the recipe as soon as the vapor dies down or you’ll overbake the crust prematurely.

  21. BeeRich33 says:

    What temperature would you bring your oven up to?

  22. marycooks says:

    What an informative video. Thanks.

  23. shakti66209 says:

    Hi Mark——–excellent teaching. I used your technique and it turned out an incredible fococcia. Thanks for the lesson. I apprreciate it.

  24. fatik870 says:

    amazing….thank you

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