January 21, 2015 - 8:17am
French Bread Crust
Baked French bread and came out great except the crust just wasn't crunchy enough.
The oven was set at 425 F . 25 to 30 minutes
Pizza stone and baguette pan used.
I had a small amount of water in a pie pan at the bottom of the oven.
The oven was preheated and the temperature checked.
Any Advice would be appreciated
Thank You
Jim
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Comments
have a lot of steam at the beginning? Also, I think higher temp for this. Like 475 or more at beginning. Check out Maillard reaction : http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/11/19/why_does_steam_make_bread_light_and_crusty_it_slows_down_the_cooking_process.html
hester
Try brushing the dough with 1/2 teaspoon of salt dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water just before baking. That makes a huge difference in the crust.
I'd remove the water after it is apparent the loaf is no longer springing.
Also, go with a higher temperature ... maybe 500dF for the first 15 minutes and then 475dF until the crust looks the way you want it to look.
-Dave