Hi all,

these two videos were posted at a quite new Spanish forum about bread [1], and I thought you'd enjoy them.

http://vimeo.com/1592639 [2]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI70zl_V8tI [3]

The woman in the first clip is Polish with Ukrainian ancestors, the second one is from Portugal.

I was surprised to see that both of the women mark a cross with their fingers on the dough before the bulk fermentation, despite belonging to such different and distant countries and traditions.

Now, the question for you expert wfo bakers: why do both women put some burning coals or wood in the oven opening?