New steaming technique!! At least for me ;)
Hey, I don't post as much as i should here, but I'm excited about the new way of steaming, at least for me, that I used today!
First, I'm from Brazil, so sorry for some misspell or something :)
I was looking for a better way to create steam for bread baking, than I came up with a photo (on thefreshloaf) of a pressure cooker connect to the oven (eletric) by a tube, I didn't even know that a eletric oven has a tube on top by the stove, and then I said to myself " what the heck, let me try this!"
I decided to bake a regular poolish dough.
Total flour: 400g
Pre fermented flour: 150g + 150g of H2O
I started with 65% hydration, but I had to add a bit more H2O maybe 68 or 69% total, got a really old flour (KAAP)
2% Salt
A bit of yeast
Only thing I did different. I mixed The poolish flour H2O, yeast and a bit more malt than normal and let it rest for maybe 2.5 hours, I went to the gym rsrs.
After this period, added the salt and a tiny amount of ascorbic acid. I can only bake batards on my oven, so I can use a little more strength.
Then kneaded just enough, let it ferment for 1:30 min with a turn (45 min), divided, pre shaped shaped proof and bake. ufff!!!
But I'm getting out of track... Wanna talk about the steam!!! Hahaha
The bakeing took 27 min. total
Here is a photo of my new steaming method
I steamed the oven before, don't know why cos when I opened the oven door all the steam came out lol, and after loading.
And for 15 sec in one minute intervals for 10 min.
After that let it bake for more 10 min, turn the bread and more 7 min in the oven, maybe a bit much, it burned the bottom :(
I loved the results!!!
Check it out!! Some pics...
I think is the first time than I bake with steam instead of vapor. I mean, I tried before with hot water, but I don't know if is the same, cos here I'm using the steamer.
I tried to show some cracks on the crust, I don't know if you can see it on the pics.
I think is worth trying, I will again tomorrow, with a bit of rye on the poolish ;) ....
So that's it!!! Hope you like it!!! Happy baking!!!! =)
BTW One last photo...
That's the layout inside my oven!!!
Regards,
Leandro Di Lorenzo
Comments
Great looking baguettes! They're are so puffed up! Great Bake!
That last photo looks like it was taken in outer-space! The star ship "Entileprise"
HAhahaha. That's true..... :) the oven looks like a Sci-Fi movie lol.. I was trying to create a good hot environment to the bread! But i'm always changing it. The back of my oven is hotter than the front, so I don't like to bake sideways and I discovered that the more stones you put inside the oven, the more stable the temperature for the baking is.
Beautiful baguettes, LdL.
I imagine people looking in think us mental when they see the things we do for steam.
Laughing @ Mini's USS Entileprise. It even has a deflector dish to deflect heat into the loaf. It doesn't cost $1 trillion either: http://www.gizmag.com/engineer-proposes-uss-enterprise/22532/
Beautiful baguettes. I haven't seen anything quite like your steaming set up before. It obviously works well.
:) I'm glad you like it!! It's doing a good job for me, and is not that difficult. I belive, well I only used twice, I'm burning myself even less than when I used to poor hot water on a skillet!
Thaks!!! HaHAHAHA.... Good one!!! The things we do for steam!
Truth be told, I must have tried, like, a trillion ways to create steam lol, but I think I'm gonna stick with this one for a while.
What I like about this one is that I don't have to open the oven door to steam it, this way, preserving the heat and without losing the steam.
P.S. HAHHA. Good article! luv it!!!
Great baking the modern way!
:)!!! thanks!!
Great Idea,
Think I will give it a try as I have a vent right where yours is too. Just have to find a steamer like yours at our local Bed Bath and Beyond store.
Do the stones on top prevent the steam from reaching the bottom shelf? I have one large stone on my top shelf too and am thinking it might block all of the steam.
How much steam do you put into the oven? Can you go into a bit of detail on how exactly you do steam and for how long?
Thanks!
Janet
I'mglad you like it :)!
I'm using my roommate steamer, but I was checking the price online and is not that expensive, like 19 bucks.
So: I was scared to let the hot steam hit the bread dough at once, than I put one tile right on the exit of the vent, ( you might be able to see on oven photo) so the steam would hit the tile and then slowly touch the bread dough.
I put a glass where the bread should be, closed the oven door and steam the oven. With that I realised I need between 15 to 20 seconds to cover the glass with steam, this time may change because you told me that you have a big stone on top, but I would try with a glass without taking the big stone on top, oversteam can also be a problem and the stone on top will prevent the steam to reach the dough to harshly.
On this loaves I staemed for 10 minutes, 15 sec every minute. I think on my next bake I will steam for 5 minutes, but 30 sec each minute. I do that cos sometimes when there is to much steam at once at the beginning of the bake the cuts don't open and the final bread lacs volume. So I steam little by little, now that I don't have to open the oven door :)
My oven doesn't have a glass door, can't see what's going on inside rsrs, but if yours do, steam it till you reach a beautiful oven spring, but be careful at the beginning!
I think that's it for my experiment, if you have more questions don't hesitate to ask :)
Let me know how it turns out!
Happy baking!!!!
Regards,
Leandro Di Lorenzo
Leandro,
Thanks for the instructions. Your idea of using a glass to see how much steam does get down to the lower shelf is a great idea. I will try without the upper stone first and then when the top stone is in place.
I will order one online because the stores near by do not stock this item. I am glad they aren't very expensive :-)
Thanks again for telling me how you use the steam.
Take Care,
Janet
Have a good baking!!! :)
Enjoy the holiday!!!
Leandro Di Lorenzo