Was dead set against steam injection in my home oven...

I've been baking bread for about 8 years now and always thought adding steam was just extra fuss for minimal gain. Tried it last month by tossing ice cubes on a preheated sheet pan at the bottom of my oven and the crust crackled like I'd never heard before. Has anyone else had a steam method that just clicked for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

lane.drew1mo ago

Man, right?! I was the same way. Tried the ice cube trick on a hot pizza steel and my crust split open like a canyon. It's night and day for the oven spring.

laurabennett1mo ago

Wait wait wait. You said the crust "split open like a canyon"? That sounds like a straight up explosion. I've had decent oven spring before but nothing that dramatic. My ice cube method just gives me nice blisters on the crust and some cracking but not like a full on canyon situation. What kind of bread were you baking when that happened? Was it a super high hydration dough? I'm genuinely shook that steam could do that kind of damage to a loaf.