Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2005 00:49:06 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v105.n030 -------------- 001 - fredex Subject: Re: Getting Steam in the Oven Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 20:51:11 -0400 Steve, I use a large roasting pan, set flat on the bottom of the oven (I guess this is hard to do if your oven has an electric heating element exposed on the bottom....). My pan is something in the neighborhood of 12 x 18 inches and is around 2 1/2 inches deep. When baking the sour rye (I've posted the recipe previously), I put an inch or so of hot tap water in the pan and put it in the oven when I turn it on to preheat. By the time the bread is ready to bake, the water is boiling. This, along with the glaze put on the loaves, gives a lovely dark, hard crust. Fred --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v105.n030.2 --------------- From: Dave Glaze Subject: getting steam in the oven Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 19:02:45 -0700 Steve I use a pan on the bottom shelf of an electric oven. I also have thin firebricks(I think they are called splits)on the middle shelf and quarry tiles on the highest shelf. Then I have splits in a broiler pan on the lowest shelf. My oven temperature is set to 25 to 50 F above where I want it. I throw a cup of boiling water into the pan just before or just after putting the bread in. Then sometimes I add another cup of boiling water 3 minutes later if I am baking a large loaf that is going to take longer. I turn the heat down to the required temperature. There is never any water in the pan at the end of baking, and I am sure it is gone well before the end of baking. I have a vent in the top of the oven that allows steam to escape. The bricks help maintain the heat in the oven when I open the door to put water and bread in. A word of warning though; you can overdo the oven heat and cause a fire by adding too much mass so check the walls of the oven for temperature. My oven is a self clean and has lots of insulation. You can leave your oven door open for the last 5 minutes or so of baking to dry out the bread it you think it is too moist. Feel free to contact me if you need any more information. Cheers Dave --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v105.n030.3 --------------- From: "L Worthington" Subject: grinding wheat Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 21:50:08 -0500 Hi, I have read many postings and now I need to ask. I have been baking bread for some time, bit I really feel I need to grind wheat to really help the health of my children. There is no help here and I do not know where to begin. Do you know an inexpensive way to begin (just to make sure I can hadle this?) I would treasure any advise on a machine and wheat. I have about 4 bread recipes the family really likes, but I want to take the next step. Thank you in advance, Lisa --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v105.n030.4 --------------- From: Marcksmar@aol.com Subject: Potato water Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 23:24:19 EDT What is the purpose of using potato water? Must the potatoes that are cooked in the water be peeled or can one cook them with their skins on and then use then use the water? Mar --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v105.n030.5 --------------- From: Tarheel_Boy@webtv.net (Skallywagg ...) Subject: Getting steam into the oven... Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 07:20:49 -0400 One of the dumbest things I've ever heard of is throwing cold water or ice cubes into a preheated oven. Think about it: You've got the oven up to the desired temperature. You open the door and lose a lot of the heat. You throw cold water or ice cubes into a pan and this reduces the oven temperature even more and now the oven has to regain that heat to either warm the cold water or melt the ice cubes and then convert it to steam. FUGGHEDABOUTIT! I agree with Gloria (to an extent) about using a pan of water on the shelf below and making sure the water is ALREADY HOT when you turn on the oven. Most of the time, I have a spritzer handy when I am ready to put the dough into the oven. As fast as I can, I put the bread in, give the interior of the oven a quick spray, and then leave it alone. And yes, I know that some people advocate spraying the bread again after two minutes or three minutes or whatever. In my not-so-humble opinion, I think this is nonsense. You get the best oven spring by leaving the door shut for the first 10 minutes so why keep opening the door and losing the heat for an infintesimal amount of steam. Face it, we home bakers do not have steam-injected ovens as the big boys do. Bob the Tarheel Baker --------------- END bread-bakers.v105.n030 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2006 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved