Tarheel_Boy@webtv.net (Skallywagg Forever) wrote:
>I disagree with the practice of pouring water into a pan to create steam.
>I don't believe the home oven can create enough heat to create enough steam.
Why? My oven is hot enough to bake bread, roast chicken, bake lasagna,
bake my wife's pastries, some of which involves converting water/moisture
to steam. Why wouldn't it be hot enough to create "enough" steam? If I
leave a pan of water in a 400F oven long enough, all of the water will boil
dry.
Some people (not necessarily you, Bob) like to tout their "commercial" home
oven as "having huge thermal mass" so the introduction of a loaf of bread
or a pint of water won't even budge its temperature. However, my
garden-variety Jenn-Air oven (and I suspect most ovens) has such huge
thermal mass that it'd take an Act of Congress to lower the temperature 25F
in less than a minute.
If I make a mistake with a too-high temperature, I'd have to turn off the
oven, open its door, and fan vigorously at it for several minutes to bring
its temperature down. If I just turn down the temperature and do nothing
else, it'd take an eternity (well, more like 15 minutes) for the
temperature to drop 25F.
So, I believe that my oven, and probably most ovens, has more than enough
thermal mass to generate "enough steam" for baking bread.
Wcsjohn@aol.com wrote:
>I agree, I used to do it every time but I missed, on a couple of occasions
>and the bread wasn't any the worse so I gave up the "Steam Dance" [...]
I must admit that I have not done any testing to see whether using steam
makes any differences with the various types of bread that I bake (mostly
French, ciabatta, and foccacia with a smattering of lavash crackers &
breadsticks). It's entirely possible that use of steam in home baking is
more a matter of lore and tradition than proper technique.
Wcsjohn@aol.com wrote:
>spritzing the oven is a total waste of time, effort and water and can
>actually result in reduced volume due to heat loss at a critical stage in
>the bread's expansion
It could be a waste of time; I don't know. As for heat loss, I do know
that with my oven, the heat loss from opening of the oven door and
spritzing water into it is negligible. (See "Act of Congress", above.)
debunix <debunix@well.com> wrote:
>I have to step back from the cloud of steam that burst out when I drop
>water in my heavy cast-iron pan in my oven.
May I point out that this exercise only demonstrates the steam-making
ability of your cast-iron pan, not of your oven. Do you know whether/how
much your oven's temperature drop when you do this?
>I certainly makes steam, and does make a difference in the crust.
I'm glad to hear that there is a difference. I must admit that I have not
yet been able to convince myself of this one way or another.
Andy Nguyen