Richard L Walker asked if anyone preheats their oven above the baking
temperature. I do that most times, especially for lean breads. I find the
higher heat along with the insulation in my electric self clean oven, a
layer of tiles to bake on and a layer of tiles on a rack just below the top
element, I can open the door to pour water into a pan and then spray the
bread three times at 30 seconds intervals, and then open the oven to rotate
my breads halfway through the baking. I like my breads quite dark and
sometimes preheat the oven even higher than 50 degrees above the baking
temperature. I don't turn my oven down until after I've done all the
spraying, and sometimes I wait longer that.
My most important tool next to my metric balance scales is my "instant"
thermometer (it is not instant). I make sure my lean breads register 200
to 210 degrees Fahrenheit, and if they are not dark enough I turn the heat
down or off and leave them in the oven another 5 to 10 minutes.
To retain moisture, I place an upside down tin over the air vent that is
just below my back burner for 10 minutes then remove it (If I forget, the
crust comes out thicker and tougher than I want it to be.).
Cheers, Dave Glaze,
Powell River, BC, Canada