Knob

Steam

You might say: oven steam, steaming

Water vapour in the oven during the first part of the bake.

What it does
Keeps the surface moist and flexible during oven spring, then supports a shiny, crisp crust.
Ask
Was there steam in the first minutes, and was it vented for the rest of the bake?
Trouble
Without steam, the scores do not expand well and the crust can become dull and constricted.

What to look for

  1. A shiny crust
  2. Scores that open wide

Sources

  1. Jeffrey Hamelman, Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, ch. 1, pp. 22–23Proper steaming has a profound effect on bread for a number of reasons: It promotes a rich color to the crust and a surface shine on the loaf, and it also increases the volume of the bread.
  2. Barb Alpern, Baking bread with steam, articleSteam is vital during the oven-spring period so that the surface of the loaf remains moist and expands easily.
  3. Barb Alpern, Baking bread with steam, articleAdditionally, even if you score your bread properly, those cuts will not expand in a dry oven; you need steam for that.
  4. Barb Alpern, Baking bread with steam, articleSteam helps gelatinize sugars on the exterior of the loaf, resulting in better browning, and a shinier (and also thinner and crispier) crust.

Use it on your project

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