A bakery in Portland totally changed my sourdough game

I was on a trip to Portland last fall and stopped by this tiny corner bakery. The baker saw me staring at their loaves and asked if I made bread. I said yeah, but my sourdough crusts were always too hard. She told me to try steaming my oven with a cast iron pan of ice cubes, not water. Said it creates a slower, more even steam. I went home and tried it. My crust went from tough to perfectly crisp and chewy. It was a total game changer. I've been doing it for six months now and my family actually asks for my bread. Has anyone else tried a different steaming method that worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

brookep278d ago

Weird, the ice cube trick gave me the best crust ever.

blake43216d ago

Ever tried spraying the dough itself with water before it goes in?

-1

brookefox16d ago

My grandma's recipe book from the 70s actually says to do that. It always made the crust way too soggy for my taste. I just put a pan of water in the bottom rack now.