I’ve been open baking for about 1 year now. I researched a lot (including browsing this subreddit) so wanted to make sure I give back by posting the instructions.
Here are the steps! The loaves pictured are my latest test bake for my hazelnut mocha sourdough.
- Place a rack on the bottom of the oven, I don’t like placing the lava rocks directly on the bottom of the oven
- Place another rack somewhere above it, watch that the breads won’t hit the top heating element
- Put a baking steel on the top rack and lava rocks on the bottom rack. Preheat at 500F for ~40 minutes
- Place loaves on the baking steel
- Put a towel and a hot plate holder on your oven door, this is to avoid boiling water dropping on your glass and potentially cracking it
- Pour boiling water on your lava rocks, I use about 220 ml
- Steam for 20 minutes. I turn off the oven for the first 6-7 minutes then turn it back on for the remainder at 450F
- At 20 minute mark, remove lava rocks and continue to bake at 450 for ~18-22 minutes.
- At the 10 minute mark, rotate loaves for even browning. Remove them to cool when they are at your desired darkness.
by alejodp
25 Comments
Solid setup! One thing – you’re venting a lot of heat and that initial steam burst while the rocks are on the door. I’d try to be lightning fast with the pour – like 2-3 seconds max before slamming everything back and closing.
That first blast of steam is the most important for oven spring, so you want o capture it all inside with the door
shut.
Nice bake though!
So, if you have a convection oven, why are you turning the loaves?
I love the video.
Also, super impressed by how clean your oven is. My oven looks like a toddler had his/her way with it…
Interesting. I have same size baking steel and thought it blocked to much for steam to rise up to where loaf is baking. You proved me wrong! I’m excited to try.
Also, I was told by a professional baker you can preheat oven with the water in the rocks and it will be just as steamy for the bake. That way you aren’t risking your door.
Nice, but I get similar results without all the fiddling.
Great post! Can you show us the bottoms of those loaves? Curious about how potential burning due to the baking steel. Are the parchment sheets just for convenience of slinging loaves into the oven?
worth noting that this cannot be done very well in a gas oven as they vent too much. electric only, sadly.
*if you have an electric oven. This does not work in gas because it HAS to ventilate to maintain combustion of the gas.
Wow those loaves look amazing!! And the recipe itself sounds killer, I’ll have to try her out
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What is the reason for removing the rocks?
Where’s the crumb shot you animal!?!
at what point do you use your bread Lame, like how many minutes in?
I recently got an oven steel after seeing videos like this but every time I’ve tried baking sourdough on it the bottom has came out insanely burnt. I just pulled out a couple of loaves with good bottoms but I had to bake them at 450 for 20 and then 425 for 25 while placing something under them to elevate away from the steel. This left them lacking in the browing compartment. I’ve made pizza on my steel a few times now and those always come out great. What am i doing wrong? Please help because I really want to make multiple sourdough on my steel
Where did you get your baking steel+rocks from?
Throw some ice in instead. You’ll be done in about 1-2 seconds.
You can save yourself some trouble if you build a foil funnel to use when pouring the water for steam…
? What is this? Baking with the oven door open?
Thanks!!
Do this but turn the oven off for the first 20 minutes.
Recipe??
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I do it the same but without the rocks. I put a oven mitt stuffed up where the oven vents by the back burner, to try and keep the steam in. Probably not advisable but I do it anyway lol. I used to preheat to 500 but using the steel at that temp caused the bottom burning. I now preheat to 460 and bake at that temp for 30 to 35 minutes.
Why do you steam your kitchen? The steam is supposed to go into the oven. For that the rocks are kept in the oven and water is poured in there in one go, e.g. with a squeeze bottle. Also, there’s no point in removing the lava rocks, once the water has evaporated, they just add stored heat to the oven, which is good.