Steamy Advice
Steamy advice from the experts. One of the best things about steaming is that it helps with pretty much every aspect of bread baking. Just put a pan of steaming hot water under where you are baking bread and viola!
Some people swear by this, others don’t see it do much difference. But, there is some thought this does help. Give it a try and see what you think. Why? Here’s just a few reasons.
For starters, steam helps create a nice crust on your loaf.
When you bake at high temperatures (as you would do in an oven), the moisture in your dough evaporates and leaves behind a hard outer layer. Steam, however, keeps moisture intact so that as soon as it reaches its crusty peak, it melts back into the inside of your bread and creates tenderness within its core.
Steaming also affects texture by softening gluten strands.
As these strands combine it helps weaken them so they won’t be tough further down the baking time—and indeed if you were to cut open a loaf fresh from an oven without releasing much steam during those initial stages then chances are good there would be some chewiness left over in each bite!
Steaming also affects flavor.
When water evaporates during baking it results not only tangy but also bitter flavors; introducing some moisture back into these processes prevents this from happening too quickly (or at all). Under this thought process, don’t worry about using too much water here–just make sure everything stays moist enough until its time has come!
So, what are you waiting for?
Want to get steamy in the kitchen? It’s time to decide if using steaming with a Bucket of Bread is another trick in the toolbox to up your game!
