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So I found out why my baguettes were turning out like hockey pucks
I spent three months last summer trying to get a decent crust on my baguettes, and they kept coming out rock hard. Turns out I was skipping the steam step in my home oven, I just thought throwing a tray of water on the bottom rack was enough. My neighbor who used to work at a bakery in Boston told me that you need actual steam right at the start, like tossing ice cubes into a preheated pan. Has anyone else struggled with this or found a simple workaround?
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barbara2781mo ago
That "burst of steam" you mentioned really is the key. I started preheating a roasting pan on the bottom rack and dumping a cup of hot water in it instead of ice, which creates an even bigger cloud of steam right away. The crust comes out so thin and crackly it sounds like glass breaking when you bite into it.
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walker.jana1mo ago
Tossing ice cubes into a preheated pan was the game changer for me too. I keep a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack and throw in a handful of cubes right when the baguettes go in, then quickly shut the door. Your mileage may vary, but that burst of steam made a huge difference in getting that crispy, crackly crust.
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