You don't need expensive gear for explosive oven spring

Let me show you how to get great oven spring without expensive gear.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

#sourdoughbaking

[gocuisine]

I love how comprehensive your videos are. Thank you.

[ianglenn]

This is a great video and I really appreciate you showing how to do this without all the expensive accessories, even using a notebook instead of a peel board!

[Kyle_Schroeder]

All good options!

Just FYI for anyone trying the foil method. Make it WAY bigger than you think you’ll need.

The bread will stick to it if it’s too short and they end up touching 😂

[stephanieinspired]

Delightful!!! Playing with sourdough starters now!

[Marco-hocy]

Really like your energy on the video. I don't have a dutch oven so i realized some time ago that i can use the same stainless steel bowl that is used to make the dough to cover it when baking. It works well!

[mv]

Thank you for mentioning that aluminum foil needs to be treated with care so it can be reused, and for not using throw away plastic foil during fermentation but bags you already have. It's an excellent example of being mindful and caring. Small actions maybe, but still important.

[TheKingdomPeople]

Thank you so much for this video! I don't have cast iron or Dutch oven, nothing big enough to cover and using an air fryer oven.

[IanWilson-nfzf]

Best recipe and technique I've tried to date and I've tried a few, only change I made was that I used the Dutch Oven, lid on for full 45 mins pre heated oven at 230c totally perfect bake, thanks for sharing your technique, I'm sure it was the stretch and folds that made a difference to my bake.

[PeterMoore-qk]

This was very nice to see. Any method of trapping the moisture during baking is IMO the key. Proper fermentation and shaping sure, but if you put that exposed in a dry oven, you're just not gonna get a good loaf at the end.

[lewko]

I noticed that you tap the lid of the bowl twice. I used to try tapping it once and it wasn't enough. I then switched to tapping it between three and seven times but it was too much. I think your technique is spot on.

[rshushin]

I am baking bread for the last ten years and I dont use any special equipment to get a nice oven spring. Just keep the dough cool and slightly underproofed before it goes into the oven and it works every time.

[chopsddy]

Yes. It’s all about being able to time your levain. I would love to see more emphasis on how to assess a levain’s strength and readiness. The timing is everything.

Your available flour has a lot to do with it also. Different countries seem to have different opinions on the protein content that constitutes “bread flour”. Strong extensible dough is another prerequisite.
Once you have that dough, the levain activity has to be just right. It’s all about the levain.

I have had less successful results using baking stones and heavy metal plates. The recovery time is too slow after opening the oven doors. I end up with under cooked bottoms.
I have good success using very thin metals for a makeshift steam chamber.
An aluminum cake pan and a thin, cheap utility mixing bowl as a lid gives me good success and even cooking.

My theory is the thin metals gets back up to temperature rapidly.
My oven simply can’t heat the mass of a thick stone or plate adequately.
Trying to do so, for my situation, only wasted energy and gave poor results.
So, … I don’t need a baking stone or heavy dutch oven when a cake pan and utility bowl works fine.
I think I paid less than $20 for my thin walled steam box.

I place a piece of parchment on the cake pan and put the loaf directly in to it.
Score it, put the inverted bowl on as a lid and put it in the oven. No peel or other device is needed.

I spray the interior of the utility bowl lid with water . It makes the perfect amount of steam.
What can I say? It works. One could probably get the components at a flea market for a couple dollars.

A lot of people are trying to bake bread with countertop ovens that are light and flimsy. They generally don’t have the power to heat the heavy plates or stones adequately. They will, however, be able to work with light metal plates and covers.

In conclusion, In my experience, a thin metal plate that conducts heat rapidly is as good or better than the heavy stone or steel baking surfaces for the home baker making one or two loaves.

If you were a professional baking all day, with a powerful, professional oven, the heavy plate could be advantageous . Personally, I don’t have the need .

Thanks again Phil. You have been an inspiration.

[kathyzakharyuk]

Thank you for conducting these experiments for us!
I’m new to sourdough baking and this is super helpful

[MAli-xspm]

Thank master baker, as always passionate & top notch.
I am one of them foil users because I don’t have the space for a Dutch oven, that said it does give great results & I think it’s the (imperfect) seal that makes it good. Thank you again sir.

[wdjones]

Welcome back Phil!! Thanks for sharing the tips and tricks! Bread baking will commence here in Yuma in a few weeks👍🏻
Summer temps were brutal this year🫠🫠

[ausmandkim]

calculator를 이해하는 데 꽤 시간이 걸렸지만, 지금은 이 표의 편리함을 만끽하고 있습니다. 정말 너무 고맙습니다. 르방 없이 폴리쉬로 만드는 반죽을 위해서 이 표를 변형했는데 역시 잘 작동합니다.

[hesido]

An immaculate technique, so nicely thought out.

[filonyou]

You explain it all so beautifully, I can't do it myself, but we are still striving for one goal, to explain why and for what purpose we are doing it, best regards

[susansho]

I've been baking good sourdough for years without special equipment

[MTDixonSr]

I paid about 30 bucks for my Dutch oven so not expensive at all and its effective. That being said I love you channel and have learned a great deal about making great bread. Thank you :)