[jacquej]

I use a hand sprayer (like the ones you get at the garden center, and some hearth tiles left over from when we put in our wood-stove...

I spray the loaves right before putting them in the oven, then spray the interior of the oven as fast as I can every few minutes after popping them in the oven for the first 10 minutes or so.

Then, after baking, I open the oven door a crack, and let the loaves slowly cool for 5 or 10 minutes in the oven.

Another secret is learning how to make a “biga” the night before, and using less yeast than many recipes call for, and allowing for a longer rise. A lot of yeast and a fast rise makes a less flavorful loaf, in my opinion. I bake bread around my schedule, timing the rise according to whatever I have to do that particular day.

[JRandomFreeper]

My little shotgun shack has an easy-bake oven in it that won't hold a standard half-sheet pan. I've lined the bottom of it with scrap marble pieces for thermal mass, and it does great for most things. When I cooked steaks, back when I could afford it, I would grill mark them on top, slap 'em on a hot sizzler platter or comal, and slam 'em into a 500F oven. Just like most restaurants do. Perfect steaks.

I've SERIOUSLY considered pulling it off-line, out to the garage, and fabricating some real spray fittings for it. I've got the machine tools to do it. I've got or can make most of the parts from stock on hand.

But I do have guests over from time to time. An efficiency apartment oven with hoses and fittings and a small water pump, timer, and tank hanging off of the side would look sorta like the Borg had assimilated my oven.

It may happen. It could happen. But if I do it, I'll have to come up with a Borg/Acme logo to paint on the front.

/johnny

[TASMANIANRED]

More rising time makes a chewier bread.

The extra yeast makes it light.

[JRandomFreeper]

My normal bread recipe calls for 180 grams of pre-ferment dough. This one has been going for about 3 years now. I make bread every 2-3 days.

/johnny

[tillacum]

I would set my bread dough the night before baking. For breakfast the next morning, I’d fry about 5/6/7 pices of dough...wonderful fried bread dipped in hot blueberry/raspberry jelly or warm honey with hot coffee.