Open Bake Sourdough
A Little Background
I have been making sourdough for a while and have tried many different methods of baking my loaves in the oven. I’ve tried open-bake and Dutch oven methods, using ice cubes inside a Dutch oven, and ice cubes in a pan in the oven. The Dutch oven without ice cubes always worked the best until I discovered adding hot water to a pan. Life changing!
Dutch Oven
The Dutch oven seems to make consistently good loaves. The rise is lovely and the coloring and crust are crisp and eye-appealing. I will definitely continue using my Dutch ovens. I assumed this would be the only way to get quality loaves without wondering if they would turn out.
Experimentation
I tried various methods of open bake hoping for good results. First, I put them on baking stones and they turned out flat and hard. Next, I tried putting ice cubes in a hot pan immediately when I put my loaves in the oven. Neither method worked the way I wanted my loaves to turn out. The loaves were too hard and had a funny shape. I did not think it was possible to make good open-baked loaves. I wondered how people could make those fantastically looking loaves, which they posted on their social media sites, using the open-bake method.
New Method
I decided to figure out this mysterious open-bake method. I researched and found that some people put charcoal in a pan and add water right when the loaves are placed in the oven. I was about to try, because I like to experiment, but then, I came across a post about adding boiling water. I’ve made many croutons in my sourdough baking because of my experimentations. I thought, “Okay, if the hot water method doesn’t work, I’ll just make them into croutons.
What is the hot water method?
I saw in someone’s post that they add boiling water to a hot pan which is set in the bottom of the oven right when the loaves are placed on your baking stone. Another experiment! I made enough dough to make loaves in my Dutch ovens (I have two) and open-bake method. I would be baking a total of four loaves. Would it work? I was hopeful.
The Process
After I had proofed my dough and allowed it to ferment overnight, it was time to test the hot water method. I scored my dough and placed all four loaves in the oven. Again, two in the Dutch ovens and two on baking stones. I then poured hot water (it was boiling previously) into the pan that had been preheating. Steam is instantly made when coming in contact with the hot surface of the pan. Quickly I closed the oven door.
The Results
Wow, the results were fantastic! The crust is crunchy, the color is beautiful, the rise is amazing, and the crumb is scrumptious. I now love open-bake better than the Dutch oven. If you’ve tried open-bake without success or do not have a Dutch oven, give the hot water method a try. I have been pleasantly surprised.
Happy Baking!