Cheats to turn your home oven into a professional oven

First, you can buy a heat storing stone plate to put into your oven. Often called a "pizza stone". If it is heated up when you put you bread onto it, it can make the bread grow a lot better, compared to a regular baking pan. It works by transferring the heat that is stored in the stone directly to the bread. I have seen some mention that such a stone also is able draw moisture out of the crust of the bread because it is porous. Personally I don't believe it. Baking stones are particularly suitable for wet lean breads. For breads that are rich and dry it does more harm than good.

personally I have had the most luck with a cast iron "baking stone". If you have a cast iron frying pan where the handle can stand high temperatures, you should try baking in that. In fact, it is especially suitable for pizza, but that is another article. Cast iron stones results in an equally good crumb in the bottom as that of the stone plates. Which is why I doubt that the stones porosity that has anything to do with it. A loaf of bread quickly becomes uneven at the bottom when it is baked. Therefore, steam from the bread is discharged equally fast from all types of plates. As long as they are hot.

If you put your bread in a piece of baking paper when baking, your bread will have a softer underside by the same principle. The steam cannot escape from the bread when it is covered in paper. It is not much of a problem for cakes and other soft breads, but Italian and French-style bread are better of without the paper. For these types of bread I most often use my pizza spatula to put the bread into a hot baking pan or onto the hot stone.

If your oven door is tight, you can make your oven into a "steam oven" by putting a heavy roasting pan or cast iron pan into the oven. The thicker the better. Thin metal pots can not store enough energy to form enough steam. Once you have put your bread into the oven you should pour about 1 dl (½ cup) boiling / simmering water into the hot heavy pan. That will immediately create a big cloud of steam. Be careful not to burn yourself! Then shut the oven door quickly.

If you need to top up on the steam you just add a bit more hot water to the heavy pan. But the more often you open the oven the quicker it cools. So if you want to use this method, set the oven temperature to 25°C-50°C (77°F-122°F) degrees higher than you really want to bake it at. Once you are done with the steam phase you just turn down the oven to the actual temperature you want.

Baking In a Pot / Dutch Oven

An even easier way to achieve the steam and heat properties of a professional oven, is to put the bread inside a small container inside the oven. Like a cooking pot or a small baking pan.

I most often use a cast iron pot with lid to bake in. The closer the size of the pan is to the breads final size, the better the outcome will be. There is no need to add steam. The liquid from the dough is enough to create steam inside the pot, and the heavy material of the pot transfers heat quickly to the bread. It is especially useful for round loaves. A reversed roasting pan on a baking stone also gives good results, for example if you have to make long breads like baguettes. An inverted pot on top of the stone can also be used. As long as the bread can fit inside. Only your imagination sets the limits. You can also use a clay Römertopf for the purpose.

