Finally nailed a decent sourdough crust after 6 months of trying

I've been baking sourdough since last August and my loaves always came out flat with a pale, soft crust. Yesterday I tried spritzing the inside of my Dutch oven with water right before putting the dough in at 475°F. The crust came out deep brown and crackly for the first time ever. Anyone else have a weird trick that finally clicked for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_perry29d ago

My Dutch oven trick is putting a couple ice cubes under the parchment paper before closing the lid. Steams up way better than spritzing and the crust comes out super dark and bubbly. Found that tip on a bread forum where someone was using it for baguettes in a regular oven.

jade22129d ago

Wait, ice cubes under the parchment paper? Like, before you even put the bread in? I feel like that steam would just melt and make everything soggy, not crisp. I've tried throwing a few ice cubes in the bottom of the Dutch oven before the lid goes on, but I've never thought about putting them right under the parchment. Does the paper not get all wet and stick to the bread? I'm super curious about this, might have to test it out next bake.