I’ve recently tried to make the switch from using a Dutch Oven to open baking so I can have more loaves going in my oven at once. My crumb is coming out fine, but I can never seem to form an ear with this method.
My setup is a thick gauge steel sheet on the bottom of my oven with a tray that I fill up with hot water once the oven has reached temp (250°c) and another thick gauge steel sheet on the middle rack where I place the dough. Baking for around 30-35mins total, removing the steam around 15-20mins into the bake. Any advice on how I can get a better ear is welcomed! Thanks in advance
by SteveTheNerd93
6 Comments
Hi! ~~Definitely in need of your recipe and more info about your process to give you better advice.~~ Your crumb looks lovely, but there could be a number of things affecting your results.
I don’t know what to tell you about the ear but that crumb looks so clean and pretty. Its so oddly satisfying that I don’t know if ear is necessary.
I have sometimes pulled the bread out like 2-5 minutes into the bake to do a second round of scoring around the edges of where it’s starting to open up (sometimes at a more acute angle, separating the “skin” from the rest) to encourage it to open up a bit more.
Personally I notice if I don’t score deep and then slightly score under the edges it pops up with an ear
My results improved significantly when I put a fresh razor blade on my lame. It 100% could have been coincidence though! I usually struggle to get an ear when I’m making yeasted dough though.
Aside from the other advice, tight shaping and good scoring technique helps get the ear you’re after. When shaping making it as tight as you can without tearing the outer “skin” helps the loaf explode outwards where you scored better when you bake. And when scoring hold your blade at an angle to the bread (about 45°) and this will help make a flap on the top kind of that will form the ear when the loaf begins to expand. Crumb structure looks really nice though 👌