I used to bake my sourdough at 450 for an hour, now I start at 500 for 20 minutes.

Changed my whole game. For years, I followed the standard advice. Hot oven, long bake. My loaves were good, but the crust was never quite right. A bit tough, not that perfect crackle. Then I watched a baker in Portland do a demo. She cranked her home oven to its max, 500 degrees, with the Dutch oven inside for a full hour to preheat. She only baked the actual loaf at that temp for the first 20 minutes, then dropped it to 450. The oven spring was insane. I tried it. The initial blast gives a way better rise and sets the crust faster. The lower finish lets the inside cook without burning the outside. My crumb opened up like never before. Who else has messed with their temp schedule like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

simon_chen8d ago

Thought the same way for years. Always did the long bake at one steady high temp. Figured that was just how it worked. Tried your method last week after reading about it. The crust is completely different now, way more crisp without being hard. It makes sense when you think about how the heat hits the dough at the start.

the_eric8d ago

Huh, but doesn't that initial high heat risk setting the crust too fast and limiting the spring?