Bake The Perfect Crusty Bread With Paul Hollywood's Extra Step In The Oven

It's hard to beat the deliciousness of a perfectly made crusty loaf fresh out of the oven — soft and fluffy on the inside with a crunchy, thin crust on the outside. Homemade crusty bread is a tasty starter or accompaniment to a meal and also provides a crispy texture to the perfect bruschetta or roast beef sandwich. While the crust adds satisfying crunchiness to the bread, it shouldn't be so hard that it cracks a tooth. But how can one achieve such an exquisite loaf at home? The key, according to a Master Baker, is to create a steam bath in your oven.

As one of the foremost artisan bakers in the UK, Paul Hollywood is the ideal expert for directions on making the perfect bread. The bestselling cookbook author and "Great British Baking Show" judge shares some of his top tips on his website, including this easy extra step for the ideal crust on your bread. To achieve a light crust that doesn't tear, Hollywood advises placing a roasting tray at the bottom of your oven and setting the temperature to around 425 degrees Fahrenheit. "When the oven reaches the right temperature and just as you put the bread in to bake, fill the tray with cold water," he advises (Top Tips). As the water heats, it will create steam that fills the oven and helps improve the texture of your loaf. 

Creating steam in your oven can transform a loaf of bread from flat, dry, and hard to fluffy, soft, and lightly crunchy. In the first 10 to 15 minutes of baking, the yeast in the bread dough multiplies and creates carbon dioxide that expands the loaf up to 30% of its initial size. This process, referred to as oven spring, thrives in a steamy environment. The steam in the oven helps keep the bread moist as it expands, delaying the hardening of the loaf and resulting in a perfectly crunchy, thin crust. 

Since you only need steam in the first 15 minutes or so of baking, don't overfill the roasting tray — about one cup of water should suffice. The steam will be extremely hot so make sure not to reach in the oven while it is steaming to avoid burns. If you don't have a roasting tray, try using a spray bottle to spray water into the bottom of the oven as you load the bread. It might not produce as much steam as the steam bath, but it's still quick and effective. Adding steam to the oven is a simple step that is well worth it for the perfect crusty loaf you'll be proud to show off to family and friends. For a faster way to heat up a crusty loaf, try Geoffrey Zakarian's steamy tip for great air fryer baguettes.