"Ed Bechtel" wrote in message
...
Recently there have been techniques mentioned for achieving steam while
baking.
snip
Ed Bechtel

I think steam pan placement is more dictated by how large your oven is,
rather than the crust color that develops. If you have a small electric
oven, placing the steam pan directly beneath the baking stone will cause a
cold spot beneath the loaf, resulting in a whitish bottom crust. I would
think the reverse could also be true. Placing the baking loaf too close to
an overhead cast iron fry pan may cause a cold spot. Just as placing the
baking stone on the very bottom rack may cause burned bottoms on the loaves.
Each person must tinker with placement of racks, pans and loaves to achieve
optimum results in their own oven. Each oven is different. So, independent
of pan placement and oven dynamics, there could be something else going on
with hole and crust development you observed.
Janet