Feuer writes:

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.

If you preheat the skillet in the oven beneath the heavy baking
tiles and give the oven a while (maybe an hour) to fully heat
everything, you probably won't have much trouble with cold spots.

Does baking in a convection oven help even the temperature and
circulate the steam?
--

Ronald Florence www.18james.com