in article , Feuer at wrote on
22/12/03 10:11 am:



Janet Bostwick wrote:

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.
I keep my pan of rocks in the oven all the time and preheat the kiln shelf
piece and oven for at least 45 minutes before and have never had any cold
spots or uneven crust. I pour the hot water on the rocks immediately after
putting the loaf on the shelf with a peel. Ellen