"jason molinari" > wrote in message =
om...

> I'd hate to be futzing with the steam if that isn't the problem.

One should witness the steaming process in a wood-fired- or
commercial deck oven. It is not something which is easy to
re-create in a home oven. (Kenneth could help us a lot with
understanding that difference since it would appear that he has
both an ordinary- and a commercial (steamed) oven in his=20
kitchen.)

I could get pretty good steam in our Kenmore gas oven, but
it did not seem worth the inconvenience. Please left-click on
the line(s) below to bring up some evidence for that:
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3DFBMv8.33991$Rw2.2561012@bgtnsc05-n=
ews.ops.worldnet.att.net

But very fine bread can be made without any "steam" at all, nor=20
preheated stone (nor preheated anything). See, for instance:
http://home.att.net/~dick.adams/EZSDLoaves/index.html

Of course, that is not for the huge holes and the real thick
chewy crusts. That is where the heat and steam of a commercial
or artisanal oven comes in very handy.

--=20
Dick Adams
<firstname> dot <lastname> at bigfoot dot com
___________________
Sourdough FAQ guide at=20
http://www.nyx.net/~dgreenw/sourdoughfaqs.html
=20