Saw a bakery in Portland use a spray bottle on their sourdough right out of the oven

I was visiting my sister in Portland last month and stopped by this little bakery on Division Street. The baker there misted the loaves with a spray bottle as soon as they came out of the oven, and the crust came out crackly and thin. I always thought steam in the oven was enough, but that extra spritz right after baking gave a totally different texture. Tried it at home with my own starter and it worked way better than I expected. Anyone else do something weird right after baking to get a better crust?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethmartinez8d ago

Hard disagree on this one. That spray bottle trick is just adding moisture to the outside, which makes the crust soft and chewy instead of staying crispy. I've tried it a few times after reading about it online (some famous baker in San Francisco supposedly does it) and my loaves ended up with a leathery skin after a few hours. The real secret to a crackly crust is letting the bread cool completely in a drafty spot, not messing with it right out of the oven. Steam during baking builds up that crust chemistry, but spraying post-bake is just fighting physics if you ask me.

janac518d ago

Oh wow, I've actually read about the same stuff from that San Francisco baker you mentioned! I came across an article where they argued the spray trick works if you're aiming for a specific artisan look, but it's totally a short-term fix for home bakers. I remember a recipe blog I follow did a side-by-side test, and the unsprayed loaf kept its crunch way longer, like overnight. Have you ever tried storing it cut-side down on a cutting board? I heard that can help the crust stay firm too.