Bread Crust

Abstract

The baking of dough and its transformation into bread is the most important stage in breadmaking, and it has a great effect on the taste of the final product. Baking may take place in any of several types of bread ovens, including

• masonry ovens, which are simply an improvement of the stone oven known since very ancient times. These are very rare today. They may be wood burning (Figure 7-1), with combustion occurring either directly on the sole or floor of the baking chamber or in a firebox located in the forepart of the oven. In the latter case, the heat, flames, and smoke from the burning wood are pulled into the heart of the oven by the effect of chimney draw or draft. Gas burners may be used in the same manner. Although fuel oil was also in common use for several decades, this is no longer permitted in France. Multiple baking cycles may be carried out after oven heating as a result of the accumulation of heat energy in the masonry mass of the oven, which generally weighs between 40 and 50 tons.