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I finally realized why my bread crusts were always so pale and soft, it was the oven rack position the whole time.
After my neighbor in apartment 4B pointed out my oven's manual actually says to bake on the lower third for a crisp bottom, I moved my sourdough down there last weekend and got a perfect golden crust for the first time in maybe two years of trying.
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dakotawood4d ago
Actually, the lower third is good, but for a really crisp bottom you need to preheat a baking stone or steel on that rack. The manual's advice is a starting point. Just moving the bread down helps, but it's still baking in the air of the oven. You need that direct, stored heat from below to really blast the bottom crust. A cheap pizza stone changed everything for my loaves.
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xena14d ago
Yeah, that part about baking in the oven air versus direct heat from below makes total sense. I read a baker's blog that said the same thing, that a stone acts like a heat battery for the crust. They even suggested putting an old sheet pan on the lower rack to radiate more heat upward.
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