For The Best Homemade Bread, Put A Towel In Your Oven

Bread is famously made from four simple ingredients: salt, yeast, flour, and water. And yet, when it comes to baking a perfect loaf of crisp, chewy, super satisfying home-baked bread, water is critical in another form: steam. This vapor isn't only for visual appeal when you rip off a hunk from a freshly made loaf; it's essential in developing the texture and rise that signify quality bread. And while it may seem simple to whip together a dough at home, what many bread lovers may not know is that commercial ovens are designed to produce that all-important steam in ways that the ones in our kitchens cannot (and are actually designed to deliver the opposite: dry heat).

There is a popular method — placing a pan of ice in the oven — that provides a blast of steam, but only initially. Once that liquid evaporates, your dough will be left exposed to harsh dry heat. Fortunately, there's a complementary hack that will help your standard-issue home oven mimic that of a professional bread baker, and you likely already have the tools on hand. By simply placing some wet towels in the oven along with your bread, you're providing an additional source of steam that will release more gradually throughout the bake— leaving you on your way to perfectly shiny, well-risen loaves that will satisfy your carb cravings.

Creating this steam release system is a matter of simple makeshift engineering. While your oven is preheating, roll up two or three kitchen towels securely — first removing any tags for safety — and situate them in a tight row in a baking pan. Boil water in a kettle or a pot — about two cups of water will do for three towels, but you want to be sure you have enough to fully saturate the fabric to prevent burning and ensure a safe bake. Pour boiling water over the towels and stash the pan on the floor of your oven or the lowest rack possible — you'll want the whole setup, including your bread, to live in the bottom third of the oven space.

You'll want to leave room beside the pan for the one you'll fill with ice, combining the methods for the most effective steaming system. Then pop your prepared loaf on a rack just above it and bake according to your recipe, removing the pan with the towels after about 20 minutes. 

Ultimately, this steamy solution ensures you'll have the moisture and elasticity your dough needs to expand and a shiny, golden-brown crust that hasn't overly dried out. Whether you're attempting an anyone-can-make crusty baguette or a chewy country oat bread to slather with butter made from scratch, harnessing the power of water in all its forms will level up your bread game.