Why "steam" when making European bags?

When making European bags, I believe that everyone is very familiar with the word "steam", so why do you need to "steam"? In addition to the European bun, other kinds of bread need to be "steamed", "steam" should be operated, what should be paid attention to?

Every European bag with beautiful "ears" and cracks is inseparable from the role of

The multiple effects of steam

Steam can make the surface of the dough gelatinized Because there will be a certain amount of starch in the flour, and the starch generally begins to gelatin at 56 degrees Celsius, "steam" is to gelatinize the starch on the surface to avoid water loss

Steam can increase humidity Steam speeds up the drying time of the dough surface, so that the dough can achieve greater expansion, and the baked finished product will naturally be larger

Steam can increase heat conduction and internal expansion In addition to adhering to the surface of the dough, a part of the steam will also enter the inside of the dough, accelerate the internal heating, and the part of the steam that enters will also improve the internal gas expansion efficiency, which can make the bread volume larger in a short time

What type of bread needs to be "steamed"

Generally, like the production of hard Europe, soft Europe needs to "steam", such as soft Europe "steam" can delay the dough expansion and setting time, so that the finished product volume is larger

What are the considerations

Note the control time Generally 250 grams - 350 grams of bread, commercial ovens need steam at a temperature of about 240 ° C, and the amount of steam is 3 seconds

Pay attention to the amount of steam When the amount of steam is insufficient, the extension of the dough in the oven is affected, and the final bread is small, flat and tightly

When the steam is excessive, the cutting knife of the bread will close and cannot be unfolded, the expansion will be limited, and the skin of the bread will be thickened

No steam function can be replaced by baking stone In advance, the baking stone is laid flat in the baking pan, preheated to the set temperature, and after preheating, the dough is put on the top, and the water can be sprayed on the high temperature baking stone with a small watering can, which instantly produces steam, and it is necessary to pay attention to controlling the amount of

(Xiao Xu)

China Food News (2022-09-19 05 edition)