Anna N

I think the whole point of the steam proof is to reduce the amount of time needed for the final proof. If that is important to a baker then I can see where they would get frustrated if it doesn't work. But if you have no need to rush the final proof then it seems silly to try to "trick" it in any way. Right now I guess my only point in continuing along this line is to try and prove that it does work......just because! It is absolutely NOT a function that drew me to this oven in the first place. And if I didn't already have this oven it would not be a dealbreaker.

Nope. Temp range is 100-210°F for steam function.

I think I am dead in the water until I get some more yeast. I thought I still had some in the freezer but apparently not.

So this morning, even somewhat decaffeinated, I put my oven thermometer in the CSO and checked the temperature of the steam function at a setting of 100°F end it was bang on.

Many, many thanks. Completely fascinating to someone who has never been outside of Europe and North America.

It doesn't get much better. I accidentally ordered two bunches of rapini and was wondering how on earth I would get through them. I love rapini so much that I was snatching it from the draining rack after I had blanched it. Two bunches may not be quite enough.

Definitely something to think about. I rather doubt that my oven thermoneter will read something as low as 100°F accurately but it's worth a try.

Oh Shelby, I almost had to go and change because I laughed so hard. My oven is exactly the same. Is full of cast-iron, blue steel, baking sheets, etc. I am near to tears on a Tuesday morning when I want to bake meeting treats for my son-in-law. By the time I haul everything out of the big oven, try to stash it somewhere where it's not in the way, gather all my ingredients I am pretty much a basket case. I have made Walter Sands white bread many times, in fact I might've been the one who told you about it. Or perhaps not. I have never had any issues with proofing it on the counter. Perhaps tomorrow I will try your French bread recipe although I will have to be in a much better mood than I am at the moment. Here is my second flatbread of the day.

Elsie, I have lots and lots of experience with the Cuisinart oven because of the one that is up north in Manitoulin and the only thing that prevented me from getting one down here was space. The space issue has really has not gone away. I know that I have to find a better solution than the one I have right now. It is easy to think that once you have found sufficient space for the appliance you are in the clear. That is simply not true. You need room for the door to open. You need room for a landing pad. You need to be able to easily reach, in this case, the water reservoir. In its present situation it's extremely awkward to lift the reservoir from its position. So it is still going to have to work damned hard to earn it's real estate.

And so you should. It does many things brilliantly and I am prepared to accept maybe operator error that the steam proofing function does not work for me so I hope I have not discouraged you from buying one!

Sorry but I have no plans on any further testing of the steam proofing function until someone can tell me under what conditions it might work. I have no difficulty preventing dough from drying out on the counter and although my room temperature varies greatly I simply accommodate it by lengthening or shortening proofing times. I have no reason to be extremely consistent since I am not attempting to make bread commercially. I bake bread frequently and usually quite successfully and although flour, yeast and water are not expensive consistent failure is. For now I will stick with proofing on my counter.

And we have another flatbread! No further experiments on steam-proofing planned at this time.

Not holding out a lot of hope this time, either. I have been proofing bread on the counter since Methuselah was the top so if the steam function doesn't work for proofing it's not a big deal. Still the function's there so I have to assume it works somewhere for some people under some conditions. Anyone have any success?

I am either obsessed or more probably possessed but my third loaf of the day is now undergoing bulk fermentation. This time I used bread flour and active dry yeast and, because my jar of active yeast might be a little long in the tooth, I made sure to proof it. Once again I will try the final proof with steam in the oven.

A most interesting plating. While I might often serve buns or bread on the side, I have never thought of serving them on the plate. This appears to work very well in this instance and I shall file it away for future reference. As always your food looks very sophisticated and delicious. Thank you, as always, for sharing. I think many of us gain much inspiration from your posts. Edited to ask if the deer is wrapped in bacon or something similar?

So this morning I attempted the hearth bread from the King Arthur flour site. I made just half a recipe. Here is the final loaf which was given its final proof using the steam function on the CSO. Talk about flatbread! I remade the recipe using everything exactly the same. I weigh my ingredients so there's no wiggle room there. But instead of a final proof with steam this was proofed for an hour on the kitchen counter. I got dreadfully distracted when it was in the oven which accounts for the fact that it did not get turned and that it stayed in there a tad too long. But the difference in the two loaves is striking. I noticed two things. The recipes in the book that come with the oven use bread flour and active dry yeast. This recipe uses all purpose flour and instant yeast. It would take a far more knowledgable baker than I to determine if the different flour and/or yeast can account for the different reaction to the steam proofing. I seem to recall a similar situation with the oven up north at some point. I know I was extremely disappointed in it as a bread oven. But now it is in my own kitchen I intend to persevere and see if I can improve the outcome.

WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT. HomiteTM: a hangover cure courtesy of Ed Smith's father. Equal parts honey and marmite. Ed Smith is the author of On the Side, a British cook book of recipes for side dishes. I am not currently hung over but a little down in the dumps as my second loaf of bread in my brand new Cuisinart steam oven gives new meaning to the word "flatbread". Will go into further detail in the CSO topic a little later.

The plan was pork chop and some sautéed peppers and onions. But I ran across a russet potato that was rapidly going south and remembered I wanted to make roasted fries with beef fat as per Patricia Wells. Potato was cut up into fries and steamed until just barely tender while beef fat was heated in a 450°F oven. Fries were patted dry, rolled around in hot fat and roasted.

I am not even going to attempt to explain rack positions. Tried it once before here and everybody proved me wrong. The manual is freely available online so if you can understand the photographs there is an explanation of rack positions. Link to the manual Here

Thank you. I think I could make short work of one of those!

We have one in Manitoulin. It is very handy to have water already at the correct temperature for making tea. Kerry can make her tea as soon as she is out of bed, put the teapot into its Dutch warmer and go and take care of whatever needs to be taken care of and return to ready-made tea. I would have one if I drank tea but I drink coffee!

I am not looking for the recipe only an explanation of what it is, please.

@chefmd I like the company

Do tell us more! Looks amazing.

No problem. I know Kerry is at work and may or may not get back to this in the next few hours.