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Editor’s note
Hello!
This issue, I start delving into the wonderful world of bread baking using a steam oven.
Like many of the foundational topics of steam oven cooking, bread isn’t something I can cover off in a single newsletter. So I’m starting fairly simple, talking about proving and baking breads made with commercial yeast (and, yep, giving you a cracker of a recipe for my favorite soft sandwich bread). Sourdough basics will come soon, and I’m happy to go deeper into anything to do with baking and bread as these newsletters roll on.
In many ways, you all set the agenda here! I theme and create the content for each newsletter based on what’s in greatest demand. If you don’t ask, I don’t know to cover it, so don’t be afraid to send questions via the AMA details at the bottom of this newsletter.
Happy steam oven baking!
Emily x
PS. In case you’re interested in a sneak peek of what’s coming up, here are the hot topics I plan to write about in the coming couple of months (these are just the ones I’ve already scheduled, there are plenty more where these came from!):
Understanding and using humidity levels
Vegetable steaming
Sous vide basics
Sourdough basics
Gluten free baking
Topic of Interest: The Basics of Steam Oven Bread (Proving and Baking Yeast Breads)
Today we’ll delve into steam oven bread basics. Specifically, I’m going to talk about the proving and baking stages for yeasted doughs. There are many variables in making good bread, but proving and baking are the two areas where your steam oven really comes into play.
If you feel daunted by the process of bread baking this article will give you the confidence to try it out; if you’re an old hand hopefully you’ll learn a thing or two you can use to improve your loaves!
Recipe of the Edition: Soft Sandwich Bread
This soft sandwich bread recipe makes one of those quintessential loaves that most of us immediately think of when we imagine a soft white loaf.
Although I love a good sourdough or grain loaf, I find it extremely handy to have this ‘base’ loaf in my repertoire and I think you will too. It’s easy and fast to make because you can use the steam oven to proof the dough, and results in a soft, springy bread that children and adults alike will devour before it’s even gone cold. If you do happen to have some left, it freezes and toasts beautifully, and is sturdy enough for French toast.
The Season Flip
Is there such a thing as seasonal bread? I’m not sure! But there are definitely seasonal ‘things to do with bread’, so here we go:
Southern Hemisphere
For those of us firmly in the winter months, just about any warm, fresh bread brings joy and good aromas to the kitchen. But pumpkin rolls are particularly appropriate. Use up some of the cool weather bounty of pumpkin in these earthy, golden-hued rolls. Skip the fiddly shaping if you’re happy with round rolls, or make it a weekend project and have a little fun with them.
Northern Hemisphere
Not a bread recipe as such, but crushed, barely-blanched peas and beans spread onto crispy toast with whipped feta cheese? That’s one of my dream summer meals. When it’s absolutely too hot to spend much time in the kitchen, but you’re bored of salads, try this little number. Use fresh peas and beans or frozen ones, it really doesn’t matter.
A Thing I'm Loving
There are lots of things I use, eat, read about and enjoy in the kitchen that aren’t specifically related to steam ovens! Perhaps you’d like to know about some of them?
Given baking books are the ones I always gravitate towards in the bookstore, it’s not surprising I’ve amassed a good collection of them. These are a few favorites old and new. I recommend seeking them out from good independent bookstores where you can, though I’ve provided links to the online giants here for ease of searching.
Bourke Street Bakery. For good all-around yeast, sourdough and pastry recipes. I’ve used and loved this book by Paul Allam and David McGuinness for many years.
Breaking Breads. This gorgeous book is what you get when you combine Uri Scheft’s Scandinavian and Israeli heritage with his European pastry skills and the experience of running two famous bakeries. The recipes are clear and detailed and every time I pick it up I feel inspired.
Classic German Baking. Luisa Weiss’s beautifully researched volume should be on every enthusiastic baker’s bookshelf. As well as all the yeasted bread and cake recipes you could wish for, there’s an extensive collection of cookie recipes and the most amazing Christmas baking chapter.
*note: some of the links to A Thing I’m Loving are affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission if you make a purchase from that business. But rest assured I will never, ever share something I don’t personally recommend.
Ask Me Anything (AMA)
Here’s your opportunity to ask me anything you like related to combi steam cooking!
I really encourage you to submit questions, and will do my best to answer as many as possible. Though I may not be able to get to every single question, I will carefully curate ones which are relevant and represent a variety of topics. We all learn from each other, and I often learn new things based on questions from all of you!
If you have an AMA question, please email it to [email protected]. Make sure you include the phrase INSIDERS AMA in the subject line so I can collate and read all your submissions.
This edition’s questions:
From Trudy
Q: I have recently been given the new Neff sweets cookbook but as I have a VZUG oven some of the terms confuse me. Would you mind telling me what I would use when a recipe calls for: CircoTherm; VarioSteam; Baking and Roasting Assist; CircoTherm Intensive; CircoRoast.
A: Those are Neff’s proprietary terms for its oven functions. This is my best understanding of each, you should be able to apply something similar using VZUG’s terminology:
CircoTherm is fan forced/convection/hot air;
VarioSteam is steam assist (see Vol. #2 of Insiders for an explanation of steam assist). You can achieve a similar result with hot air humid settings.
Baking and Roasting Assist is a menu in Neff ovens which suggests a cooking time and temp for certain popular dishes. Sort of a preset cooking function but with the flexibility to alter things to the user’s preference. I’m unsure if VZUG has an equivalent.
CircoTherm Intensive is the rear fan element of the oven combined with the bottom element, for extra crisping and cooking on the base of a food.
CircoRoast is the rear fan element of the oven combined with the top or grill element, for even heat circulation with extra browning.
From Cathy
Q: I love the result I get when steaming almost anything that I used to simmer. But how do I infuse those things with flavor like I do when simmering? For example, when I cook potatoes for potato salad, I always add vinegar and salt to the water. When I steam them, even if I’ve tossed them with salt and vinegar, the steam ‘rinses’ the seasoning off. Should I be treating them more like pasta or beans and steam in liquid? The same is true with veggies like asparagus or green beans. Any suggestions?
A: Apart from salt on potatoes, I tend not to bother seasoning vegetables for steaming (until after I’ve cooked them, that is). As you say, the steam process sort of washes away the flavor so there’s not much point. For most veg this isn’t a big deal and they’ll take on whatever seasoning they need after cooking. But you’ve answered your own question here; the way around this is to steam things IN liquid if you do really need to infuse flavor. There’s no harm at all in sitting your vegetables in water/stock/other liquids to steam. It’s like simmering them, but with much more control over the texture of your food because the temperature remains constant. Just be aware that your timings will change and you’ll need to cook things for longer so the heat can travel through the liquid and into the food.
From Mary
Q: I’ve heard I can use my combi-steam like a slow cooker. Is this true? Have you tried it? How do I convert a slow cooker recipe to work in my combi-steam?
A: Yes, you can, and yes, I’ve tried it. Many times! Think of the oven itself as the slow cooker, so you just pop your pot in, minus the lid. Conversion is relatively easy. In almost all cases you can reduce the liquid needed by about half, because it won’t evaporate away as much. For ‘low’ slow cooker temperatures you’re looking for about 175°F/80°C plus a moderate humidity level (say 50% steam). For ‘high’ slow cooker recipes, you can go up to 245°F/120°C and moderate humidity. Be conscious that the steam in the oven will speed things up. I find a slow cooker meat dish which usually takes 6-8 hours may only take 4 or so in the steam oven. It’s a little bit of trial and error depending on the dish but once you’ve done it a few times it becomes second nature.
From Barbara
Q: What would the temperature and steam percentage settings be for these two methods of cooking chicken (as referenced in Vol.#2 of the Insiders newsletter)?
Combi steam, convection steam, hot air plus steam: very moist, tender flesh, browned skin and fat, fastest cooking time (about 30-40% faster than in a dry oven, depending on the amount of humidity in the oven).
Convection humid, hot air humid: moist and tender flesh, browned skin and fat, somewhat fast cooking time (about 20% faster than in a dry oven).
A: Great question! As always, it’s a little variable depending on the results you’re looking for. I recommend in both cases using the same temperature you would normally roast chicken at in a regular oven. For me, that’s 350-400°F/180-200°C. For combi/convection steam, go for 50-70% humidity if you want very juicy meat. For convection humid, around 20-30% humidity is what you’re looking for (if your oven has a standardized convection humid/hot air humid setting it’s probably running at that amount of humidity within the setting). The cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken but definitely much faster than in a dry oven as per the guidelines above.
