Oven spring
Oven spring is the fast rise a bread loaf makes in its first minutes in a hot oven. Good proofing, scoring and steam give a tall loaf with an open crumb.
Oven spring is the burst of rising a loaf of bread does during its first 10 to 15 minutes in a hot oven. A good loaf can grow by a quarter or more in that time. Strong oven spring gives a tall loaf, an open crumb and a cut on top that opens into a raised flap, often called an ear.
How to do it
- Proof the shaped loaf until it is just ready, not past it.
- Heat the oven well, to 230 to 250°C (450 to 480°F), for at least 30 to 45 minutes. Heat a pizza stone, steel or Dutch oven with it.
- Score the top with a sharp blade, about 0.5 to 1 cm (¼ to ½ inch) deep, just before baking.
- Add steam. Bake in a covered Dutch oven, or pour a cup of hot water into a tray on the oven floor as you load the bread.
- After 20 minutes, remove the lid or tray so the crust can brown.
How to tell it is done
The loaf has grown clearly taller than it went in. The scored cut has opened wide and its edge has lifted. Looking at the side, the loaf has a rounded profile, not a flat one.
Why it works
Heat makes the gas already in the dough expand. The yeast also works faster for a few minutes before the heat kills it, at around 60°C (140°F), and water and alcohol in the dough turn to vapor. Steam keeps the crust soft and stretchy for those first minutes, so the loaf can grow before the crust sets. The score gives it a controlled place to open.
Common mistakes
- Over-proofing. The dough has no strength left and spreads instead of rising.
- An oven that is not hot enough. The crust sets slowly and the rise is weak.
- No steam. The crust hardens early and the loaf tears at the sides.
- A blunt blade that drags. The score closes up instead of opening.
- Weak shaping. A loose loaf has no surface tension to push upward.
In recipes
"Good oven spring" is praise for a loaf that rose well in baking. Recipes that tell you to bake in a preheated pot or to add steam are aiming for more oven spring. Poor spring is a sign to look at the proof first.
Related terms
- ProofTo proof is to let shaped dough rise one last time before baking. Use the poke test to tell when bread is ready, underproofed or overproofed.
- ScoreTo score is to make shallow cuts in the surface of food, such as duck skin, fish, pork rind or bread dough, to help it cook evenly, crisp and look neat.
- Dutch ovenA Dutch oven is a heavy lidded pot, often enameled cast iron, for braising, stews, soups and crusty bread. Here is how to use and care for one.
- Pizza stoneA pizza stone is a thick slab you heat in the oven to bake pizza and bread with a crisp, browned base. Here is how to use it without cracking it.
- CrumbThe crumb is the soft inside of a bread or cake, and its holes and texture tell you how it was mixed, proofed and baked. Here is how to read it.
- Bulk fermentationBulk fermentation is the first rise, when bread dough ferments in one mass before shaping. It builds flavor and strength. Here is how to judge it.