Notes on steam

I used to score too timidly; a quick, confident cut opens far better. This time I let the bulk rise go an hour longer, and the crumb was noticeably more open.

The second loaf of the day is always better than the first, because the oven is properly hot. Nothing here is exact, and that is rather the point. A wet dough is harder to shape, but it forgives a lot once it is in the oven. Salt goes in after the rest, a habit I picked up from an old bakery book.