I'd tried making sourdough bread twice with other recipes and they turned out flat and horrible. This recipe, on the other hand... wow, what a revelation! The instructions were spot on and it was so helpful to have the photos as a reference point. As you suggested, as soon as I slashed my loaf (I halved the quantities and made one boule), it flattened to only an inch high but after two minutes in the oven it had risen incredibly. I expected the crust to be quite thick and crisp, but it was soft and chewy (still nice!), even though I left it to cool in the turned-off oven to evaporate any remaining moisture (internal temperature 200F). I thought that spraying with water, adding steam etc was done to get a crisp crust, but this is obviously not the case, so how would I achieve that result, please? Steam does indeed help with creating a great crust. However, I find that if you do not allow the steam to escape once the bread begins to brown then the extra moisture will soften the crust. This can be done by simply opening the oven for a few seconds to allow the steam to escape!-Jon

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