Michelle, thanks so much for your lovely and thoughtful words! It means so much to all of us at King Arthur Flour to know that we're connecting with bakers in the way you described so beautifully as "friends in the kitchen." Your words are inspiring to all of us! I'm also very happy to hear that this recipe proved a great success for you! The baking temperature for all the methods I suggest is 450°F, but it may be worthwhile to check your oven temperature with a thermometer to make sure your oven is reading accurately. When baking on a sheet tray I would follow the directions recommended for baking on a stone with the bowl, as it sounds like you did. Remove the bowl after 20 minutes and then bake for another 20 minutes or so. Total baking time is usually 40-45 minutes when using this method. It can take a bit longer when baking in a Dutch oven or covered baker. I'm a little concerned that you removed the pan with hot water at 30 minutes. It can be dangerous and awkward to lift a pan with boiling water out of the oven. If you're not using a bowl to cover the loaf, you can use a bit more boiling water at the beginning of the bake (no more than 1 1/2 cups), but the water should evaporate by mid-bake, so that it's not necessary to remove the pan. Thanks again for taking the time to write to us! You've made our day! Barb@KAF

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