Hi James, while the cold stone may well prevent the bottom of your baguette from getting quite so crisp, it will also give you a less pronounced rise, as it's the heat transferred directly through the hot stone that contributes most to vigorous oven spring. I would also caution you from placing a cold stone in a hot oven, as this might lead to thermal shock and damage your stone. If your baguettes are getting too dark or hard on the bottom you might want to experiment by reducing the baking temperature by 25 degrees. This should still be hot enough to give you good oven spring, but may prevent the bottom crust from over-baking. Barb

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