Hearth bread

Hearth bread is baked freeform — on stone, steel, or the oven floor, or in a pot that stands in for a deck — rather than in a loaf pan. King Arthur Baking: Steam can be used on pan loaves, but it is typically most important for hearth loaves, because more Crust is exposed and the style is lofty and crisp ¹. Calvel's French bread is hearth craft in that sense ².

Lean hearth breads stand free, while a pan sandwich loaf has supported sides, less exposed crust, and less need to trap steam. Their crumb should be judged against their different geometries.

What to notice #

The loaf has to hold its own shape through proof and Oven loading. A Dutch oven traps the dough's vapor and limits you to a round near the pot's size; a stone plus added steam lets bâtards and baguettes exist ¹. Early steam, then a dry finish, is how the crust stays extensible for spring and then crisps.

Failure: a slack dough that pancakes on the peel; a dry home oven that locks the skin; calling any crusty loaf "sourdough." Country loaf (teaching formula) is a teaching hearth formula. Tartine Bakery is one public place where hearth bread is baked every day.