leo986•15d ago

Steel vs silicone baking mats, is there really a winner for bread?

I've been testing both for about 6 months now, mostly sourdough and baguettes in my home oven in Austin. The steel mats give me that crackly bottom crust, no question, but they're a pain to store and they slide around on the sheet pan unless I wet the pan first. Silicone mats are way easier to clean and they lay flat, but my loaves come out with a softer, almost pale bottom that bugs me. I've tried preheating the steel mat in the oven for 15 minutes and that helped, but then the silicone mat started to warp at 475 degrees. So which do you all prioritize, the crust texture or the convenience? Has anyone found a way to get a crispy bottom on silicone without flipping the loaf halfway through bake?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_robin14d ago

Man, that warping at 475 is exactly why I gave up on silicone for bread entirely. I kept mine for cookies and pastries, but for loaves it's just not worth the fight. Have you tried dusting the steel mat with rice flour or cornmeal instead of wetting the pan? That might stop the sliding without adding extra moisture to the crust. What's your hydration at for the sourdough? I've found that a wetter dough plus a hot steel mat gets me closer to that crackly bottom without needing to flip anything.

charles72014d ago

My last sourdough was at 78% hydration and it STILL slid sideways on that silicone mat, total mess. Cornmeal on the steel mat works way better for me, plus it gives that little crunch on the bottom that I actually love.