Freshly baked bread, from a pressure oven!

Today in the Chatelaine Kitchen I had the chance to give the new Wolfgang Puck Pressure Oven from The Shopping Channel a test drive. The oven’s unique steam lock function meant I could try my hand at baking a proper fresh loaf. For as any seasoned baker or bread-lover will gladly explain (over a freshly sliced loaf and some fresh churned butter, of course), steam is the secret to perfectly crusty bread.

I quickly got to work on the basic white bread recipe that came included with the oven — adding a little sharp cheddar and chives into the mix for extra flavour.

The oven doesn’t inject steam like commercial bread ovens, but instead has an insert tray that holds the water for steaming.

Bonus: the exterior heated up enough that it made the perfect spot for my dough to proof for an hour before popping it in the oven.

Since this was my first time using it my timing was a tad off, resulting in a loaf that was a few shades darker than I would have preferred.

That said, it baked up a soft and satisfying loaf that was very quickly devoured by the kitchen team! All in all, a fun and delicious baking experience.

Next up: I’m trying to decide between pan roasted chicken or pineapple upside down cake...