“Throw ice cubes in the pot for steam”

In a closed pot, the dough makes all the steam it needs. The ice is optional at best.

Why

A lidded pot traps the moisture leaving the loaf, and that is already plenty to keep the crust soft through oven spring. An ice cube adds a little more and costs a little heat from the base of the pot. Most people can't see the difference in the finished loaf.

Further down

There is one reason to skip it: cold water hitting very hot enamel can crack it. On an open stone or steel, with no pot, extra steam does matter, and a tray of boiling water is a safer way to make it than ice.

Words used here Oven spring

Updated 7 October 2026