u/Anxious-Place3434

I am trying to achieve thick, chewy, bark-like crust, like the kind that I personally associate with Eastern European breads. I've tried a bunch of things, including having the oven be hotter or colder, using steam or not using steam, and I always end up with thin, crispy crust, which is... delightful and I understand why it's sought after... but it's not what I want.

I'm almost wondering if I should be doing the opposite of what everyone is recommending, because my standards for a desirable crust are different from everyone else's

Any suggestions for achieving what I'm looking for? Pics posted are an example of the thin, crisp crust that I dislike and want to avoid.

I'm watching Danaher's Go Further Faster on guard passing. He advocate for getting a pant grip using "the slap method", where he slaps the opponent's foot with one hand to grab the pant leg with the other.

... what? Why would you do this? Danaher offers no explanation

Edited to add: youtube has the clip from the instructional - https://youtu.be/oUyvtEC6MJg?si=6fqHwSxo2kFEmooo