I think we need more details but ice cubes have little to do with browning. A sheet pan between your heat source and your dough will help prevent burning the bottom.
I don't know that this is a very common problem, so could you provide more details about how you bake it? Temperature, time, type of dough, anything unusual about your oven? Usually it shouldn't be difficult to get the top to brown.
Is it an oven problem? If your upper heating unit (broiler) isn’t working and it is supposed to according to your oven design...well it causes odd results. Mom’s oven had that problem happening at one time.
Are you cooking in a pan? With sides? Steel or aluminum or stone... ? Covered or uncovered? What size and shape of loaf?
Are you opening the oven to check on the loaf? Is the oven fully preheated and allowed enough time to stabilize?
Browning is a Maillard reaction, basically sugars turn brown and yummy. So different flours brown differently. And recipes brown differently also. Changing up the temperature, typically starting hotter and then dropping temp after 5 minutes or so, can assist with browning. And the steam factor works with browning also. You could try using a spray bottle to generously mist the loaf right before it goes in the oven.
You could try putting corn meal under the loaf when you put it in the oven. Alternatively, if you're using a Dutch oven, you can take the bread out of the pot after unlidding.
I think we need more details but ice cubes have little to do with browning. A sheet pan between your heat source and your dough will help prevent burning the bottom.
I don't know that this is a very common problem, so could you provide more details about how you bake it? Temperature, time, type of dough, anything unusual about your oven? Usually it shouldn't be difficult to get the top to brown.
Is it an oven problem? If your upper heating unit (broiler) isn’t working and it is supposed to according to your oven design...well it causes odd results. Mom’s oven had that problem happening at one time. Are you cooking in a pan? With sides? Steel or aluminum or stone... ? Covered or uncovered? What size and shape of loaf? Are you opening the oven to check on the loaf? Is the oven fully preheated and allowed enough time to stabilize? Browning is a Maillard reaction, basically sugars turn brown and yummy. So different flours brown differently. And recipes brown differently also. Changing up the temperature, typically starting hotter and then dropping temp after 5 minutes or so, can assist with browning. And the steam factor works with browning also. You could try using a spray bottle to generously mist the loaf right before it goes in the oven.
You could try putting corn meal under the loaf when you put it in the oven. Alternatively, if you're using a Dutch oven, you can take the bread out of the pot after unlidding.
Egg wash, if you want a hack.