One thing that i found helpful was using a steam tray. I block off the oven vent for the first half of the bake. Litre of water, boiled first in a kettle, with a wet cloth, in a pan under the baking steel.
It keeps the top moist during the rise, while also using latent heat of condensation to deposit a lot of heat into the loaf faster.
Although if you're baking in a Dutch oven that accomplishes a similar result.
