The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Buying a new home oven--any recommendations for bread baking?

SaraBClever's picture
SaraBClever

Buying a new home oven--any recommendations for bread baking?

We are getting a new oven.  Since I bake a lot of bread (why else would I be here?) I want to make sure to get one that is good for baking.  I seem to remember reading in the Bread Baker's Apprentice that "new" ovens even have steam injection features.  My hope was that since that book is about 8 years old, I could find this feature easily.  Does anyone know if these exist and what it is called if it's not something obvious?

If you don't know of such an oven, but have a recommendation I'd still love to hear it.  (After all, I can always use the steam pan for artisinal breads; am doing it now so no change there).  If there's anything I should watch out for please let me know too.  Thanks!  Off to make my soaker and biga for Reinhart's transitional whole wheat sandwich loaf (from Whole Grain Breads).  We'll see....

verminiusrex's picture
verminiusrex

I got a convection oven about 2 years ago and love it. When baking 3 racks of bagels, i don't have to rotate pans at all. I can also do 2 racks of bread without rotating, although I don't bake for the farmer's market anymore so my baking isn't in such large quantities anymore.

Keep in mind that the more features you get in an oven, the more it costs. 

BellesAZ's picture
BellesAZ

It depends.... really on your budget.  If you have $10,000 to spend you could get a Wolf or a Viking, but if you don't you just have to find a highly rated one. 

I have not seen a steam oven for the home baker, so good luck if you can find one.  I've never heard of one.  There would have to be a big market for that type of oven and I am certain there probably aren't enough of us out there who are willing to buy one.

I just bought a new Maytag Convection double oven.  For steam?  No big deal, I just use a pan of ice cubes or spray my loaves as they bake a few times. 

I think the most important thing is holding the temperature and getting up to a high temperature for some artisan breads like ciabatta and pizza.

sphealey's picture
sphealey

KitchenAid has a line of ovens/ranges called "Steam Assist", which have some type of steam (or hot vapor) generator.  I looked at them at the industry trade show (KBIS) a few years ago; as ranges they seemed OK but of course I coudn't test the steam.

However, having spent an afternoon at KBIS looking at every dual fuel range on the market I came to the conclusion that if you can afford a Viking go with that.  But if you can't afford or don't want a Viking, then you are probably better off with a range in the $500 - $700 zone that you can abuse, modify, mess up, etc. and not worry about the damage you might be doing to it.  E.g. I suspect that the person here on TFL who ran some instrument tubing down the vent into his oven for pouring water down (into a cast iron pan) with with door closed was on the right track, but you wouldn't want to do that to a fancy $3000 "prosumer" range and risk getting it all scratched up.  A $500 Jenn-Air with the fake commerical front, why not?

sPh

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Home ovens with steam injection have been around for a few years.  Whirlpool, Sharp, and Viking make them ($3,700 and less).

A good appliance store or your local Home Depot/Lowes should be able show you what's available.  Or check Sears.

Happy shopping.

belle's picture
belle

Hi Sara..

I see that a couple of members suggested a Viking stove.  I purchased one 2 years ago and have been very disappointed.  The Viking stove is no longer the 'cadillac' it used to be.  You are ultimately paying for the hardware (it is a great looking stove).  I  have had nothing but problems with it since Day 1.  First, the convection feature did not work properly and I had to get it replaced.  Secondly, I just had to have a $400 piece replaced because my oven was not operating at the desired temperature range.  Their customer service is horrible.  When you dial the 800 number for service, you are automatically routed to their 3rd party vendor. They do not treat you with any special care at all.  I should have listened to my husband when he suggested we follow the recommendation from Consumer Reports (CR).  CR did not recommend this high end stove and basically reported what I have come to learn - you are paying for a name and nothing more.   Hope this reaches you in time before you make this investment

Regards,

Belle

SaraBClever's picture
SaraBClever

Hi Belle,

Thanks for your thoughts.  I was just on consumer reports (new September issue is kitchen appliances) and they didn't seem too hot on Viking, rather they liked kenmore and GE and a few other brands.  I'm really sorry you had to deal with all that.  It's so frustrating to splurge and have that happen.  CR seems to like the Kenmores but I have had bad experience with customer service with them in the past...though not the product itself, more delivery issues so we'll see.

BellesAZ's picture
BellesAZ

I "had" a KitchenAid in my other house and when we moved, I left it behind.  It was a troublesome piece of @(%&@ if you ask me :)  I have the top of the line KitchenAid refrigerator too.. totally not impressed. 

When I had the farm, I had all Kenmore appliances.  They had to come out and fix the stove/oven and dishwasher in the first week.  The second week they had to fix the refrigerator.  I have never had an issue with the washer/dryer, but Kenmore isn't the same brand anymore. 

With my Maytag double convection, I didn't want to deal with any special plumbing issues, etc, so we selected that one.  Steaming isn't a big deal and my breads turn out very nice.  When we build a house from the ground up, that's when you want to add plumbing to the stove/oven.  Not afterwards - it will cost a fortune.

sphealey's picture
sphealey

=== but Kenmore isn't the same brand anymore. ===

Kenmore never was the same brand, actually.  Any given Kenmore appliance originated at whatever OEM was willing to give Sears, Roebuck the best price and terms for a unit that met Sears' specs.  For almost 40 years Maytag - then a very high quality producer - won a large percentage of Sears' bids and therefore Kenmore buyers were often getting Maytag quality at Sears prices.  But not always even then, and not anymore.

sPh

BellesAZ's picture
BellesAZ

I realize Sears never manufactured their own appliances.  I was speaking in general terms.   It actually doesn't matter.  It used to be, when you bought the Sears "label", the "brand" you were getting was high quality and reliable.  I don't know about the affordable part - I never found Sears to be particularly affordable.  Especially in the last 15 years when they went all mainstream with crappy appliances. 

MichaelH's picture
MichaelH

My Vilking was a dog. I replaced it with a Wolf and am quite satisfied.

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

As Bella said, it depends on your budget. We have a Gaggenau Steam Oven.  It has steam injection. You can use 100% steam, 80% steam down to O%. It uses "steam injection" at 30% steam.  Makes absolutely beautiful bread.  It needs extra plumbing which can be expensive, too.  It needs water coming into the oven and a drain.  They are outrageously expensive, but after we bought it, we found so many other uses for it (Europeans don't normally bake their own bread).  For example, it hard boils eggs perfectly with no fuss.  If you don't have a stroke when you price it, contact me and I will answer any other questions you have.  Pam

petite's picture
petite

Where did you source a Gaggenau Steam Oven?  I have a 24" wall space, so am looking at the Wolf wall oven with steam, and would appreciate any feedback anyone has on this oven, it's expensive $4500

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Sara.

We just replaced our (crappy) built-in microwave oven. In the process, I learned that there are only 2 actual manufacturers of microwave ovens for US brands. They build them for different "brand name" companies to their specifications. I don't know about ovens, but I wonder. I know that "Kenmore" makes no appliances. An honest Sears salesman will tell you who the actual manufacturer is of each Kenmore model.

I have a KitchenAid built in convection oven. It's 14 years old. Except for having to replace the glass window once, due to my steaming mishap, it has never needed a bit of service. It heats accurately, and, even without convection, the temperature  seems to vary little within the oven. Wonderful oven!

I've read complaints from other members about their KitchenAid ovens though. So, there may be differences from model to model, year to year. They used to say, "Don't buy a car built on a Monday or Friday," because the quality of assembly was not as good right before or right after a weekend. Maybe an urban myth, but ovens may even vary from specimen to specimen. 

A close relative who recently began baking bread but shall remain un-named has brand new relatively fancy kitchen appliances, but his built in oven heats very unevenly, front to back. I assume he researched ovens before purchasing one and bought what seemed best in his price range.

So, bottom line, you don't necessarily "get what you pay for." Quality control seems sub-optimal with many appliance lines. That said, independent reviewers like CR are certainly to be trusted more than almost any salesperson, and anecdotal recommendations based on experience with a single specimen should be taken with a grain of salt, even when it's my recommendation.

Good luck with whatever you choose! 

David

breadsong's picture
breadsong

Hello,

When making my oven purchasing decision a few years back, I contacted appliance distributors and asked if I could try cooking/baking in their demonstration kitchens, to "test drive" their ovens. I wasn't turned down by any of them and although it was extra effort to do this, it was a great way to evaluate the various ovens and determine which ones I did and did not like.

I wish there'd been steam-injected ovens more widely available to try when I was purchasing - the one I did see was way out of my price range!

In the end, I chose a Miele convection oven that I have been very, very happy with and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. There are lots of options to control how the oven heats (top, bottom and convection heat), and a terrific range of temperature options for various applications (dehydrating, baking, roasting, etc.).

In retrospect I'm sure I went "a little" overboard in trying to find the right oven, but I am happy with what I chose - and hope you'll be happy with your new oven, too. And if it's steam-injected, so much the better!   :^)

Regards, breadsong

joyfulbaker's picture
joyfulbaker

OK, David mentions using a KitchenAid convection built-in for baking breads.  I have one of those but I don't like the way the convection oven roasts chicken.  I have not tried it with bread, sourdough especially, but have been using the regular oven setting (starting with hot oven, 500 deg., etc.) and then putting in a pan of water below, spraying at beginning of the bake, etc.  So the question is--does the convection bake better bread?  (Try saying that a few times fast.)

Joyful

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Joyful.

I think there are differences among models from the same manufacturer, but with my oven, the convection setting dries the loaf when I want it humid. So, my current routine with hearth loaves is to bake with steam using conventional bake for the first 12-15 minutes, then switch to convection bake and turn the temperature down 25ºF. 

So, I hope to increase water vapor retention until the crust starts to color, then increase drying to make a crisper crust for the remainder of the bake.

This seems to work for me.

What is it that you don't like about convection for roasting chicken?

David

BellesAZ's picture
BellesAZ

Joyful, which convection setting are you using?  My oven has two convections - baking and roasting.  Not sure which one you are using, but you wouldn't use convection bake for a chicken, I wouldn't think anyway.

Mustang 51's picture
Mustang 51

One thing I have seen her at TFL is people complaining that the electronics on some ovens are directly above the vent. This allows moisture to permeate the electronics. As you can imagine, moisture and electronics do not mix.

My Magic Chef oven is 23 years old. It was not a particularly expensive model. I am not sure if the brand even exists for ovens any more, however it still exists for small appliances. Unfortunately the way things have been in the industry, you cannot count on a particular brand name based on a track record of an older existing appliance. One of these days I will have to bite the bullet and replace it. I will be very surprised if the next one lasts this long. Good luck in your purchase.

Paul

hanseata's picture
hanseata

I have a JennAir electric range I'm quite happy with. The oven goes up to over 550 F - very important for me since I bake pains a l'Ancienne and pitas all the time, is very well insulated, and has fan-assisted convection. I bake the heck out of it, since I sell my breads, and the only sign of wear and tear is a warped bottom cover plate - from the steaming water that sometimes spills on the oven floor.

I don't really think that a built-in steam injection is necessary, pouring hot water in a cast iron pan is absolutely sufficient. Additional features of my oven which I like are automatic convection conversion - you don't have to adjust the temperature - a proof function and the possibility to switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius.

For our condo we found a price reduced floor model of an Electrolux range - I hope it performs as well as the JennAir.

Karin

BellesAZ's picture
BellesAZ

There is nothing like baking in a steam injected oven and while we can come fairly close, it can never be duplicated at home to that extent.  If you've never used a professional oven, you'd be blown away with the differences.  I'm not sure how effective the smaller, home steam ovens might be.  I honestly never knew they made any decent ones from home, but did look up a couple online.  The question still remains, however - do they make stunning loaves like from a professional bakery? 

foodslut's picture
foodslut

Hanseata:  I've been baking in a JennAir for almost 4 years now with GREAT results.  I even spray the walls of the oven with a ketchup bottle full of water to get steam, and no crankiness from the oven overall.

Just curious, though:  I crank it up to 500-525 quite frequently, and I've had to have the heating element in the stove once since my sweetie redid the kitchen and let me buy the JennAir.  I'm guessing the element might go more frequently than normal because of the frequent high heat, but was wondering if you've seen the same.

hanseata's picture
hanseata

Fortunatelty that hasn't happened to met, yet. I got the JennAir stove in 2007 and work it really hard, because I bake twice a week for our local natural food store and in every batch there are Pains a l'Anciennes (preheated to 550) and pitas (baked at 550 with frequent switches between "Bake" and "Broil, high").

We had once a problem with a burner on the stove top, that wasn't too difficult to repair. The only thing that sometimes happens is a computer error, switching the oven off entirely or, rarely, but it happened, staying at higher heat when the heat was reduced, and burning the breads. Fortunately I can fix that myself by turning the circuit breaker to 0 and switch it on again, then the oven resets.

The one real damage to the oven so far is a warping of the bottom cover plate, certainly because of water spilling over the steam pan.

Karin

joyfulbaker's picture
joyfulbaker

Hi David,

Re. convection roasting in the KitchenAid, I have found that, even with the proper settings, as the oven itself makes the conversion if I enter the conventional time and heat, the chicken (I'm talking about chicken parts--8 pieces, about 3 1/4-lb chicken--OK, it's Empire kosher chicken, so it's BIG) comes out underdone, pink at the bone, and not succulent and tender.  I don't want to overbake it, as it's drier than it normally would be (I note your comment about "dry").  I suppose I could try more liquid in the recipe, but then I don't think it would really be roasted but rather braised--a chicken of another color.

But thanks for the info re. your method of baking hearth bread with convection; I can certainly give it a try.

Joyful

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Your chicken is underdone but dry? I only get that effect when baking chicken that goes into the oven still partly frozen. But you wouldn't do that ... would you?

David

BellesAZ's picture
BellesAZ

This is an excellent way to cook a crispy skinned chicken -where the breasts cook at the same rate as the legs/thighs so there are no dry bits to the chicken.  Check out this link for a great recipe.  Butterlying a whole chicken is quite easy - especially if you have a nice pair of sharp scissors to cut out the backbone.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/312785

sybram's picture
sybram

I checked out the link you suggested, and I'm wondering----did they mean a broiler pan and rack that comes with your oven, or something like a rack that comes in a big turkey roaster?

BTW, I'm with David.  I love my Kitchen Aid ovens.  One is convection and one not.  If I had it to do over again, I'd get both convection.  For my family, it's worth the difference in cost just to be able to cook eight pans of Christmas cookies at one time.  Woohoo!  I've seldom done bread in it, but I'm going to, trying David's routine.

Syb

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

My home steam oven (Gaggenau) is very effective.  It doesn't matter what method I use in my second oven, the bread in the steam injected oven always has better oven spring, color and crust. (Same bread made at same time) It is small, though, so I have gotten very good at retarding dough.  Hope this helps, Pam

longhorn's picture
longhorn

The early steam injection ovens were not very good. I am sure they have gotten better but I would strongly urge you to get your dealer to refer you to a purchaser and to see if you can try using their oven. 

WRT conventional and convection ovens I am with David Snyder. I have a Kitchenaid that is very uniform and consistent - and like David I have replaced one broken window as a result of a steaming mishap!

The Gaggenau recommendations above are the most positive ones I have heard for a home steam injection oven.

Good Luck!

Jay

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

I have a Blue Star Cooktop.  I am very pleased,but since I don't have a range, I can't say anything about the ovens.  My Blue Star can be calibrated  by the altitude, which is a wonderful feature when you live at 9200 ft Hope this helps 

Pam

 

joyfulbaker's picture
joyfulbaker

Thanks, David and BellesAZ, for your suggestions.  I'm going to try the conventional/convection combination for hearth breads; sounds like it'll produce good crust.  And the butterflied chicken recipe sounds really great--I'll look for a whole chicken and give it a try.  Now I'm wondering about buying a clay baker, either Romertopf or La Cloche.  They seem useful for both bread and chicken!

Joyful 

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys

I know this is old now, but thought I would throw this out there. if you are remodeling, think about making room for full size double ovens. And also think about going to Outlet stores - We got a $3400 GE Profile Double wall oven, 30" wide for $1100. They have the same warranty and you can get extended warranties too. It was jus tthe 'last model" instead of the newest with the only difference being the door swirl design.

I had NO idea how much I would use the double ovens until I had them. Top one is a convection oven (love that) and bottom is traditional oven. I can be baking bread and making a roast at the same time. When I make cookies - I can load and back all four baking sheets at once, stuff like that. LOVE it. And I really love not having to bend down and scorch my eyebrows off like I did with the old range.

msgenie516's picture
msgenie516

Hi,

I recently ordered a new stove and I didn't even get it yet, so I have no experiences to report.  I have absolutely no room for a double wall oven so I went with the second best thing, a double oven range with both ovens on the bottom.  Of course, that means the top oven is very small--think it will make a nice pizza oven, but the larger bottom oven has convection, which I understand is great for baking on multiple racks.  There is no steam injection but both ovens go up to 550 degrees and both also have a "pizza mode", whatever that is.  It is made by GE and this is the one I bought:  http://www.homeeverything.com/web/sitefiles/product.asp?sku=23227   I noticed that this link doesn't seem to work but I have retyped it in the next post and that is working.

Actually, it was not my idea to purchase a new stove but I went to Lowes with my husband and while he was getting what he wanted, I wandered over to the appliances (something I always do--love to look).  When he was done, he came by the appliances and "caught" me looking at a double oven range.  I really liked it but had no intentions of buying one as my 13 year old Whirlpool range is doing just fine.  But he went crazy for it and encouraged me to buy one--actually he really got "on my case" about buying one.  When I got home I went on line and found the GE, which had more features that I liked than those I had seen in Lowes.  So I ordered it!

Hope it comes soon...just thought you might like to take a look!  Genie

msgenie516's picture
msgenie516

The above link doesn't seem to be working so I am going to type it in manually to see if that works:  http://www.homeeverything.com/web/sitefiles/product.asp?sku=23227

I guess we can give it a try!  Genie

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

That's a very sleek looking stove.  Isn't it fun to get something that you haven't really waited for or saved for or..???  it's like being a small child at Christmas.  I hope it makes wonderful bread and pizza.  Oh, and if you find out what a pizza setting is..let me know.  I'm curious.

 Pam

msgenie516's picture
msgenie516

Yes, this is like "Christmas in October" as I also just bought a new Hobart N50 mixer after having a terrible experience on eBay with purchasing a used one!  That I already have and used and, so far, I'm very pleased with it.  My husband is convinced that it is capable of mixing a small batch of cement--he really is getting into my baking equipment lately!

I will update on the "pizza mode" when I get the stove, which I am told should be shipped in about 10 days.  I purchased it at the site in the link (BTW, I think I fixed the first link, too).  Genie

flourgirl51's picture
flourgirl51

I have two Amana gas ranges that are 5.4 cubic feet each. I love them. After 8 years of using them like a commercial oven IE hours and hours of baking each week I had to replace the ignitor on one of them. Whirlpool now owns Amana but their Big Ovens are really great. You didn't mention if you are looking for a gas or electric range.

ryebaker's picture
ryebaker

GE profile convection oven has worked very well for me.  Just put a pan in the bottom for water.  If I was looking at something more expensive, I would just go commercial ($4000) rather than some fancy designer brand

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

When we built our new house I wanted a steam injected oven.  You usually can't put commercial ovens, etc in a kitchen without meeting certain codes, which are much stricter for commercial appliances. I looked at Miele and Gaggenau.  Some steam ovens, my Gaggenau in particular, require extra plumbing.  You need a water source and a drain.  Not too bad if it is a new house and the water and sewer lines are close to where you are putting the oven.  My Gaggenau has 5 steam setting.  0%, 30%, 60%, and 100% steam.  I just bought this oven for baking but we found that we use it for practically everything.  It steams vegetables perfectly, without any loss of color. At 100% steam, it cooks anything you would normally cook in a water bath without the water bath...(Bit of a run on sentence).  I roasts and bakes better than any oven I have ever owned.  That said it is a bit smaller than regular ovens.  I noticed that the Meile said it has a water reservoir, that would tell me that it probably doesn't need plumbing. When you are building a new house, the final cost seems to contantly jumping because you are always adding this or that.  But, this oven was worth any cost cutting we did on other improvements.

Pam

 

 

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

I have an ED Steam and convection oven  220/221  (One is a left opening door  the other is a right opening door) Outside dimention is 27" W x 23"(?) D  The inside dimentions are  19" d x 14"w.  There is quite a variation between inside and outside.  Remember, this oven need plumbing- a water line and  a drain.  This is a wonderful oven and the one with steam injection!  Then I have an  EB 270/271 or 290/291  THESE NUMBERS REFER TO WIDTH. I have the 27" wide one.  I think the smaller one (270/271) is 24 inches wide.  The 290/291 inside dimensions are approximately 17.5 D  and 21"W and  "15" H  You can also buy a pizza stone for this oven which has a separate warming burner.  It pre-heats very fast.  If you need the actual building specs they are posted on the gaggenau website. It has about 8 different cooking modes.  Top and Bottom, bottom only, top only convection, broil, broil with convection assist, convection with bottom heat, pizza stone, and rotisserie.  

Need more just ask

Pam

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

No, the steam doesn't ruin your cabinets.  I don't know anything about the new Gaggenau.  I suspect the difference in price is the cost of Euro vs Dollar???  Look on gaggenau-usa.com. 

You are right...we steam almost anytime...and it warms up food without cooking it..or turning it ro rubber..we use it most of the time-even for roasts...the only drawback is its size...which is why I have the steam ven and the larger Gaggenau.  People think I am such a great cook and it really is the equipment.  In the big gaggenau, I bake pies.  When the top browns, I change the cooking mode to bottom only  and they are fantastic.  If you need more info keep asking.  I know it is a BIG decision.  It makes absolutely wonderful bread with great oven spring and color. Again, the equipment really makes me look like a real expert.

Pam

barryvabeach's picture
barryvabeach

GoDave, just about any oven can do a good job with bread. One issue is whether you want to add steam. If you can use a Dutch oven,  and there are tons of posts here on that, then the type of oven you use is not all that critical, since you bake in the covered DO for the first part, it doesn't matter if it is gas or electric - and as you know, dual fuel is more expensive, so you can just get an all gas oven.  The same is true if you go the route of http://www.steambreadmaker.com/.   

 If you want to add steam to the oven cavity itself, then there are several factors.  One option is to buy an oven with Steam Assist,  Kitchenaid makes one, a few here have done posts on it and like it.  Another option is to add steam by putting hot water in a pan, or on top of wet towels in a Pan ( sylvia method), or ice cubes, etc.  For that approach, an electric oven is preferred, because in general gas ovens are vented more than electric ovens, so they let out the steam quicker.  On the other hand, if you add water to an electric oven, there are some they suggest the steam will not play well with electronic controls, and the oven you posted to has electronic controls right over the door.  It is extremely hard to find ovens without electronic controls, but if you do mess up the electronics, it may be expensive to fix.  Most here say that there is no big advantage to either electric or gas ovens in baking - if a manufacturer does a good job, they both can perform well.  So overall, I don't see much about that oven that says you must buy it to make good bread.  I did have a dual fuel, but now have an all gas, so I put my money where my mouth is.  

 

 

Steam Assist reviews   http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/33979/kitchenaid-steamassist

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/35654/kitchenaid-steam-assist-oven-bread-baking

PeterS's picture
PeterS

Bread and or Pastries?

If you are only baking bread, a conventional oven is fine and preferable for good crusts. Convection has its advantages for pastries (and cookies). If you go with the latter, you would want one that can operate with the fan off when baking crusty breads.

I would also suggest using ice a the source of water when steaming. It takes only marginally more energy to vaporize it and won't spatter like water when it hits the hot pan.

retired baker's picture
retired baker

Id try a restaurant supply house, look at commercial blodgett half size ovens, 240v convection.

Then look at the used equipment suppliers, the mkt is flooded with used ovens now.