February 12, 2011 - 6:32pm
Oven temperature ramp down
I generally start a loaf at 500F for 7 minutes then lower the temperature to 400F to finish. Is it better to let the temperature in the oven drop naturally or open the door for a few seconds to rapidly drop the temperature?
Personally I haven't seen much of a difference. I don't see anything in the forums one way or the other. Has anyone done any experimenting?
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My take is that when trying to get the bread raised and keep it raised until set, you probably want to avoid large, sudden temperature drops, as much as possible.
In this regard, I imagine it's similar to baking cakes(even though I'm not a cake baker). Of course you just don't have to be quite as extreme about it with most breads.
Just my opinion. Not speaking as an expert, but I do believe I have read of this, somewhere.
Home ovens are not well insulated and lose heat rapidly, even with the door closed. Thermostats try to keep up and cycle constantly, from 25 degrees under the set temperature to 25 degrees above. (So there is a constant spread of 50 degrees.) Just dropping the set oven temperature after seven minutes should be enough, since heat will escape even without opening the door. However, if you keep a stone in the oven, the heat loss is slightly slower.
I'm not an expert, either. But I worked for an appliance company testing ovens (theirs and their competitors').
Mimi