April 15, 2013 - 1:35am
CONVECTION OVEN BLUES HELP IT'S HOT IN HERE
Hi Everyone!
I am desperate, the new place we moved into has a convection oven. I am not used to cooking in an electric convection oven and have not been having good results with my bread baking.
Is there some way to control things better so I can get good results?
Help!
Naomiyoheved
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In my pure convection oven (no upper and lower heaters, there's only the heating fan) the single most effective tip was positionig: the bread must be exactly in the direction of the hot air flow, exactly in front of the fan. In spite of all the stupid rubbish that sellers say about absence of cold spots...
I bake at 220°C with previous preheating. All other methods don't work equally well for me. Moreover I avoid using trays under my breads, I lay the bread on oven paper and this one on the griddle. Remember to turn the bread halfway through the baking, or you will burn the side exposed to the fan.
Convection is a very effective means to transmit heat, but it opens a can of worms. Baking in convection mode without a turntable is a real challenge!
the blowing bakes faster and hotter so by turning down the temp you can control the bake better.
Check the archives (site search box upper left corner of page) under: temps with convection
There are two things you can do;
1. Bake in a Dutch oven which shields the bread from the currents.
2. Turn off the oven when you put your bread in. I usually bake 3 loaves at a time and there isn't space for 3 DO's. I Preheat the oven to ~500F with a cast iron frying pan or other steaming device in the bottom. After 30 mins I put in the bread, pour a cup or so of boiling water into the pan on the bottom, close the door and turn off the oven. 10-12 mins later I turn the oven on again, reduce the temperature to ~400F and finish the bake. I do use baking stones preheated with the oven.
This works pretty well for lean doughs. the crust is great and there is good oven spring. It's a bit of a performance but worth it for me.
Patsy