Convection oven works great

Email | by jeff, November 27, 2007
Filed Under bread questions | 127 comments

People have asked whether our recipes can be made in convection ovens. They can, and the only reason we didn’t mention convection ovens in our first book is that most people don’t have them.

But convection ovens do a great job with bread– the bread browns easier and rises higher when the convection fan is blowing. After ten years of living with a broken convection fan, we finally had a mechanic look at it who knew how to fix it. So I’ve been re-testing everything with convection. First, lower the heat by 25 degrees F. Make sure that the convection fan isn’t fooling your thermostat (use an oven thermometer).

For a loaf-pan bread made from Italian Peasant Bread dough (page 46 of ABin5), the loaf baked faster than usual (about 25 to 30 minutes), rose higher, seemed browner, and was more attractive. The pan was placed directly on the stone near the center of the oven and baked with steam (page 30). The loaf was heavenly when cooled and cut. Perfect custard crumb (dough was a week old) and richly carmelized crust.

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127 thoughts on “Convection oven works great”

Warren on May 21, 2011 at 2:16 pm said:

Good work you two! When my daughter gave me her copy of AB5 I was delighted. I started out changing the recipes to my specs. I like whole grain and net protein utilization recipes. Here is how I changed the basic recipe. 3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 3 cups of unbleached white flour, 4 to 6 tbsp vital gluten, 1-2 tbsp soy grits, 1 cup sunflower seeds, 1 cup raisins, 1-1/2 tbsp salt, 1-1/2 tbsp yeast, 1-2 tbsp molasses, and 3 cups warm green tea.
I bake in a dual oven on convection mode. I don’t worry about getting a real dark crust I just like a great crumb. I like to bake all my bread at once on the first day to conserve electricity. I have done it in batches but my partner says that’s not very “green”. Two loaves in loaf pans at 380 for 35 minutes.

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- zoe on May 21, 2011 at 8:42 pm said:
  
  Hi Warren,
  
  I love the idea of using green tea, what an amazing flavor that must impart!
  
  In the first book we had you mix the water with the yeast and salt in the bucket and then add the flour. Because of the vital wheat gluten we had to switch the order a bit. It is just easier to mix the yeast and salt with the dry ingredients, it saves an extra step.
  
  Thanks, Zoë
  
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Warren on May 21, 2011 at 2:19 pm said:

Why have you incorporated the yeast and salt into the dry ingredients instead of dissolving it in the water?

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Brenda on May 23, 2011 at 2:43 pm said:

I have seen a couple of comments on other websites that it is possible to bake no-knead bread in a FlavorwaveNuwave type oven which is a combination of halogen/convection in a countertop glass bowl type oven. The comments were sketchy and I gather it is kind of like baking in a dutch oven. Has anyone tried this? Baking time adjustments? How to keep dough from sticking? Any brands of this type of oven work better than other brands? Are these ovens durable? Do they really keep one’s kitchen from heating up and do they really save on power bills which are two reasons why I might get one. One comment said the extension ring was a must with baking bread like this. Is this true? Other instructions, hints, etc.?

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- zoe on May 23, 2011 at 8:57 pm said:
  
  Hi Brenda,
  
  I have never baked in such an oven, but it sounds very intriguing. If you try it, please let us know how it goes. Perhaps some of our readers have worked with them and will give you some advice?
  
  Thanks, Zoë
  
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bassem on June 10, 2011 at 10:53 pm said:

hi – in ABin5 book page 28, you suggest a boule size of 1 lb; can i make a bigger loaf (2lb), in which case baking time time wil be around an hour as opposed to 30mins? Thanks. p.s. love the bread!!

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- jeff on June 11, 2011 at 7:13 am said:
  
  Bassem: Somewhere between 45 and 60 min, prob. Check your oven temp with something like http://bit.ly/czmco2
  
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Amy on July 11, 2011 at 2:30 pm said:

I have a solar oven and would like to try baking the master boule recipe from ABin5 in it. It gets up to about 350 degrees and I won’t be able to use steam. Any thoughts on how it will turn out?

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- zoe on July 11, 2011 at 5:40 pm said:
  
  Hi Amy,
  
  It will lack the crackling crust, but I think the taste will still be wonderful. You will have to adjust the time you bake the bread because it is at a lower temperature. Try an additional 20 minutes.
  
  Thanks, Zoë
  
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Heidi on July 14, 2011 at 9:41 am said:

Hi, just baked my first loaf from HB in 5 (actually my first loaf ever). It was delicious. My question is about proofing the refrigerated dough.

The recipes that I see myself doing all need about 90 minutes to proof at room temperature before baking. If I try to bake after coming home from work, even with a shorter baking bread like the wholewheat olive oil, (plus I have a convection oven), I will be lucky to have a finished bread before 8 or 9 at night. Is it safe to pull the refrigerated dough out in the morning and let it proof (covered)on the counter for 8 hours so that all I need to do is preheat the oven when I get home? (instead of having to proof for an hour before I start preheating)

Thank you for the wonderful recipes.

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- jeff on July 14, 2011 at 10:06 am said:
  
  Heidi: See page 48 in the book– item #5 answers your question. Other option is to stick with flatbreads mid-week, which don’t need the rest. Jeff
  
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Jen on August 5, 2011 at 6:06 pm said:

I am interested in using whey (left over from making ricotta) in the bread dough. Mainly the master recipes for the 5 min and the healthy bread in 5. Any ideas regarding ratio or if this would even work? Thanks! Love the books

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- zoe on August 5, 2011 at 8:35 pm said:
  
  Hi Jen,
  
  I remember that a reader had tried this a while back and reported that it worked well. I’m sorry to say I can’t remember if they replaced all or just some of the water in the recipe. I might start with 50% whey/50% water and see what you think.
  
  Thanks, Zoë
  
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  - jeff on August 6, 2011 at 12:41 pm said:
    
    I’ve gone 100% whey and it works nicely…
cheryl on August 27, 2011 at 9:44 am said:

I have a “bread proof” option on my oven. Can i put the formed dough in the oven on “proof” instead of letting it rise on the counter? When do i slash the crust if using the oven proof method? Should I make any other adjustments? Is is okay to use a pan of water while proofing the bread in the oven?

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- jeff on August 27, 2011 at 11:15 am said:
  
  Cheryl: Sure, sounds perfect, though I haven’t tried it. Slash just B4 goes into oven, same as usual. May need less proofing time because of the warmth; pan of water will be great.
  
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Christine on September 4, 2011 at 5:46 pm said:

I would like to serve soup in individual bread bowls made out of your bread. Do I use the master recipe: boule on page 26? Can you give me some guidelines?

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- jeff on September 5, 2011 at 9:35 am said:
  
  The soup-bread bowls with our dough should work well, but you may need to use more flour to keep it from sticking. The Master recipe is a good start– see what you think.
  
  Have to admit, we haven’t done this…
  
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Elaine on October 13, 2011 at 7:45 am said:

Hi! I’d like to make the gluten-free crusty boule bread. Don’t have a dutch oven. Can I just make it in our gas oven? If so, what are the adjustments?

Also, I normally mix yeast with warm water before mixing in. Will active dry yeast suffice for this recipe (which your directions say to mix in with dry ingredients vs. wet)?

Thanks!

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- jeff on October 13, 2011 at 8:21 am said:
  
  Elaine: Gas or electric oven will work well, crust won’t be quite as good. Could just cover it with an aluminum foil lasagne pan for the first two-thirds of baking, similar effect. Confused about your question on the yeast; it’s different in our two books. Which one are you working from? Jef
  
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Elaine on October 13, 2011 at 8:29 am said:

Thanks, Jef. Re the yeast I’ve never mixed yeast in with dry ingredients – I’ve always had it sit in warm water first before mixing into anything. Thus, I wanted to make sure active dry yeast was what you work with (vs. instant or some other type).

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- jeff on October 13, 2011 at 8:32 am said:
  
  Elaine: Check out page 10 in Artisan Bread in Five (http://bit.ly/cNtfJI), or page 15 in Healthy Bread in Five (http://bit.ly/3wYSSN) for details on yeast. Jeff
  
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Donna on December 24, 2011 at 8:50 pm said:

Thanks for the convection oven suggestions. My new convection oven automatically adjusts itself from the recipe recommended setting. For example, if I enter 350 it adjusts to 325. Do all of them do this? Would I still need to reduce what I enter by 25 degrees? And — my fan does not run constantly. Is that what they all do? Thank you. (And yes, I’m making a new batch of WW HBin5 this evening.)

Merry Christmas!

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- jeff on December 25, 2011 at 7:34 am said:
  
  Donna: No, don’t need to adjust again. My fan runs constantly so not sure why yours doesn’t.
  
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Becky on January 4, 2012 at 2:09 pm said:

I’m a bit nervous about steaming the bread, namely since another website (thefreshloaf) cautions against breaking glass oven doors, and causing electrical ovens to malfunction because of the steam. Another method I’ve seen mentioned suggests covering the loaf with an aluminum foil roasting pan to hold in the natural moisture. Any thoughts/ experience with this?

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- jeff on January 4, 2012 at 2:15 pm said:
  
  Becky: We give several alternatives to the typical steaming approach on pages 27-28 of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, http://bit.ly/3wYSSN Jeff
  
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  - Becky on January 4, 2012 at 5:30 pm said:
    
    Found it…thanks! I’m working with students and school equipment and didn’t want any big mishaps.
- Sally on June 23, 2012 at 11:26 am said:
  
  I never use water in my glass door oven and I don’t have a problem with the crust. It is crispy, crunchy every time.
  
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Fred on February 19, 2012 at 2:10 pm said:

Hi,
Another question about convention oven. I’ll be baking Peasant Bread tomorrow, because of the Convection, I’ll reduce temp to 400F. How long should I bake for? An earlier comment in your blog talks about pan baked bread….I intend to put the bread directly onto the stone.
Thanks,
Fred

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- zoe on February 19, 2012 at 6:43 pm said:
  
  Hi Fred,
  
  Usually you only need to reduce the heat by 20 to 25°F when using convection heat. You may also need to rotate the loaf after the first 25 minutes, so it browns nicely on both sides. Keep an eye on the first loaf to make sure it isn’t browning too quickly, but it should take 30 to 35 minutes to fully bake a 1-pound loaf.
  
  Thanks, Zoë
  
  Reply ↓
Ray on April 4, 2012 at 2:28 pm said:

Hi everybody,
I was wandering if it would be possible to bake Pita Bread in convection ovens.
I am planning to start a Pita Bread Sandwich
restaurant and I want to be able to bake my own Pita Bread.

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- jeff on April 5, 2012 at 6:30 am said:
  
  Ray: Should work, just not sure it would add much. Probably would need to adjust temp downward.
  
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Lindsay on May 3, 2012 at 4:43 pm said:

I was wondering if you ever tried to bake bread in the crock pot. Do you think I could try it with any of your doughs?

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- zoe on May 3, 2012 at 7:40 pm said:
  
  Hi Lindsay,
  
  I have never tried it, but I know some of our readers have been experimenting with it. I think they are having some good results. Let us know if you give it a try.
  
  Thanks, Zoë
  
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  - Lindsay on May 4, 2012 at 4:17 pm said:
    
    Thanks Zoe. Do you think I need to let the dough rise initially for 2 hours before putting it in the crock pot or since it cooks slowly, can I through it in the crock pot right away?
  - zoe on May 4, 2012 at 5:26 pm said:
    
    Hi Lindsay,
    
    I would make small loaves and try both ways. I would think you can just throw it in right after shaping and let it go slowly. Or start it on a low temperature and then turn it up to try to get some color on it. This is all guessing!
    
    I will try it soon and we can compare notes! Zoë
Lindsay on May 6, 2012 at 7:47 am said:

Hi Zoe,

Do you think it would be possible to bake bread in a regular toaster oven?

Thanks,

Lindsay

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- zoe on May 6, 2012 at 6:52 pm said:
  
  Hi Lindsay,
  
  Yes, the toaster oven manufacturers even make a little stone for baking. I would go with small loaves or flatbreads.
  
  Thanks, Zoë
  
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  - Lindsay on May 7, 2012 at 3:31 pm said:
    
    Thanks, would the temperature be the same?
  - zoe on May 7, 2012 at 6:08 pm said:
    
    Hi Lindsay,
    
    Each one may run a bit differently, so it may take some experimenting to get the perfect loaf, but I would start with the same temperature.
    
    Thanks, Zoë
Victoria on June 23, 2012 at 9:19 am said:

Because of the success I had with your breads at home (From the 2007 edition of Artisan Bread in Five….), I am now using it in my newly opened bakery. However, I am having trouble with the shape of nearly all of the loaves that are baked on a stone. They want to “blow out” at the base, leaving the bread misshapen. I am using a convection oven and because of the need to bake multiple loaves simultaneously, I am baking them on sheet pans rather than on a stone. Any ideas as to why this is happening and what to do about it?

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- jeff on June 24, 2012 at 5:45 am said:
  
  Victoria: Try a longer rest time first, then let us know how that does. 90 minutes? And deeper slashing, plus check your oven temp with thermometer, and turn down heat 25 degrees w/convection.
  
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Sally on June 23, 2012 at 11:32 am said:

I notice in your recipes in ABin5 some of the recipes say to let the dough rest for 40 min and some say 90 minutes. Why is this? I have a hard time getting the dough to rise very high no matter how long I let it rest. The dough is stone cold when it goes into the oven either way.

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jeff on June 24, 2012 at 5:51 am said:

Sally: See my answer to your other note…

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Dee on June 25, 2012 at 1:56 pm said:

Zoe,

I recently purchased at 5 quart Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven. I read your article on Baking Bread in a Dutch Oven dated 3/11/09. My question is would I still use 1.5 lbs since it is a 5 quart of the Master Recipe in your first book. The pot used in the article was 7 1/4 and a Le Creuset pot. Thank you for help with this question.

Thank you kindly for your help. I know how busy you must be.

Dee

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- zoe on June 25, 2012 at 7:12 pm said:
  
  Hi Dee,
  
  You can bake the same size loaf in your pan, but it may touch the sides, which is not an issue. The only difference will be the shape. Your black cast iron pot may also brown the bread a little more, so it may need a few less minutes of baking, but only a few.
  
  Enjoy! Zoë
  
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Linda Thompson on July 3, 2012 at 6:08 am said:

I have been baking bread from your master recipe in Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day.
I am using a pizza stone I got from King Arthur Flour. The loaf browns nicely on top and is done, but the bottom of the loaf is not browned at all. I am using the middle rack in my oven with the broiler pan for the water on the bottom rack. Any suggestions?

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- jeff on July 3, 2012 at 7:49 am said:
  
  Linda: Checked temp with oven thermometer like http://ow.ly/8CVPU ? A longer pre-heat will solve this problem, assuming that the oven’s running true, could try that first.
  
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Julie on July 18, 2012 at 7:05 pm said:

In Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, the whole idea is to make a large amount of dough to have on hand. My question is regarding the container – like many folks, I’m trying to get away from plastic as much as possible – any alternatives to the 5-gallon plastic container? Or can you assuage my fears about using one? Thanks!

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- jeff on July 19, 2012 at 6:40 am said:
  
  Julia: You can use a container made of any food-safe material. A lidded soup pot?
  
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Eric on April 9, 2013 at 10:37 am said:

You mention using both a stone and steam when convection baking. It was my understanding that one of the benefits of convection was maintaining a consistent temperature due to the air circulation, so is a stone really needed? Does it just server to better crisp the bottom?

Also, I read that the convection feature might remove steam from the oven … any thoughts on that?

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- zoe on April 9, 2013 at 12:35 pm said:
  
  Hi Eric,
  
  The stone acts to retain heat (keep an even heat, even when the oven door is opened and shut) and conduct the heat to the bread well. This results in a better oven spring and crust.
  
  The convection function shouldn’t remove the steam in most ovens. The various brands vent differently, but we have found it is more an issue with only top end, professional style, gas ovens. Wolf and Viking tend to lose steam more than others.
  
  Thanks, Zoë
  
  Reply ↓

127 thoughts on “Convection oven works great”

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