I have a new Convection Oven - Now I want to bake bread!
I just got my new Wolf Dual-Fuel Range delivered/installed yesterday. I'm excited and looking forward to baking some bread this weekend.
The oven can do "normal" baking as well as convection and it also has a "stone" setting. Additionally it has a "proof" setting to proof loaves as well. I'm looking for anyone with experience on the Wolf specifically who might have some tips/recipes, as well as any general feedback from anyone on convection vs. normal baking. Again, any tips or recipes would be appreciated. Wondering if I should target using convection when baking bread or if the normal baking mode is better? Also wondering about the "Stone" setting and if anyone has experience with this. I assume you can also use the convection setting while using the stone to bake on with success as well??
Looking forward to taking by bread baking to a new level after replacing my very old electric Kelvinator that would consistently burn the crust if the bread was not tented with foil after about 15 - 20 minutes.
Have a crumby day!
Ken
Had mine for 14 years and would do it again without hesitation. We have the double with the 18" and the 30"ovens. I only use the convection mode for breads that are covered in a cloche or a pot, as the convection fans have heating elements in them that tend to direct too much heat to the bread surface nearest them. Roast is a useful cycle towards the end of the bake as it applies heat from both the top and bottom at the same time giving a nice rich color to the top.
I use the proof cycle in the small oven while I preheat the large oven every time I bake. Although it indicates 85*F mine actually heats to 81*F which is ideal for me. I would encourage you to dig into the owner's manual for more features, such as a 135*F dehydration setting and customized temperature settings under 170*F that are useful for a variety of other tasks.
Enjoy your Wolf!
though I have a KitchenAid oven but the principles are the same. Convection setting will dry out the crust quickly. For sourdough on a baking steel, I preheat the oven to 500F using the convection setting for 45 minutes. this is sufficient to heat the steel up and make sure the the temperature is stabilized. A metal baking pan containing two terry cloth hand towels that are soaked with water and pre-heated in the microwave for 4 minutes is placed in the oven just below the baking steel and the heat setting is turned the bake setting from convection for 5 minutes. You need to have the convection setting off at this point to minimize steam loss.
The loaf or loaves go onto the baking steel, 3/4 cup of boiling water is added to the towel tray, and the oven temperature is turned down to 460F. After 15 minutes, the oven is turned to 420F with convection on and the towel tray is removed. The rest of the bake is done at this setting until the bread is done (timing depends on the size of the loaf/loaves. I usually do 2 500g batards and this step takes 15 minutes.
There are alternative ways of generating the necessary steam but this works for me as the baking tray and towels is not nearly as heavy as a cast iron skillet and I get huge amount of steam.
I also have a "rising bread" setting which I sometimes use. Since I leave the baking steel in the oven, I've found that I only have to run the oven at this setting for about 15 minutes. The steel stores up enough heat to keep it warm enough to proof.