Which Ovens Are Best For Baking?

If the baking bug has bitten you, you’re not alone. The Great British Bake Off certainly made home baking cool again, and with the show extending well into its second decade, that’s unlikely to change any time soon. But which ovens are best for baking?

It’s easy to think that baking is something every type of oven is built to handle. This isn’t always the case, as some types and styles are more efficient than others.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what we know to be the best oven types for all kinds of home baking. From biscuits to sponges and everything in between, these are the best oven types you are going to keep an eye out for, and if you were wondering what ovens are used on the Great British Bake off…they use Neff Slide and Hide fan-forced convection ovens as pictured below.

Can I use any type of oven for baking?

Yes! It’s actually possible to get a great quality bake, no matter your sweet treat, out of any kind of oven. That goes for your average gas oven, a standard electric oven, and, of course, fan ovens and convection ovens.

Most baking recipes should give you a good overall look at how to get the best out of your oven regardless of type or style. If you’re new to shopping for ovens, then finding an option that’s easy to use and perfect for your potential bakes isn’t always going to be cut and dried. Do electric ovens hold the answer to your baking queries?

What you’ll need to do is look into each mainstream oven type – for example, a convection oven or a fan oven – and consider what your fellow bakers have to say

What types of oven are best for baking?

• A convection oven tends to be the best type of oven for getting a great even bake. That’s because convection ovens benefit from all-over cooking. Their hot air circulation designs ensure that food is evenly cooked and baked on the outside as well as on the inside. What’s more, bakers love these ovens because they can produce great results in a fraction of the time you’d normally expect. Leaf.tv has an interesting article explaining how to use a convection oven to cook a cake.
  However, definitely expect to shell out a bit more for these ovens. In fact, if you’re just getting started with baking at home, there’s nothing wrong with holding out for an electric oven or gas oven from a simpler, more affordable line.
• Gas ovens are great for efficient bakes thanks to the fact they tend to heat up really sharpish. That said, they are not always the best at baking cakes, for example, and they won’t give you that all-over cook. You’re going to need to keep flipping and turning your pans, and they are known for more humid, humidity brings moisture. The effect on baking can lead to issues with crisping & browning.
• Electric oven systems tend to be a little better at getting the even baking down pat. However, they tend to be the slowest of the oven types listed here. Getting an electric oven temperature up to scratch is going to take time and patience. You’re going to need a steady heat throughout the oven before you can pretty much start baking cakes.
• Steam ovens, too, are popular with bakers. That’s because these oven ranges tend to prioritise that moist-in-the-middle bake that’s normally so tricky to get right with a run of the mill cooker and steam ovens can replace regular ovens!

Do I Need to Change My Current Oven to be Able to Bake?

There’s no need to change the oven you already have in your kitchen if you want to start baking! However, as outlined above you may find some challenges with gas ovens and electric ovens without a fan, mainly because they are slower at cooking than a convection oven and without a fan to disperse the heat, you are very likely to find hot spots, which can cause disappointing results. If you feel your oven my have hotspots and you would like to identify where these are King Authur have a great method for Identifying oven hot spots

If you really like the look of convection ovens and want to start baking at an amazingly efficient level, these are electric convection ovens we really recommend. The heating element and fan combos in these ovens are really top notch.

Is Baking Easy in Any Oven?

Baking is easy with practise – it’s not the type of oven you use, it’s how you use it. We also find that following some well-written recipes are really helpful too.

As a trained chef, it’s easy for me to say, yes, baking is easy. But if you are new it can be daunting. I would recommend you start by taking a look at BBC Goodfood and start with their Easy baking recipes. They are well written and rated by real users.

Knowing how to make the most of your chosen type of oven and its various cooking functions will pretty much get you on the right track towards baking prowess.

Take a look at a few guides online, watch a few videos and, of course, read verified reviews! Belling have produced a really nice, easy to use diagram explaining the most common oven functions to help you to achieve best results.

Which Oven is Best For Baking Bread?

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you use a fan oven or not, however, you may find you need to flip your bread if it’s not cooking evenly in a conventional/non-fan oven. But what is key is that you have a very good seal on your door to keep the mixture and steam in.

You know if you have a good seal as when you open your oven door you the steam will escape – for those who wear glasses, you will know if your oven door has a good seal!

The fan blows the heat around the oven and helps the heat to get to the middle. On the whole an oven without a fan won’t cook as evenly. Bread likes moisture, steam aids the cooking of bread.

I know my oven is great for making bread, however, I have recently discovered making bread in my slow cooker and this is a great example of how moisture helps. You can see and here it around the glass lid. So, if you are struggling to make bread and not isn’t the time to upgrade your oven, an alternative would be to try baking in your slow cooker!