Homemade bread tastes far better than store bough bread, and it is healthier as it allows you to choose which ingredients go in it. But the cost of home baking is not always lower compared to getting bread from the store. Yes, the ingredients may be affordable, but the electricity/gas required for each bake can cost as much if not more than the ingredients. Running a home oven here in the UK for one hour can cost from £0.50 to £1.50 depending on the oven’s wattage and the electricity rate.
In the beginning of my breadmaking journey I was taught to bake bread in a pre-heated oven. I was instructed to heat the oven for at least 30 – 45 minutes before placing the loaf inside for baking. And ever since I learned that I have never questioned it until now. I have baked well over two thousand breads at home over the years and I have pre-heated the oven for each bake.
My oven is pretty crappy with its single heating element at the top, so I tend to pre-heat it for at least 45 minutes. If we say that it cost me approximately £1 each time, then I have potentially spent over £2000 on pre-heating alone. And it being bill increase season I was eager to finally put a stop to this unnecessary spending and energy wasting.
Is it really necessary to pre-heat the oven every time?
The short answer is – no. But it very much depends on what type of bread you are baking. A medium to large sized loaf which takes at least 30 minutes to bake can easily be baked from a cold oven. While the bread is sitting in the oven, as it is warming up to baking temperature, it rises and expands as the yeast becomes more active until the point at which it ceases to ferment, which happens when the internal temperature of the loaf reaches around 50C (122F). By that time the oven could already be hot enough to start baking and browning the crust. It is only in the final 1/3 of the baking time that the characteristics of the crust get fully developed.
In fact, we always try to prolong the time until the crust becomes completely dry. We spray the loaf with water, we steam the oven chamber or cover the bread for the majority of the bake. It only makes sense that baking from a cold oven should be quite effective.
When does this method not work?
Depending on the oven it may take at least 20 – 30 minutes to get up to temperature. Baking small rolls or even flatbreads may take less than that, so there could be a risk of drying the bread too much by the time the crust is done baking. Breads like pita or pizza could not be baked this way.
Slow heating is good for gradually raising the dough and browning the crust. Some breads, however, require a burst of heat right at the beginning of the bake in order to get a good oven spring. The aforementioned pita and pizza definitely benefit from a super-hot bake. Baguettes also puff up better in a screaming hot oven.
The tests.
I decided to try baking four different breads using the cold oven and hot oven methods and comparing the results. A loaf-pan bread, a cast-iron pot baked Batard with an ear, a focaccia type bread, and an enriched roll.
The first three breads were made using the same cold bulk fermented dough with 70% hydration, 2% salt, 1% yeast, and 100% white bread flour. The fourth recipe had 46% water, 20% egg, 1% yeast, 2% salt, 5% sugar, 10% butter, and 100% white bread flour. It was also cold bulk fermented.
For the pan loaf I did a pre-shape, 30-minute rest, final shape, and a 4-hour final proof as my kitchen was quite cold. Baked at 180C (355F) fan on. The cold oven loaf took slightly longer to bake with 40 minutes vs the 35 minutes for the other one.
The cast-iron pot Batard I decided to change the timings and did a 90-minute rest and a 90-minute final proof in order to preserve more tension in the dough for a better oven spring. Both were baked at 220C (430F) with the fan on. This time both were baked for the same amount of time – 30 minutes with the lid on and 8 minutes without the lid.
The focaccia style breads were shaped right from the fridge and proofed for 4 hours, then both were baked at 200C (390F) fan on. The cold oven one took 25 minutes while the other one was ready in 20 minutes.
Finally, the enriched rolls were shaped, proofed for 4 hours, and baked at 170C (340F). Cold ones for 25 minutes and hot ones for 20 minutes.
Results and final thoughts.
The results were surprising and convincing all across the board. The loaf-pan breads turned out pretty much identical. The cast-iron pot breads had some slight differences in oven spring with the pre-heated one having risen a little taller. The focaccia style breads were almost identical, and the enriched rolls were pretty much the same also.
I am happy to say that this method will change my baking going forward. I will not bake from a completely cold oven, but I will definitely cut down on the pre-heating time. 10 – 15 minutes should be more than enough for almost any bake except pitas, pizzas, baguettes, and such.
Forget everything I have said about pre-heating until now and try this method for yourself. If you have never tried it, then it’ll surely change your baking forever.
