Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Dry-heat cooking · beginner

Baking

Cooking doughs, batters and dishes by surrounding them with dry oven heat.

273 recipes use it

What it is

Baking uses the same dry oven heat as roasting but the term is used for breads, cakes, pastries, biscuits and composed dishes such as gratins and casseroles. Success depends on accurate temperature and measurement because structure sets during the bake.

Why cooks use it: Even, enclosed heat lets doughs rise, set and brown in a predictable way. Gases expand, starches set and proteins firm into a stable crumb.

The science

Heat expands gas bubbles from yeast, baking powder or whipped eggs, then starch gelatinises and egg and gluten proteins set to hold that shape. The crust browns through Maillard reactions and caramelisation once the surface dries.

How heat moves into foodThe Maillard reactionCaramelisationStarch gelatinisationAcids and bases in cookingGluten developmentFats and oilsMoisture and textureHow sugar behavesYeast fermentationFoams and gelsHydrocolloids: thickeners and gelling agentsCrystallisation

Step by step

  1. Preheat the oven for at least 15–20 minutes and check it with an oven thermometer if possible.

  2. Weigh ingredients rather than using cups where you can.

  3. Prepare tins (grease, line) before mixing so raising agents are not left waiting.

  4. Bake on the middle shelf unless the recipe says otherwise; avoid opening the door in the first two-thirds of the time.

  5. Test doneness: a skewer comes out clean for cakes; bread sounds hollow or reads about 93–99 °C inside.

  6. Cool on a rack so steam can escape from the base.

Heat and timing

  • Baking 150–250 °C · 150–180 °C for most cakes; 180–200 °C for biscuits and pastry; 220–250 °C for crusty bread and pizza.

Time: 10–15 minutes for biscuits; 25–45 minutes for cakes; 30–45 minutes for loaves.

How you know it’s right

  • Even golden colour
  • Cake springs back when pressed lightly
  • Cake edges start to pull away from the tin
  • Bread base sounds hollow when tapped

Common mistakes

  • Opening the door early so a cake sinks
  • Measuring flour by volume and packing it
  • Ovens running hot or cold without anyone knowing
  • Cutting bread while it is still hot inside

Troubleshooting

Cake domed and cracked
The oven is too hot or the tin too small; lower by 10–20 °C.
Cake sank in the middle
Underbaked, too much raising agent, or the door was opened early; bake to a clean skewer.
Bottom pale, top burnt
Move the tray lower, use a preheated tray or stone, and shield the top with foil.

Restaurant DNA

How professionals do it

Professional bakers weigh everything, including water and eggs, use baker's percentages, and use deck ovens with steam injection for crusty bread.

At home

Use a scale, an oven thermometer and, for bread, a preheated stone or steel plus a tray of boiling water or a covered pot to mimic steam.

General professional practice — not any particular restaurant’s recipe.

Food safety

  • Use dry oven gloves: wet cloth conducts heat instantly.
  • Raw flour and raw batter can carry bacteria; do not eat them uncooked.

Practise it

264 more