Making bread in a gas oven

[LissaC]

I moved into a new house and now have a gas oven, without a fan, with the heat coming only from below. I can get it to brown cookies but not bread. I made two different gluten-free bread recipes, it cooks the bread quickly but it doesn't brown. My bread tastes great but it always looks white and weird. It's not even photo-worthy. What's the use of making bread during a pandemic if you can't even post it to instagram?

I make the bread at 210ºC more or less (the recipe calls for 200ºC), sitting on a pink silicone mat, I spray it with water 3 or 4 times during cooking, and put a large, black oven tray with water below it. I make the bread on the middle shelf, the top shelf doesn't have enough room for the bread to fit.

Any tips?

 

[TastyReuben]

Are you making it in a loaf pan, or just shaped and sitting on the mat?

Most of my bread, I make in a loaf pan, because I mainly want sandwich bread. Sometimes, it doesn't brown as much as I'd like, especially the sides, so a few minutes before the bake time is up, I take the bread out of the pan and lay each side on my baking stone for a couple of minutes. Works perfectly.

I've never used one of those silicone mats, but when I've considered buying one before, the number one complaint I read, over and over again, was that they don't brown.

I'd recommend getting a baking stone (or a steel) and just leaving it in the oven. Besides helping with your breads and pizzas, it'll help regulate the temp of your oven.

My oven is electric and has just the top heating element, and I was having a problem with pies not browning in my glass pie pan. Moved the pan down to the baking stone...problem fixed. They're really useful.

 

[LissaC]

Hi TastyReuben thank you for help. I shape the bread and bake it sitting directly on the mat. Considering I'm starting making my own gluten free bread at home instead of buying I think a pizza stone will be a good investment, will try it out.

 

[TastyReuben]

Hi TastyReuben thank you for help. I shape the bread and bake it sitting directly on the mat. Considering I'm starting making my own gluten free bread at home instead of buying I think a pizza stone will be a good investment, will try it out.

When I first started using a pizza stone, years ago, it was because I'd received one as a gift, and I was a bit skeptical. It was one of those fairly thin ones, available in just about any department store.

I was surprised that it worked so well, and I used it a lot, though it broke after just a couple of years, so I bought another one, and another one, and another. They'd always break eventually.

Then I found a place online that sells extreme heavy duty stones (California Pizza Stones) - very thick and very heavy, but virtually indestructible. I've had one of those for four or five years now, and it's great.

So, I'd recommend buying a cheap one and using it for as long as it lasts, and if you like it and it breaks eventually, get a good one at that point. Good luck!

 

[LissaC]

In the meantime I reconnected with the wife of a co-worker who has a degree in food production and she suggested I brush the bread with egg. Another trick for me to try.

 

[Burt Blank]

My bread tastes great but it always looks white and weird.

If you can't get the top of the bread near enough to the top of the oven to brown. Take it out when cooked, let it cool a bit, egg wash and put under the grill or give it a blast with a blow torch like the one below . You could also try painting the top of your loaf with a bit of thin sugar water then bake.