May 7, 2024 - 9:41am
Breville BOV900BSS Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro Convection Toaster/Pizza Oven -
I recently got one and baked some nice bran muffins Breville BOV900BSS & Bran Muffins
Bran muffin recipe with notes: Sourdough Discard Bran Muffins Recipe
The next thing up was Hamelman's 80% Rye with Rye Soaker. The formula notes say that it makes a nice pullman loaf, so I baked two conventional pan loaves (which are still cooling).
Are there any tips for bread baking in one of these ovens?
- An older post about an older model mentioned covering the loaf pans with foil halfway through to avoid excessive browning on top (which I got after the minimum baking time in the formula). Is this still true or could I just check the loaves 5-10 minutes sooner and pull them at ~200 F internal temp (mine were ~210 F)?
- Any tips on steaming in this kind of oven? I spritzed the loaves just before loading and again 5 minutes in, same as in a regular oven. Should I use an oven-proof mug with boiling water? Or a narrow metal pan between the lower heating elements? Or will the steam vent too quickly to make a difference?
- Convection yes or no? I would think that convection would vent the steam even faster, hence no. But the Breville Breads brochure has a rye bread at 350F with convection for 50 minutes. Many formulas, especially rye, call for a higher temp at the start to encourage oven spring, and then a lower temp ~15 minutes in. Maybe start the convection with the lower temp, after the oven spring?
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It looks like a variant of the Lagasse 360 (which I have): https://www.amazon.com/Emeril-Lagasse-Power-360-Convection/dp/B07NLHMYH4
Same appearance, labelling, accessories, display, user interface, specs, etc. It does add proofing, which is nice... as long as the fan isn't running the whole time. I would wager it was manufactured by the same company.
One thing to watch with these "dual personality" (air fryer + regular) mini-ovens: during normal baking, the front and right side are noticably cooler than the rear and left side, due to radiant loss through the glass door and the openings for the convection/airfryer fan. So you definitely will want to rotate the load for even baking.
You can lessen the radiant loss through the glass by hanging a piece of aluminum foil (shiney side facing in) covering the inside of the glass. Leave an inch or so gap on either side so you can peek in and watch the action.
Most MO's of this type have the temp sensor in the control section on the right. This results in pretty wide temp swings of 50-60º. Worth checking with a fast-responding oven thermometer.
I forgot to reply to your questions.
: Foil on top: With loaf pans, the exposed dough on top is close to the heating elements, so you generally need to cover them with foil at some point in the bake.
: Steaming: I use a small metal pan between the elements on bottom and it works well enough. Fill it with boiling water BEFORE the preheat to avoid it making a mess.
: Convection: Generally speaking, for bread, I prefer direct radiant heat over convection (circulating heated air). Note that the placement of the convection fan on this unit is not central... it's at one end of a very rectangular chamber. To me, that's a recipe for uneven baking. In convection mode, the heater elements on the top and bottom are turned off and the one next to the fan does all the work.
Your suggestions make a lot of sense. I just happened to grab a narrow aluminum foil ban (it might have once held a grocery-store pastry/cake); it fits just between the heating elements and just below the rack at baking height.
Thanks for the good tips on evening the heat and rotating because you can't.
I'll give the mini-oven a couple of tries tricked out with my broken pizza stone that just fits the rack, plus steam (but getting the team pan out after 15 minutes won't be a picnic; maybe if it fit on the baking stone next to the loaf rather than under the rack).