I have a gas oven that has a fan, and it turns on and off during the baking. So this really destroys my steam environment and I think it is the reason why my breads haven't been blossoming. I just bought a cast iron for more steam introduction, but need to do something about this fan. I go through the conventional bake, not Convection, which my oven has this option as well, but I've been avoiding that for obvious reason. Should I preheat the oven, and shut it down for 10 minutes and then kick it back on for the final cooking stage? Worried about a lot of heat loss when loading the loaf in. I also do not want to block the fan, as that is a safety concern. Thanks for any help.
When i was working with a convection-only oven, I found the best course of action is to bake in a dutch oven.
if you are doing baguettes or batards, I found the best course of action was to pre-heat a thick stone for an hour, then use a steaming setup ("magic towel technique" with boiling water), turning off the oven when I load the bread, letting the oven itself remain off for abou7 mins, then turn it back on, removing the steam tray.
I found it was impossible to keep steam in with the oven on.
Good 'work around' idea for oversize breads!
My oven is gas, too, it has no fan, but does vent effectively... a bit too effectively to contain steam for long enough. I've found that covering the dough for the steaming period, either with a La Cloche dome, an upturned Dutch oven or a stainless bowl large enough to allow your loaf to expand, then 15-20 minutes later, remove it and complete baking.
Enjoy your baking!
Cathy
This method works great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4PHUyRmpPc
I have been advocating a similar method of mine for a while now. Seems to work the magic every time. A roaster with tiles fit inside, or use it as a lid. Either way it is a safe and easy method to lock in that steam during the first stage of baking.
John