Convection Bake vs. Bake - Baking By Cece

“Convection Bake” vs. “Bake” by: Cece Kirkwood

What is Convection Baking? How is it different from “normal” baking?

If you have asked yourself this question ten times before actually looking it up… you are not alone. I wondered this for mmmmaaaannnyyyy years. And frankly, just followed the recipes blindly without questioning the why.

But not anymore! Let’s talk about the difference between “convection baking” and “baking”.

To put it simply, the main difference between “convection baking” and “baking” is the way the heat moves around the oven. Using the convection setting on your oven will kick off the use of your oven fan. This will help circulate the heat around the oven, which can lead to a more even bake.

“Convection Bake” vs. “Bake” – When should you use convection baking?

I don’t think there are necessarily “blanket” statements to put on cookies or cakes or breads and choose the type of baking. However, I will always avoid convection baking with delicate pastries, puddings and custards. Convection baking will lead to…

Even bake: As I mentioned, the circulating hot air ensures that the heat is distributed evenly throughout the oven, resulting in a more even bake. This is especially great for cookies if you are baking multiple trays!

Faster baking: Because of the constant circulation of hot air, a convection setting will lead to a fast bake. This is great for pies or other baked goods where you need the butter (fats) to melt while still baking fast to give a nice spring to those crusts.

Crispy texture: Convection baking can help to create a crispy texture on the outside of your bake. This could be good for things like pizza or even a fluffy bread that you are looking to have a nice crispy crust.

Is convection baking better than baking?

I don’t think one is better than the other – but it is important to keep a few things in mind…

When putting the oven on “normal” baking, the heat will naturally rise to the top of the oven and stay there. That is why, when you are baking multiple trays at the same time, it is best to rotate the trays in the oven from top to bottom half way through to allow for an even bake across trays.

Or maybe you’ve seen a recipe ask you to move the oven rack to the middle or even lower shelf of the oven – that is because it might get too hot in the oven on the top rack.

A convection bake could help solve that problem – turning the fan on will keep the heat moving evenly around the oven and across your bakes.

But that might mean you need to change the temperature and/or time for your bake. The even distribution of heat may cause your baked goods to bake faster. So if you are looking to experiment, keep a close eye on the oven to ensure things don’t burn!