sometimes things brown too fast on top and the inside’s still doughy
Yeah, I’ve run into that too. Convection’s great for some stuff, but bread can be tricky. I’ve had loaves come out looking perfect on the outside, then you slice in and it’s basically raw dough in the middle. Not fun. I usually end up turning the fan off for anything that needs a slow, even bake—old habits die hard, I guess.
But for roasting? Night and day. I can toss a tray of potatoes or carrots in there and they’re done way faster, plus you get those crispy edges without having to crank the temp. I guess it’s just about knowing when to use the feature and when to skip it. Honestly, if you’re not baking a ton, convection’s probably more useful for weeknight dinners than for perfecting sourdough.
I hear you on the bread—had a banana loaf come out looking bakery-level golden, but the middle was basically pudding. Convection’s almost too efficient sometimes. For me, it’s pizza where I can’t decide which is better. Sometimes the crust gets that perfect crisp with convection, but other times it dries out too fast. Anyone tried baking pizza on a stone in a convection oven? Curious if that balances things out or just makes it worse.
Pizza on a stone in a convection oven is kind of a mixed bag for me. Here’s what I’ve noticed:
- The stone helps even out the heat, so the bottom crisps up nicely, but with convection, the top can brown way faster than the crust finishes.
- Sometimes I’ll preheat the stone extra long and drop the temp by 25°F—seems to help avoid that dried-out edge.
- If you like a chewy crust, maybe stick with conventional. But if you’re after that thin, crackly base, convection plus stone can really nail it.
Honestly, I still mess it up half the time... but when it works, it’s pretty close to pizzeria style.
I’ve been flipping houses for a while and honestly, the oven debate comes up every time I redo a kitchen. I totally get what you’re saying about convection—my first try with pizza on a stone, the cheese was bubbling and brown but the crust was still pale. Kind of a letdown. But after messing around, I found that if I put the pizza on the lowest rack and preheat the stone forever (like, start it before you even prep your dough), it gets way closer to that crispy base. Still, I’m not convinced convection is always better... sometimes the regular bake just gives you that nice, chewy bite. Depends what mood I’m in, I guess.
Convection’s great for roasting veggies or getting a good crisp on fries, but I’ve had the same issue with pizza—sometimes it just dries out the toppings before the crust finishes. Honestly, I end up using regular bake more than I thought I would. It just feels more forgiving, especially for bread or cookies.
