At What Temperature Do You Bake Bread? | Home Oven Rules

Great bread comes from steady heat, the right finish temperature, and a few simple habits. You don’t need a deck oven or a pro setup. A reliable home oven, a cheap probe thermometer, and a short checklist will carry you from soft sandwich loaves to crackly boules with lift and shine.

Best Oven Temps For Baking Bread At Home

Heat drives oven spring, sets structure, and dries the crust. Lean doughs with plenty of water love hotter decks. Enriched doughs with milk, butter, eggs, or sugar want a gentler start to avoid early browning. The table below offers a wide starting range and the target center reading to call it done.

Bread Styles And Target Temperatures

Why Internal Temperature Beats Color

Color lies. Pans and sugar darken crusts early. Steam keeps crust pale while the crumb still firms up. A quick probe read in the center tells the truth every time. For lean hearth bread, pull near 98–99°C (208–210°F) for a drier crumb and crackle. For pan loaves, 93–96°C (200–205°F) keeps the crumb tender and slice-friendly. Rich doughs finish lower because fat and sugar change starch gelation and set structure sooner.

Steam, Scoring, And Crust Development

Moisture in the first 10–15 minutes delays crust set so the loaf can stretch. That’s your oven spring window. A covered Dutch oven traps steam from the dough itself, which makes home results consistent. On a stone or steel, you can add a preheated pan and pour in a cup of hot water at loading time. Score to direct the burst and prevent side blowouts. Vent steam and finish open to drive color and crispness.

Rack Position And Heat Source

Middle-lower rack zones hold steady heat without burning tops. Stones and steels absorb and return heat fast, which helps thin shapes like baguettes. Dark pans brown faster. Shiny pans run cooler. If top color rushes ahead, set a loose tent of foil for the last third of the bake.

Calibrate Your Oven And Thermometer

Home ovens drift. A 230°C (450°F) set point can swing by 15–30°C (25–50°F) during cycling. Place an oven thermometer near the loaf zone and give the cavity a full 30 minutes to preheat. If your readout disagrees with the dial, adjust your set point or bake time. A fast-read probe confirms doneness where it counts: the center. For a deeper primer on bake temps and doneness cues, see the King Arthur baking temperature guide and this detailed breakdown of bread-style doneness signals applied to thin crusts and high heat.

Preheat Strategy That Works

Preheat at least 30 minutes; 45–60 minutes is even better with a stone or steel. Load quickly to protect chamber heat. If you bake in a Dutch oven, preheat the pot as well. The heavy mass stores energy and delivers a fierce base hit that powers lift.

Thermometer Placement And Timing

Insert the probe from the side into the thickest center. Avoid hitting the pan or hitting a pocket of butter or jam in enriched doughs. Check near your earliest time estimate, then every 3–5 minutes. Small loaves jump through the last few degrees fast.

Time Benchmarks That Pair With Heat

Time depends on size, shape, hydration, and sugar. Use these ranges as waypoints, not strict rules. The finish number on the probe remains the goal.

Pan Loaves

At 175–190°C (350–375°F), a 9×5-inch pan loaf bakes in 30–40 minutes. A taller pullman pan runs closer to 45 minutes. Loaves with milk, butter, and sugar brown faster, so aim at the lower half of the oven and check early. If the top colors too fast, tent loosely for the back half.

Free-Form Boules And Batards

At 230–245°C (450–475°F), a 750–900 g hearth loaf runs 35–50 minutes. Bake covered for the first 20 minutes if using a Dutch oven. Then uncover and finish to the target center. On a stone, create steam at loading and vent after 15 minutes.

Baguettes And Thin Shapes

At 240–260°C (465–500°F), slender loaves bake in 18–25 minutes. Steam is vital early. A stone or steel gives a punchy base that locks in the open crumb. Pull when the center hits the lean-bread number and the ears show a crisp lift.

Focaccia And Sheet Breads

At 220–245°C (425–475°F), focaccia bakes in 18–25 minutes in a dark sheet pan. Oil in the dough and pan speeds browning. Aim for a golden base and a soft springy center near 93–96°C (200–205°F).

Adjust Heat For Ingredients And Shape

Whole grains absorb more water and carry natural sugars. They brown a touch faster yet need a bit more time to set because bran interrupts gluten. Lower the rack one notch and give a few extra minutes at the end. Rye weakens gluten, so target the rye center range and let the loaf cool fully before slicing.

Enriched Doughs Need Gentler Heat

Fat, dairy, and sugar speed surface color and slow moisture loss. Start near 165–180°C (325–350°F), then go by the lower finish reading. A glossy braid looks done long before the center sets. The probe saves the day here.

Hydration And Crumb

Wet doughs spring hard in hotter ovens and need extra dry-out time at the end. Leave the door latched for a few minutes after the timer stops to vent moisture and firm the shell. If you like thin glassy crust, crack the door slightly for the last 3–5 minutes.

Troubleshooting Heat, Color, And Texture

When something looks off, you can fix it with small moves: rack shift, brief tent, a few extra minutes, or a lower set point next time. Use the grid below as a quick map.

Common Problems And Fixes

Signals That Tell You The Loaf Is Done

A number is best, but old-school signals still help. A ripe loaf feels lighter than it looks when you lift it with a mitt. The base sounds hollow when tapped. For hearth styles, the ears set firm and the score line turns a rich golden tone with slight blister. A pan loaf pulls from the sides of the tin and the top springs back with a gentle press.

Cooling Locks In Texture

Starch continues to set after you pull the pan. Steam moves from center to crust. Slicing hot squeezes the crumb and coats the knife. Give pan loaves 45–60 minutes on a rack. Give big hearth loaves 90–120 minutes. Rich doughs slice clean once the center stops steaming the blade.

Make The Heat Work For You

A few tiny moves give a big lift. Preheat longer than you think. Bake covered for the first part with hearth styles. Vent steam and finish open for snap. Tent when color sprints ahead. Use the probe every time until your eye learns the cues. That rhythm turns into repeatable bread weeks in a row.

Sample Bake Plan: Lean Boule

Preheat oven and Dutch oven to 245°C (475°F) for 45 minutes. Load the shaped loaf on parchment, cover, and bake 20 minutes. Drop to 230°C (450°F), uncover, and bake 15–20 minutes more to 98–99°C (208–210°F) in the center. Let it rest on a rack at least 90 minutes.

Sample Bake Plan: Enriched Pullman

Set the oven to 175°C (350°F). Bake 35–45 minutes to 93–96°C (200–205°F). If color runs, tent for the last third. Brush the top with butter and cool in the pan 10 minutes, then finish on a rack.

Quick Reference Steps

1. Pick a starting heat from the style ranges above.
2. Preheat 30–60 minutes; preheat stones, steels, or Dutch ovens.
3. Load fast; add steam early for hearth styles.
4. Vent steam after 10–20 minutes; finish open for color.
5. Probe the center near the first time estimate; bake to the target number.
6. Tent if top color sprints; shift rack if base color lags.
7. Cool on a rack until the loaf stops steaming the blade.

FAQ-Free Tips That Save A Bake

Keep one pan just for steaming to prevent warping. Store the probe with a spare battery in the flour bin so it never walks off. Trim the parchment to avoid burnt edges that smell bitter. If you bake two loaves at once, rotate and swap racks at the midpoint to even the color. For repeated pale sides, slide a preheated stone onto the shelf under the pan to stabilize heat near the base.

When To Raise Or Lower Heat Next Time

If the crumb sets late and the crust gets dark too soon, drop the set point by 10–15°C (15–25°F) and bake a bit longer. If the loaf spreads and looks squat, go hotter at the start or add a covered phase. If the center number lingers for many minutes, your oven is cycling wide; a longer preheat and a stone or steel will tighten that swing.

Safe Storage Of Baked Bread

Let the loaf cool fully before bagging. Store at room temperature in a paper bag for day-one crust. For softer crust, switch to a loose plastic bag on day two. Freeze slices in a zip bag for easy toast. Reheat a whole loaf at 175°C (350°F) for 8–12 minutes to refresh the crust. Avoid the fridge; it speeds staling.

Final Bake Notes

Heat is a tool, not a mystery. Pick the right range for the dough, aim for the center number, and use steam and cover to shape the crust. With that trio in place, you’ll get repeatable lift, clean slices, and the aroma that fills the kitchen every single time.