Baking With Gas

[Kahlico]

A gas oven that is.

I've been in my apartment for 2 months now and I haven't actually used my oven to bake. My stove is a vintage stove from the 1950s and it's so cool (well, rather it's warm).

Anyhoo, everytime I use my oven I have to light it first. I want to bake some bread this weekend (I have't made bread in months) and I'm scared I'm going to ruin it. Do I need to preheat my oven after I light it? I usually preheat an electric oven for 45 minutes when I bake bread. Should I just treat my gas oven the same? Am I fretting over nothing?

Hooray for baking season!

:D
~Emilie~

[muriel3002]

I don't have an old gas oven, but a new one. Even though you are supposed to be able to cook right away, I always "preheat" - but I've never preheated an oven for 45 minutes....

You can buy a thermometer you can put inside your oven, it usually hangs off the rack, and this can tell you if your oven has reached the required temperature. That would be a good investment if you think it is too much just for baking bread.

[veschke]

I preheat mine for 10-20 minutes. Definitely get a thermometer until you know your own oven's "personality." And I believe gas ovens tend have more internal variation than electrics, so the first few times you bake something you may want to peek in and see if it's baking evenly.

Enjoy the bread!

[Wendy w]

Your oven description brings back memories. In my 1st apartment, waaay back in the olden days, I had a circa 1950's oven too. I remember wanting to make cinnamon rolls one morning, and I turned on the oven and the dang thing wasn't on. I then figured out that it was one of those that had to be lit. So I did, and ended up singeing my eyebrows (already sparse to begin with) and hairline. :o

For the next several months, I would have my roomie light it for me. When I got brave enough to do it on my own, I would wrap my hair in a towel and wear sunglasses. :rolleyes: Hey, I was 18. A couple of years later, I tried to cook my 1st turkey for Thanksgiving and the oven didn't get hot enough.

I say that preheating and a thermometer are great ideas. Happy baking! ;)

[Kahlico]

I think I will invest in a thermometor. I only preheat my oven for 45 minutes when I bake bread just to ensure my oven is the correct temperature. I recall reading I should in one of the many bread books I studied. I'll let you know how it goes.

Great story Wendy. I have an intense fear of fire but when it comes to lighting my oven, I'm a bit of a pyro. ;) There's a certain satisfaction to watching my oven light.