Oven Positioning for Baked Goods

December 5, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Baking at 11:47 am | Comments »

: Modern oven from Crestock Images

Because I bake so many different types of things so often, I sometimes feel like I’m constantly moving my oven racks up and down. Depending on what you’re baking, it’s important that it gets the proper heat from the proper sources (above or below) to bake correctly.

Here’s a quick guide to refer to:

Cakes – Center Rack
Cookies – Lower Third
Custards – Lower Third
Pie Dough – Lower Third
Breads (like Brioche) – Center Rack
Croissants / Puff Pastry – Center Rack
Souffles – Lower ThirdOf course, these aren’t necessarily hard and fast rules. When baking Palmiers (a type of cookie), for example, I use the Top Rack. And many recipes are more successful if you rotate your baked goods from the top to the bottom halfway between cooking.