Even if you don’t watch the show, you’ve surely heard of the Great British Bake Off. Arguably, it’s more than just a cooking show – in recent years, it’s become a cultural touchstone. And predictably, September is generally marked by anyone in their own modern kitchens using them to get fantastic baking results. High-tech appliances can make this a whole lot easier, and as an official Neff Partner here at Kitchen Design Centre, we can personally attest to the supreme quality and functionality of their trademark Neff ovens. This week, we share the secrets of making the most of their many various settings, to make sure you get the best baking results!
Like most types of cooking, if you’ve never baked before, it can seem like a bit of a daunting task. Thankfully, Neff ovens come with an in-built Baking and Roasting Assistant, an innovative system that’s designed to make baking even more convenient in as many ways as possible. Just one example involves serving up cooking suggestions at just the press of a button. If you’re already clear on your recipe, meanwhile, the Neff Baking and Roasting Assistant can also recommend the ideal heating mode, temperature and time to ensure you get perfect results each time. (We’ve always found it particularly helpful for delicate foodstuffs, like our treasured pastries!)
As well as a Baking and Roasting Assistant, your Neff oven also has a dedicated bread-baking setting, handy if you’re thinking about a classy lunch with the family. Varying between 180C and 220C, it’s ideally suited to baking crusty bread with an open texture, so you’ll end up with beautifully soft and fluffy results! Meanwhile, if you’re more experienced or simply more ambitious, the aptly-named Dough Proving function is designed to provide a warm and moist environment that’s ideal for proving yeast dough. It also does a great job of improving the texture and quality of pastry foods like cakes and breads.
One of the most popular and well-known features of Neff ovens is their Circo Therm technology, which is fantastic for all things baking. Essentially it’s Neff’s patented fan technology, which works by drawing in air from the oven using a powerful stainless steel fan. It then heats up this air before forcing it directly back into the oven cavity through carefully placed ducts in the rear wall. Now, when it comes to baking, there are several ways this technology comes in handy.
The first is through Circo Therm Eco, which optimises for cooking and baking on one level, for maximum efficiency – perfect for breads and cakes! Meanwhile, Circo Therm Intensive neatly combines CircoTherm technology and a bottom heat setting to create the ideal conditions for foods that need a crispy underside. It’s especially helpful for one-stage pastry like lemon meringue pie, removing any need for blind baking. (If you’re not sure what blind baking is, it’s essentially the term that’s used for baking the pie crust or other pastry without the filling).
Meanwhile, the Top And Bottom Heat option provides conventional cooking heat sources at – you guessed it – the top and bottom of the oven. We won’t go too much into the science of it, but basically it causes heat to travel to the centre of the oven by means of natural conduction, making it ideal for baking pastries and scones.
If you’ve yet to get in on the baking action, there’s still a couple of weeks to go for the final of the Great British Bake Off, so you can still tune in and get some inspiration! And if it’s captured your heart already, we’ve previously posted about how to design the best kitchen for baking. Kitchen design is a personal passion for every one of us here at Kitchen Design Centre – so whatever your vision for your dream kitchen, our friendly designers are here to help. Feel free to pay us a visit at any of our award-winning designer kitchen showrooms in Manchester, Blackburn or Barrowford, and one of us will be only too happy to sit down with you for a cuppa and a chat, to see how we can make your vision a reality!
