Burned my croissants 3 times until I figured out the trick

I was baking at home in Portland last week and kept getting dark bottoms on my croissants even though the tops looked fine. Turns out my oven runs hot by about 25 degrees, so I dropped the temp to 375 and put a sheet pan on the rack below. Now they come out golden all over. Anyone else have a hot oven issue like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

joelsanchez22d ago

Take your oven temp down by 25 degrees and add a sheet pan underneath. That extra pan catches the direct heat from the bottom element and spreads it out so you don't get that burnt bottom problem. I tested mine with a cheap oven thermometer and it showed I was running 30 degrees hot on the bottom rack. Also helps to rotate the tray halfway through since hot spots can mess with things. A lot of people forget that ovens lie about their temp.

julia84322d ago

Oven thermometers are cheap and people act like they’re optional but they really should be in every kitchen. @joelsanchez is right about the temp variation being common, not just in ovens but in a lot of things we just take for granted. I’ve seen people set their water heater to the same setting for years without checking the actual temp. Or they rely on the cheap thermostat in their house instead of getting a standalone one to see what the rooms really feel like. We assume the numbers on the dial mean something but they’re often just a rough guess from the manufacturer.