When baking bread you need three things: temperature, moisture and time.
The figures in the table are given as a guide only and are taken from Miele’s Combi steam oven book. Miele gives the option of allowing you to add different stages to their Combination mode and you will see hereunder there are up to four stages in cooking some items.
If you don’t own a Miele combi then read your instruction manual and see if your appliance also allows for ‘stage cooking’. If not, program your appliance to the time, temperature and moisture level of the first stage and when it reaches that time, turn off and re-set to the next stage without opening the door.
In general, start with a high moisture level and low temperature, then dry out with a low moisture input and a high temperature.
Test all recipes yourself to establish the settings that best suit you and your appliance. Use this table to cook your favourite bread recipes.
In my other bread post I cooked my sourdough on an automatic setting. There are lots of other breads I will try soon as I have the great book from The Bourke Street Bakery. Beware – do not try to cook a larger loaf than 500g flour on an Automatic program! I tried and it wasn’t cooked enough.
When you are converting a recipe keep in mind the total cooking time before converting it to the combi stages. For example, keep approximately the same maximum cooking time but shift the timing to include first stage: more moisture, second stage: cooking and third stage: drying out the loaf. Once you have done it a couple of times it is easy.
The White and Wholemeal bread times in the table are based on using 500g flour baked in either a tin or shaped onto a tray.
| Yeast dough | Combination mode | |||
| Stages | Temperature | Moisture % | Time in min | |
| White bread | 1 | 100 | 100 | 7 |
| 2 | 165-195 | 90 | 8 to 17 | |
| 3 | 145-190 | 30 | 20 | |
| 4 | 30 | 30 | 5 | |
| Wholemeal | 1 | 100 | 100 | 7 |
| Bread | 2 | 180-200 | 50 | 10 |
| 3 | 190 | 20 | 40-45 | |
| Pitta/Flat | ||||
| Bread | 1 | 100 | 100 | 7 |
| 2 | 180 | 75 | 14-23 | |
| 3 | 180 | 30 | 10 | |
| Baguettes | 1 | 100 | 100 | 7 |
| 2 | 170-190 | 90 | 19-25 | |
| 3 | 160 | 30 | 5 | |
| Bread rolls | 1 | 100 | 100 | 7 |
| 2 | 180-190 | 90 | 10 to 16 | |
| 3 | 150-160 | 30 | 3 to 5 | |
| Wholemeal | 1 | 100 | 100 | 8 |
| Rolls | 2 | 190-210 | 90 | 19-22 |
| 3 | 160 | 30 | 2 | |
| Croissants | 1 | 100 | 100 | 7 |
| 2 | 160-180 | 90 | 17-22 | |
| 3 | 150 | 75 | 3 | |
| 4 | 150 | 30 | 3 | |
| Plaited loaf | 1 | 100 | 100 | 7 |
| 2 | 140-170 | 90 | 17-21 | |
| 3 | 150 | 30 | 15 | |
| Fruit yeast dough | ||||
| on baking tray | 1 | 160-190 | 90 | 20-23 |
| 2 | 160 | 30 | 6 | |
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Hi Trudy
I’m really enjoying reading your recipes and am looking forward to making Stephanie’s Chocolate Pudding. Although the ingredients and method are different, the end result sounds similar to the individual chocolate fondants that I’m still trying to master.
I made bread using the table yesterday.
I have been very pleased with the results from my Miele Moisture Plus oven and was a bit reticent to try it in my Miele Combi Oven as it all seems so different.
It was a baquette recipe – 2 x 400g loaves so I used the baquette timings. It was slightly undercooked, easily rectified though, but that aside I was very impressed with the finished bread. Great crust, shiny appearance and a better rise.
I put the dough in right at the start, I didn’t wait until the oven reached the temperature, is this right? Next time I will use the white bread timings for the same recipe.
It will take a bit of tweeking with the recipes I use but it’s the way to cook bread.
This is becoming a habit …..but yet again thank you for your hard work.
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for your email. Firstly, the chocolate pudding is nothing like the chocolate fondants you mentioned as I cooked them just last week. The Stephanie’s pudding is a classic ‘self saucing pudding’ with boiling water poured over sugar and cocoa where the fondant recipe (and there are several but try Nigella’s) is mostly 70% chocolate undercooked so it is gooey in the middle. Now for the bread. Yes, use your combi not the moisture plus setting as you need more moisture than moisture plus can provide and you can control it a lot better. Remember that the Automatic settings are ONLY for about 500g of flour so that is why your baguette recipe was under-done. The option of ‘extra browning’ will not be enough for extra cooking for a larger loaf. Use the Combination mode instead and the times I have on the table for any bread that is more than 500g flour. It is easy to work out the timing for the different stages when you have done it once. You are correct, on the combi you don’t preheat the oven, especially on the Auto settings. My recipes list when you need to pre-heat (scones I know do). Anyway, that’s great. Keep using it as much as you can!
Regards Trudy
Hi Trudy
Sorry I didn’t make myself clear, but I did use the combination mode. I think they were underdone because they were more of a bloomer shape than baquette so needed slightly longer cooking.
Which oven, setting and timings do you use for Nigella’s Chocolate Fondant recipe? I used to like making them when I knew I had people to dinner. They sat happily in the fridge (or freezer) till needed and IF you you got the timing right looked and tasted more difficult than they actually were.
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
Yes, I would have probably just cooked one loaf at a time if they were large.
The Nigella puddings are called ‘Baby cakes’ on the net. I used the combi on oven only with a pre-heated oven tray @ 200oC for 10 minutes. As you have cooked them before you know they should be room temperature or longer cooking from frozen. I didn’t freeze mine and your right, they just sat in the fridge for a few days before I cooked them again! I will put the recipe on the blog when I do them again.
Regards Trudy
Hi
I have just purchased a AEG BS7304001M after having to send back a oven that actually was out of control. I am 77 and severely disabled and on top of that am intolerant to most of the chemicals in modern day food. Due to the above I have had a Panasonic bread maker since about 1980 with no problems until the RTA’s and arthritis took over and shaking the bread out of the tin does not help. I have been fighting with ideas on how to cook my bread with my disabilities. Since I changed my 12 year old oven for the one I sent back and purchased the above I cannot get a good loaf and as my new oven is so new there are no cook books or help (even the service engineer on the phone did not know what I was talking about). The last loaves I tried were mixed in my Kenwood chef…proven for the auto program for the 30 mins I used to prove for an hour shaped and put in tins (I usually make a bloomer because I like crisp crust) and just used a recipe off the flour! Put it in the oven @ 190c and although eatable was very heavy and they had not risen. I cannot muck about too much and the instructions manual is useless and the recipes are great for persons who want posh food but I just need the basics. Brilliant Pizzas but cannot eat them every day. Can you help me. Just a plain white loaf. How long to rise? How long to prove? auto prove or do my own ?
I must point out that I have cataracts so cannot see too well and cannot stand up in front of an oven trying to adjust controls that have come out of space with option that look very similar both on the facia and in the manual (which I have enlarged to see)
Hi Maureen,
Oh dear you have been oversold on that oven I suspect. Something a lot more simple would have been better for you. We don’t have that model in Australia but I am assuming that it is a combi steam model with its ‘BS’ model number. It is a good oven but has a lot of Auto programs. You really need to talk to your retailer and try to get some cooking classes if they have any! Perhaps they could arrange for someone to come to your home if you paid them?
Read through the instructions in this recipe from Taste.com.au as you need to prove for about 45-75 min (you can just set the oven to 30oC to do it yourself without the Auto program) and rising time is about 30 min before baking. Oven should be 200oC Fan forced! Try this first and then you can try to add a little bit of steam once you get use to using your new oven. http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/10857/basic+white+bread
Your oven may have an Auto program for bread that you can try once you get use to using your new oven. Also read my posts in the ‘Appliance category’ for using a new appliance.
Good luck,
Regards Trudy
Hi Trudy
I’m probably over thinking the bread making, but having trouble getting to grips with the bread chart you’ve included. Can you explain the thinking behind steps 1-4 on the white bread. Step 1 at 100c and 100% moisture seems high for second proving, or is it the start of the cooking process.
The 30c and 30% moisture on stage 4 also seemed odd.
Thanks in advance for reading my mail.
Hi Margaret
I took this table from the Miele Combi oven book and yes, I agree some stages do look odd.
All types seem to have Stage 1 so I would do that too. It is the start of the cooking process, not a second prove.
Stage 4 looks to me like a keep warm stage to be honest so you could omit that if you prefer.
Like anything the table was made as a guide only. Most people tend to use the Auto programs but be careful of your loaf size.
All the best.
Regards Trudy