What temperature should I bake bread at?

By Paulo de VriesLast verified 2026-05-204 sources~4 min readhigh consensus

Standard yeasted bread bakes at 375-425°F (190-220°C). Specific styles: French bread + sourdough 450-475°F · Brioche + enriched dough 350-375°F · Pizza 500-550°F · Whole wheat 350-375°F · Quick breads 325-350°F.

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The full answer

Bread baking temperature affects three things: crust formation (Maillard browning), oven spring (initial rise), and crumb structure. The right temperature depends on bread type, dough hydration, and intended crust.

**Standard temperatures by bread style:**

**Sourdough + artisan breads (high temp):** - **Initial: 475-500°F (245-260°C)** for 20 minutes (oven spring + crust) - Drop to: 425°F (220°C) for remaining 20-25 min - Total bake: 45-50 minutes - Result: hard crust, open crumb

**French baguette:** - Same as sourdough — high heat for crust - 475°F (245°C) for 20 min, then 425°F for 10 min - Steam in oven first 15 min (steam pan or spray)

**Country/rustic loaf:** - Initial: 450-475°F (230-245°C) - 25-30 min total - Steam recommended for crust

**Sandwich bread / tin loaves:** - Standard: **375°F (190°C)** - Soft crust, even cook - 30-40 min total

**Whole grain bread:** - 350-375°F (175-190°C) - Heavier dough, gentler heat to avoid crust before crumb cooked - 35-45 min total

**Brioche + enriched dough:** - **350-375°F (175-190°C)** - Lower than regular bread because high butter + egg = browns faster - 30-40 min total - See /pages/how-long-does/brioche-proof for related timing

**Pizza dough:** - **500-550°F (260-290°C)** for home ovens (highest setting) - Commercial pizza ovens: 700-900°F - 10-15 min total bake time - See /pages/how-long-does/pizza-dough-rise

**Quick breads (banana bread, zucchini bread):** - **325-350°F (165-175°C)** - No yeast = no oven spring needed - 50-65 min total

**Muffins + biscuits:** - 375-400°F (190-205°C) - High heat for rise and golden top - 18-25 min total

**Naan bread:** - 500°F (260°C) in regular oven - 800°F+ in tandoor (authentic) - 3-5 min total per piece

**Sourdough at different protein levels:**

**High-protein bread flour (12-13%):** - 450-475°F initial - Better high-heat handling - Lots of oven spring

**All-purpose flour (10-12%):** - 425-450°F initial - Less oven spring; bread sets slightly less open

**Lower-protein 00 flour (8-10%):** - 400-425°F - Doesn't hold high-heat oven spring as well - Better for pizza than artisan bread

**Why temperature matters specifically:**

**Initial high heat (oven spring):** - Dough expands rapidly in first 10-15 min - Yeast still producing CO2 + steam from water - Higher heat = bigger rise - After 15 min, structure sets; dropping temp helps brown without burning

**Steam for crust development:** - Initial 5-10 minutes: steam keeps crust soft - Dough continues expanding - After steam phase: dry oven hardens crust + creates color - Home methods: spray water in oven, place ice in pan, use Dutch oven covered

**The Dutch oven technique:** - Bake at 450°F (230°C) — slightly lower because Dutch oven traps steam - 20 min covered (creates steam) - 15-20 min uncovered (browns crust) - Most home artisan bread method

**Oven calibration warning:** - Most home ovens off by 25°F - Use oven thermometer ($10) to verify actual temperature - "Setting 450°F" may mean actual 425°F or 475°F - For precision bread: verify oven temperature

**Convection vs conventional:** - Convection (fan): drop 25°F from recipe + cook 10-15% faster - E.g., recipe says 425°F → use 400°F convection - Convection works well for crust browning

**Don't:** - Bake bread at < 350°F unless quick bread (no yeast) - Skip the steam for artisan crust - Use baking stone unevenly heated (60+ min preheat needed) - Open oven during first 15 minutes (loses steam + temperature)

**Internal temperature for "done":** - Sandwich bread: 190°F (88°C) internal - Artisan bread: 200-210°F (93-99°C) internal - Enriched bread (brioche): 195-200°F internal - Test with instant-read thermometer for certainty

**Cross-reference:** see /pages/how-long-does/sourdough-rise for sourdough timing + /pages/how-long-does/pizza-dough-rise for related dough + /pages/what-ratio-of/flour-water-bread for foundational ratios.

Most published references (Peter Reinhart "The Bread Baker's Apprentice", Jeffrey Hamelman "Bread", James Beard "Beard on Bread", Maurizio Leo "The Perfect Loaf") converge on the temperature ranges above.

Time ranges by condition

Condition	Duration	Note
Sourdough + artisan bread	475-500°F initial, drop to 425°F	—
Sandwich bread / tin loaf	375°F (190°C)	—
Brioche + enriched dough	350-375°F (175-190°C)	—
Pizza dough (home oven max)	500-550°F (260-290°C)	—
Quick breads (no yeast)	325-350°F (165-175°C)	—

What changes the time

Bread type. Crust-focused breads: high heat (450°F+). Soft breads: lower (375°F). Quick breads: lowest (325°F).
Oven calibration. Most home ovens 25°F off; verify with oven thermometer
Convection vs conventional. Convection: drop 25°F from recipe, cook 10-15% faster
Dutch oven. Slightly lower temp (450°F) because traps steam, mimics commercial bakery

Common questions

Why such high temperatures for bread baking?

Two reasons: (1) maximum oven spring (initial rise from yeast + steam expansion); (2) Maillard browning + crust development. Bread can't develop the crust at 350°F like it does at 450°F. Quick breads use lower temps because they don't need the dramatic rise + crust.

Should I use convection (fan) for bread?

For artisan bread + pizza: yes, convection helps. Drop 25°F from recipe temp. For delicate enriched bread (brioche): convection can over-brown; conventional better. For most home baking: convection is helpful when temp is calibrated correctly.

My bread is burnt on top but raw inside — what happened?

Three causes: (1) oven temp too high (calibrate with thermometer); (2) bread too dense (couldn't cook through quickly); (3) baking too long. Solution: tent with foil after 20 min if browning too fast, OR drop temp 25°F.

Sources

We cite primary research, expert practice, and authoritative reference. Higher-tier sources weighted heavier. See methodology.

Tier 1 · peer-reviewed / governmentalTier 2 · editorial referenceTier 3 · named practitioner

T3Peter Reinhart, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" — Canonical home reference for bread baking temperatures
T3Jeffrey Hamelman, "Bread" — Industry-standard reference with bread-type temperature tables
T2James Beard, "Beard on Bread" — Classical home reference for yeast bread temperatures
T2Maurizio Leo, "The Perfect Loaf" — Modern home baker reference with detailed temperature analysis

Why this page existsThis page exists because “What temperature should I bake bread at?” is one of the recurring questions we measure across search queries + LLM crawls + reading depth. When enough asking accumulated, we wrote this answer with sources cited. The mechanism is the trust signal — see how it works.

What could change this answer

honest uncertainty

We don’t know your specific equipment, ingredient batch, or environment. This answer is the best directional estimate from cited sources. Here’s where it’s less certain:

4 factors shift the answer. Your specific bread type, oven calibration, convection vs conventional (and more) can move this estimate in either direction. The table below shows the documented ranges.
Range spans 5 documented conditions. Pick the row that matches your scenario; halfway between two rows is your best estimate. The widest condition you can imagine is the safer upper bound.
Treat as a directional starting point. Real-world equipment, ingredient batch, and ambient conditions cause natural variance the table cannot capture. Use sensory checks (sight, smell, touch, internal temperature when relevant) alongside this answer — not instead of it.
Backed by 4 cited sources — verify if precision matters. See the Sources section for primary references. Cross-check the cited materials when stakes are high: commercial production, food safety, allergens, dietary or medical considerations.
Verified yesterday. If you found a better-sourced answer or our answer no longer matches reality, tell us — corrections are public and dated. The page exists to be accurate, not to be unchanged.

Cite this page

de Vries, P. (2026). What temperature should I bake bread at?. AskedWell. Retrieved 2026-05-21, from https://askedwell.com/pages/what-temperature-for/baking-bread

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Last verified: 2026-05-20 · Published 2026-05-20

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