Temperature Basics for Baking
Getting the oven temperature right is just as important as getting the measurements right. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks. Too low and you get dense, pale results with a gummy texture. Most baking happens between 150°C and 230°C (300°F to 450°F), but where your recipe falls in that range makes a big difference.
Common Baking Temperatures
Cookies
Most cookie recipes call for 175°C (350°F) to 190°C (375°F). At 175°C, cookies spread more and stay chewy. At 190°C, they set faster on the outside, giving you a crisp edge with a softer center. For thin, crispy cookies, go higher. For thick, soft cookies, go lower and bake longer.
Cakes
Standard cakes bake at 175°C (350°F). This gives even heat distribution and allows the center to cook through before the edges dry out. Angel food cake and sponge cakes sometimes go lower, around 160°C (325°F), because their delicate structure needs gentle heat. Pound cakes also do well at 160°C for the same reason — they're dense and need time to cook through without drying.
Bread
Yeast breads need high initial heat. Most artisan loaves start at 230°C (450°F) or even higher, then drop to 200-210°C (400-410°F) after the first 10-15 minutes. The blast of high heat creates oven spring — that final burst of rising from the expanding gases in the dough. Enriched breads like brioche bake at a more moderate 175-190°C (350-375°F) because the butter and eggs brown faster.
Pastry
Puff pastry and pie crusts need hot ovens: 200-220°C (400-425°F). The high heat turns water in the butter into steam, which creates flaky layers. If the oven is too cool, the butter melts and absorbs into the dough before it can create steam, and you lose all that flakiness.
Roasting
Vegetables roast best at 200-220°C (400-425°F). This high heat drives off moisture and promotes browning. Lower temperatures steam vegetables instead of roasting them. Meat temperatures vary by cut — a chicken needs 200°C (400°F), while a slow-roasted pork shoulder might go as low as 120°C (250°F) for hours.
Fahrenheit to Celsius Quick Reference
- 250°F = 120°C — low and slow (meringues, drying)
- 300°F = 150°C — gentle baking (cheesecakes)
- 325°F = 160°C — delicate cakes, custards
- 350°F = 175°C — standard cakes, cookies
- 375°F = 190°C — slightly faster cookies, quick breads
- 400°F = 200°C — puff pastry, vegetables, breads
- 425°F = 220°C — pizza, high-heat roasting
- 450°F = 230°C — artisan bread, flash-roasting
- 475°F = 245°C — Neapolitan-style pizza
Why Your Oven Lies to You
Most home ovens are off by 10-15°C (25°F) or more. The thermostat might say 175°C, but the actual temperature inside could be 160°C or 190°C. This is why experienced bakers use a separate oven thermometer — they cost about $8 and hang from the rack inside your oven.
Hot spots are another issue. Most ovens are hotter at the back than the front, and hotter at the top than the bottom. Rotating your baking sheet halfway through is the easiest fix. If you consistently find one side of your cookies darker than the other, your oven has a hot spot.
Convection vs. Conventional
Convection ovens have a fan that circulates hot air. This makes them about 15°C (25°F) hotter in practice, so you should reduce the temperature by that amount. If a recipe says 175°C conventional, set your convection oven to 160°C. Convection also cooks faster, so check your bake 5-10 minutes early the first time you try it.