A deck oven is one of the two major varieties of ovens found in most professional pastry kitchens (the other being a convection oven), and is used primarily for bread baking.
A deck oven relies on radiant heat – transfer of heat to the product through the heated air of the baking chamber, and conductive heat – transfer of heat directly into the product from the baking stone or deck. Deck ovens have even, consistent heat that make it ideal for controlled baking. They will usually include features like steam injection and a venting system to adjust the humidity inside the baking chamber.
Interesting stuff. Thanks for explaining the deck oven. Never heard of it before. Now I want to make cream puffs. Congratulations on your award! You have earned it! Thank you!
Hi Sandy,
Thanks very much! And you’re welcome for the explanation, feel free to send me any other questions you might have!
Cheers – Chef Scott
i want know that commercial use of bakery and pastry is convention oven or convection oven?
Hi Sathya,
Yup, just about every commercial kitchen will have a convection oven, which uses fan-forced heated air to bake product. Convection ovens are much stronger and faster than a deck oven, but each oven has it’s specialty uses with certain products.
Cheers – Chef Scott
Hi Chef Scott!
What brands are out there for commercial convection ovens? I’m only able to find deck ovens. I want to know which type of oven is specifically suited for baking cheesecakes? Convection or deck oven ?
Hi Shwetha,
The best oven for making cheesecake is called a combi oven, it is a sort of hybrid between a deck and convection – it has the ability to bake using fan-forced air like a convection oven but also has a function to incorporate more or less air humidity. In fact, both the fan speed and humidity can be independently adjusted giving the oven a lot of versatility. It provides the perfect humid environment for baking cheesecake. This comes at a cost though, as combi ovens are quite expensive. Are you looking to purchase an oven for home use or commercial use?
Cheers – Chef Scott
Hi chef,
Will it be possible to bake croissant in the deck oven?
Hi Lili,
Possible? Sure! But you won’t get the best result as compared to using a convection oven. The fan-forced air of a convection oven is perfect for creating quick water evaporation in the butter of the the croissant, and that rapid development of steam is what lifts the croissant to give it the open structure inside. If I think back to my years in the kitchen, I probably baked croissants once or twice in a deck oven, and if you set the deck at a high enough temp and inject steam into the baking chamber properly you could make it work, but I can’t remember having better success with that method as opposed to a convection oven. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Cheers – Chef Scott
Hi! If I want to make perfect Eclairs, is this type of oven(deck) recommended?
Hi Steve,
I know chefs that make great eclair with convection ovens and deck ovens. In my opinion, the deck oven is the best option. Convection ovens are a harsher, more forceful heat which results in protein coagulation, starch gelatinization and water evaporation all happening too quickly in the pate a choux dough, and that means cracking along the surface of the eclair shell. A deck oven is a more gently, even heat and these ovens have the additional ability to inject steam which really helps the development of the eclair shell. All of that being said, I wouldn’t go out and buy a deck oven to make eclair (unless you plan on making thousands and thousand and selling them).
Cheers – Chef Scott