• Baking has always been considered the "finishing touch" of a master baker's product. This is the last link in a long chain of processes and brings to the fore the result of laborious work. Baking, in its essence, is the process by which the piece of dough is thermally processed and transforms it into an appealing finished product. The metamorphosis is a spectacular one, and the change in color and the aromas released after baking make the bread fresh out of the oven an irresistible product for most of us.
What does baking actually mean?
From a physicochemical point of view, this is a heating process whereby heat penetrates the dough, propagating inward and resulting in water exchange between it and the oven environment. Baking is carried out at a certain temperature and humidity regime that ensures the formation of the crust, the core and leads to an increase in the volume of the bread. The initial baking phase takes place at a lower temperature and relatively high humidity, to condense as much steam as possible on the surface of the dough. This favors the creation of an elastic crust on the surface of the bread and allows the volume of the product to increase. In the second phase, the crust is formed and the actual baking of the core takes place, the bread finalizing its structure and shape. Without going into details about the chemical processes that take place during baking, we will mention only the essential ones: protein coagulation and starch gelatinization. They are part of a baking "equation", along with dough moisture, duration and temperature, irreversibly generating the properties of the future bread.
Types of ovens in today's bakeries
Because as we have seen, temperature and duration are very important in the baking process, we will focus on the main types of ovens that we find in today's artisanal bakeries:
Cyclothermal ovens- are the ovens whose heating is carried out by a forced air circulation, carried out by one or more fans that ensure a balanced heating and 
uniform over the entire surface of the hearts. They quickly reach baking temperature, but cool just as quickly when the burner is turned off. Given the main characteristics of this type of oven, it is recommended for bakeries that have products with a complex baking curve, with rapid temperature rises and falls, and those that have varied products subject to different baking.
Perkins tube furnaces – these ovens use the DAMPF heating system. It involves the transmission of heat from the baking chamber to the hearth with the help of "L" shaped pipes. 
The pipes are sealed at the ends by fusion and have about a third of their volume filled with distilled water. This specific "L" shape makes it possible to adjust the surface exposed to heat for each individual tube. The short ends of the pipes are located in the fuel combustion zone and heat up to a temperature of 800-1.000˚C. Following this process, the water in them partially turns into superheated steam, with a temperature of about 350˚C and passes into the free space of the pipes (located in the baking chamber). The steam condenses giving off heat, and the resulting water drains back towards the end of the firebox of the pipes, due to the 2-3 degree inclination they have. The phenomenon is repeated as long as the heating of the tubes is maintained, ensuring the transfer of heat to the baking chamber. Although these ovens are becoming less common, due to the somewhat higher consumption, there are many bakeries whose reputations have been solidly built on products baked on such models.
Furnaces with annulus tubes – are ovens whose heat is transferred from the hearth to the baking chamber by a dense network of Mannesmann tubes. These are a variation on the PERKINS tubing theme and are made from a specific type of steel. They are closed by a special weld, designed to withstand a steam pressure of over 800 bars. The baking chambers are surrounded by these tubes 
in such a way that both the bottom and the ceiling are exposed to heat radiation. The hearth of each baking chamber is made of plates of refractory material, intended to ensure an optimal transfer of temperature to the product. This type of ovens is notable for its low energy consumption and high thermal inertia, which can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the temperature curve the baker wants to use for baking.
Electric ovens – are those ovens whose heating elements are represented by electric resistances. 
They are placed evenly in the baking chamber and have the advantage of being able to adjust independently. These types of ovens are very easy to use and are sometimes the only hearth oven solution in production spaces that cannot benefit from gas. Although their operating cost is higher, many bakers prefer them for their versatility and the fact that they can only run part of the oven if production is not very high.
Customer perception of "trial by fire"
Although the end customer does not even intuit how many innovations are hidden behind the oven that baked the bread, regardless of its type, bakers carefully choose the model they work on, so that they can make a product that represents them as well as possible. Not infrequently, the good reputation of a bakery was brought by the special flavor of its products baked on a "hearth oven", carefully chosen and handled by a skilled baker. However, it should be noted that the most important criteria by which buyers evaluate the quality of a bread are often closely related to this last process of passing the piece of dough through the oven. From the sound produced by the tapping of the bottom of the bread, which must be dry, to its volume, which must appear large compared to its actual weight, to the golden brown color that delights the eye - all depend on this true "proof of fire" which the bread must pass before reaching our table. Baking has always been considered the "finishing touch" of a master baker's product. This is the last link in a long chain of processes and brings to the fore the result of laborious work. Baking, in its essence, is the process by which the piece of dough is thermally processed and transforms it into an appealing finished product. The metamorphosis is a spectacular one, and the change in color and the aromas released after baking make the bread fresh out of the oven an irresistible product for most of us.
Article written by Marius Costea, Sales Director of equipment and industrial lines Nova Pan
