Can You Bake Chinese Scallion Bread in the Oven?

Question

I read the recipe for Chinese scallion bread, and its cooked in a skillet. can anyone give any suggestions if I want to bake it in the oven. I know the texture won't be same. I'm thinking I would bake in a cast iron skillet in the oven, but not sure about the temperature and time.
Thanks

Lynn Clark · Accepted Answer

Hi Fei - Since we have not tested this recipe in the oven it is hard to give a definitive answer on time, temperature and results. Especially with a recipe that we're baking with yeast. My first question would be - why would you prefer to do it in the oven? One of the best characteristics of this bread is its deeply browned, crispy crust which is achieved, in part, by cooking over direct heat. The other element here is steam. The bread is covered for a little more than half of the cooking time, which not only helps the bread cook through, but also creates steam. As bread bakes, its outer layer (crust) eventually reaches 180°F. At that point, the starches on the surface burst and then harden to a crackly consistency. Steam hitting the bread’s surface facilitates this process.
You could certainly try to do this entirely in the oven either in a cast iron skillet or on a baking steel. However, I doubt it would be anywhere near the same as the version we've developed. I'm guessing a relatively hot oven would be necessary to get any browning - probably 450 degrees? As for timing, I think it would be best to temp the bread to determine when it's fully baked. For a bread like this we recommend 210 degrees on an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the bread. Again, we haven't tested this so I am just making guesses. Good luck and thanks for writing to us!

Can You Bake Chinese Scallion Bread in the Oven?

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