Dough (in Russian)
Yeast dough for pizza and bread and pastry for pies: how to make it, how long to wait and the signs that your dough has risen.
From the oven: a home baking guide
Kylinarocka — a guide to cooking from the oven
The oven is only daunting at first. Here you'll find step-by-step guidance on making yeast and quick doughs, baking pizza, bread and open pies, roasting meat and vegetables and telling when a dish is done — in plain words and with no advertising.
Good baking starts not with a recipe but with a hot oven: give it time to heat up and it will reward you with an even, golden crust.
Where to start
Pizza and pies (in Russian)
Pizza in an ordinary home oven and open fruit pies: how to assemble them, which shelf to bake on and why a really hot preheat matters so much.
Meat and vegetables in the oven (in Russian)
Meatloaf, herb-roasted vegetables and oven bakes: how to keep a dish from drying out and how to check it is cooked right through to the centre.
How to tell when it's done
A golden crust, a dry skewer and a kitchen thermometer — three simple ways to make sure your baking and your meat are properly cooked.
Guide sections
- Recipes
An open apple pie, herb-roasted vegetables and a simple homemade loaf, with weights and timings.
- Ingredients
Wheat flour, yeast, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, butter, eggs and cheese: choosing, storing, using.
- Techniques
Oven modes, preheating, rack levels, baking paper and tins, plus three ways to check that food is done.
- Seasonal
Summer vegetables on a tray, autumn apple and pumpkin pies, winter baking and the festive table.
- Drinks
Tea, cocoa, berry drinks and compote: what the whole family can enjoy with pie, pizza and fresh bread.
- Tips
Short, practical tips on the oven, dough and baking trays, plus our catalogue of articles.
- Questions
Answers to common questions about dough, oven modes, cooking meat through and kitchen safety.
Your first pizza in five steps
Make the dough
Combine flour, warm water, yeast, salt and a little oil, and knead until the dough is smooth and no longer sticks to your hands. Mix the salt into the flour rather than tipping it straight onto the yeast.
Let it rise
Cover the bowl and leave it somewhere warm and draught-free. The dough should grow noticeably and turn soft and puffy; this happens faster in a warm kitchen and more slowly in a cool one.
Preheat the oven well
Turn the oven up to its highest setting well in advance, with the baking tray inside. A very hot tray sets the base straight away, so it doesn't stay pale and soggy.
Shape and top
Stretch the dough by hand or roll it out on a sheet of baking paper, spread it thinly with sauce and add the topping and cheese. Don't overload the base: the fewer layers, the better it bakes.
Bake until the edge is golden
Wearing oven gloves, slide the pizza, still on its paper, onto the hot tray. It's ready when the edge is golden and the cheese has melted and browned in spots.
The essentials
Are you a shop?
No. Kylinarocka is an independent reference: we don't sell anything, take orders or recommend where to buy food, appliances or cookware.
Which oven should I buy?
We don't recommend or compare makes and models. Instead, we explain how the modes differ — top-and-bottom heat, fan, grill — so you can use the oven already in your kitchen with confidence.
Why is the bottom of my pie still raw?
Usually the oven wasn't hot enough, the tray was too high or the filling released a lot of juice. Move the tray lower, preheat for longer, and dry out a juicy filling or dust the base with starch.
Can I bake without scales?
Yes, as long as you always measure with the same spoon or cup and don't pack the flour down. For yeast dough, go by feel: it should be soft and slightly sticky, but neither runny nor stiff.
About the guide
Kylinarocka is an independent guide to home baking and oven cooking. It is written for people who are just getting to know their oven: it explains not only what to do but also why it works.
This guide has no connection with earlier websites on this domain and does not reproduce their content. All recipes and texts have been written from scratch by our editors.
We don't sell food or appliances and we don't carry advertising. The recipes here are everyday home recipes with no claim to be the only right way: try them, note down what you notice and adjust them to your own oven.
See also
- Recipes
An open apple pie, herb-roasted vegetables and a simple homemade loaf, with weights and timings.
- Techniques
Oven modes, preheating, rack levels, baking paper and tins, plus three ways to check that food is done.
- Pizza dough (in Russian)
Our yeast dough for two pizzas: how to knead it, how to tell it has risen and what to do with any leftover dough.
- Seafood pizza (in Russian)
Seafood pizza in an ordinary oven: thawing, a really hot preheat and a juicy topping that doesn't dry out.
- Meatloaf (in Russian)
Meatloaf with egg and herbs: shaping, baking to a safe temperature in the centre, slicing and storing.
- Questions
Answers to common questions about dough, oven modes, cooking meat through and kitchen safety.
What we draw on
- food safety guidance
- cookery reference books and home recipes
- the guide's own editorial material
Times and temperatures in our recipes are a guide, not a rule: every oven heats in its own way, and flour and other ingredients behave a little differently each time. Go by the colour of the crust, the smell and the signs of doneness, not just the timer.