On Mon, 30 May 2016 13:18:57 +0200, Dario Niedermann
> wrote:

>Many sources say a high temperature in a pre-heated oven is essential
>for "oven spring".
>
>This is counter-intuitive to me: wouldn't a slow, gradual heating
>allow the yeast cells more time to increase activity, feed, inflate,
>reproduce? As opposed to the quicker death they would meet with a sudden
>thermal shock?
>
>Or is oven spring due to something else entirely?

Oven spring is due to the CO2 trapped in the dough rapidly
increasing in volume (can't remember gas physics, but it's a very
large increase). There is not much contribution by the torched yeasts.
Slow, gradually heating would dry out the crust and make it
harder for the dough to expand.
IMHO - I'm not willing to waste a batch of dough in a test.
Try it and show us your results.
[]'s

PS Yeast activity peaks in the 23 Celsius region. Hardly oven
temperatures.
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