Automatic baking apparatus

An automatic baking apparatus having an exterior wall surrounding a heating chamber comprising:

• a kneading case doubling as a baking die removably mounted in said heating chamber;
• an air inlet and an air outlet formed in a side wall of the heating chamber;
• a fan casing connected with the inlet and the outlet which is disposed along a side wall on the outside of said chamber;
• a fan mounted in said fan casing for causing air to flow from said chamber outlet to said chamber inlet;
• a heating element in the fan casing between the fan and the air inlet to said heating chamber;
• a first motor for driving the fan;
• a dough temperature sensor arranged to detect the temperature of a lower portion of the kneading case;
• a room temperature sensor mounted in said exterior wall for detecting room temperature independently of the dough temperature at all times during operation of said baking apparatus;
• a lower heating element arranged below the kneading case;
• a blade driven within the kneading case;
• a second motor for driving the blade;
• and
• a microcomputer including means for controlling the time of operation of said motors and said heaters in accordance with the temperature detected by the dough temperature sensor and by the room temperature sensor to thereby vary the duration of kneading, fermentation, baking and cooling steps, said microcomputer being effective to complete the baking process with uniform product quality within a constant length of time.