Experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses of the thermal air flow distribution in a 3-zone small scale forced convection bread-baking oven are undertaken. Following industrial bread-making practise, the oven is controlled at different (constant) temperatures within each zone and a CFD model is developed and validated against experimental data collected within the oven. The CFD results demonstrate that careful selection of the flow model, together with implementation of realistic boundary conditions, give accurate temperature predictions throughout the oven. The CFD model is used to predict the flow and thermal fields within the oven and to show how key features, such as regions of recirculating flow, depend on the speeds of the impinging jets. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.