Baking involves cooking in an oven. This may be a relatively large clay, brick or stone structure often preheated for cooking bread or other foods, or a smaller metal receptacle heated by electricity or gas. Baking is of course essential for making bread, and it is generally a gentler form of cooking than broiling or frying. Nevertheless, the proteins and starches of the dough may be overcooked to the point of becoming carcinogenic. If you make bread, do not over-bake, over-brown, or attempt to increase the thickness of the crust because it tastes better, by keeping bread in the oven longer than necessary. If you buy your bread, buy wholegrained bread with a light crust.