I read somewhere that the big difference is in the prep and the paint itself, not the tool. A sprayer lays down a thinner coat that levels out on its own, but you usually need to thin the paint and mask off everything. A brush pushes paint into the wood, which can actually hide small scratches better over time. My buddy in San Antonio did his with a sprayer and the finish looked great for about a year, then he noticed chips where the brush job on my grandmother's cabinets never chipped after twenty years. So I'd say you paid for durability and the ritual, he paid for speed and a prettier first week.

The real culprit might be the oven cycling, not just running cold. Most ovens swing up and down by 25 to 30 degrees around the set temp, so even if yours reads 375, it could drop way low right when the bread needs the heat. That gummy center happens when the crust sets too slowly and moisture gets trapped. A cheap thermometer with a probe left inside tells you the actual swings, not just the average. Might be worth watching it for a full 30 minutes to see the pattern before you trust the dial again.