A disclosed dryer includes a receptacle configured to contain material to be dried, an air duct configured to route recirculating air and/or fresh air to the receptacle, a heating device configured to heat the recirculating air, and at least one sensor. The sensor is configured to determine a relative humidity and/or temperature, and the air duct includes at least one adjusting element configured to modify a portion of recirculating air routed to the receptacle. The dryer further includes a control or regulating device configured to control or regulate the portion of recirculating air routed to the receptacle and/or a heating capacity of the heating device during a drying process. A disclosed method includes controlling a portion of recirculating air routed to the receptacle and/or a heating capacity of the heating device. Further, a mixture of recirculating air and fresh air are varied during heat-up, drying, and cool-down phases.