Making Bread W/O An Oven - Ideas?

prambo

prambo

.475 A&M Magnum
Messages
18,466
Reaction score
43,601
Location
The 'Hood in the Northern Wood
Mrs. prambo can bake great bread. But considering the present circumstances, it's possible the electricity could out. We're totally electric.

But I have a propane camp stove (way larger than a backpacker stove). We also have a variety of cast iron pans. So, does anyone know a way to bake bread using these 2 things?

Any ideas or experiences?

Thanks in advance.
 
J

Jeepjeff

22lr
Messages
12
Reaction score
18
Location
Broome
meketrefe

meketrefe

.450/400 Nitro Ex
Messages
12,806
Reaction score
16,329
Location
Dexter, ME
You can make bread in a pot. Either dutch oven or if the heat is a fire a pot inside a cast iron pot with a bit of water at the bottom in the outer pot. Also in apressure cooker using and inside pot. You can also bake in the pressure cooker.
 
Blimey

Blimey

.450/400 Nitro Ex
Messages
11,290
Reaction score
16,264
Location
Western NY
Not an answer to your question but I really have no concern at all about utilities going out. They will be considered emergency services as much as health care is. They'll stay on, as will water.
 
GOYABEAN

GOYABEAN

.950 JDJ
Messages
34,642
Reaction score
70,573
Location
Land of Freedom PA
Barbecue grill :flamethrower:works or if you have access to a yard you can build something like this but add one extra level so you can keep fire and charcoal on bottom level.

 
Chevusa

Chevusa

.338 Win Mag
Messages
6,718
Reaction score
7,645
Location
Erie
GOYABEAN said:
Barbecue grill :flamethrower:works or if you have access to a yard you can build something like this but add one extra level so you can keep fire and charcoal on bottom level.

Click to expand...
Looks like a lot of work.
Get this. Light coals. Put half on bottom. Half on top. You have an oven that has been used for probably 250 years.
 
GOYABEAN

GOYABEAN

.950 JDJ
Messages
34,642
Reaction score
70,573
Location
Land of Freedom PA
Chevusa said:
Looks like a lot of work.
Get this. Light coals. Put half on bottom. Half on top. You have an oven that has been used for probably 250 years.
Click to expand...
Yeah I've seen that but sometimes people have stuff laying around that can be repurposed and with this oven you don't even need mortar :headbang:
 
fnfalguy

fnfalguy

.308 Win
Messages
2,851
Reaction score
7,722
Location
Orange County
This is a spin on one of the no knead recipes we use. While it calls for an oven temperature, you could do it in the camp stove or with charcoal.

Crusty No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread Recipe – Mother Earth News

Bake crusty, artisan bread with less effort. Learn how to make this easy, no-knead dutch oven bread recipe using these step-by-step instructions.
www.motherearthnews.com
 
vanderblack

vanderblack

.357 mag
Messages
583
Reaction score
840
Location
Upstate NY
Should be easy. If you have 2 cast iron pans of the same size, invert one over the other and place on the stove. The area inside of the 2 pans will act as an oven. It would work best if you have a thermometer to monitor the temp and adjust as required.
 
spat

spat

.950 JDJ
Messages
31,954
Reaction score
67,745
Location
Formerly Geneseo, NY. Now free in AZ
In a SHTF situation baking or any other slow cooking process uses a lot more fuel than just normal grilling.

Bear that in mind depending on your circumstances.

I wouldn't be wasting a limited resource like propane or charcoal on it, but if you've got 100 acres of timber out back and are keeping a fire going for heat it probably doesn't matter so much.
 
meketrefe

meketrefe

.450/400 Nitro Ex
Messages
12,806
Reaction score
16,329
Location
Dexter, ME
spat said:
In a SHTF situation baking or any other slow cooking process uses a lot more fuel than just normal grilling.

Bear that in mind depending on your circumstances.

I wouldn't be wasting a limited resource like propane or charcoal on it, but if you've got 100 acres of timber out back and are keeping a fire going for heat it probably doesn't matter so much.
Click to expand...

I would add that In many situations the most effective way of cooking involves some sort of broth with chunks of meat, fish and/or vegetables because it gives both the nutrients and liquids we need. These can be found in both prepared form to be mixed with water and warmed or made as you go with whatever one can procure.

At the other hand, in cold climates if fire is used for heat, the same fire can be used to cook, that means virtually zero additional
spend for cooking. One has to be smart to see if A) a large fire is needed. B) the fire is efficient for whatever
the task at hand. Like in a heating fire, insulation is key to make sure one heats more space with less spend.

But perhaps one of the most efficient ways to cook is a small rocket stove that with nothing but a few twigs and branches one
can cook a decent meal.

Baking, like you stated out is not reasonable unless one has a stove or fire in a cabin that is both for heating and cooking. Decent
wood stoves include an oven and even a water heater with a tap for hot water.

If one wants bread there is the option to make a loose dough with some quick raiser and make a flat bread on a pan just
like we make pancakes. This works with many grains and flour mixes and there are hundreds of different styles of bread that
require nothing more than the flower, salt and perhaps a raiser whether is chemical or culture.

There are so many options. I feel SHTF is overrated. It can mean something or nothing at all. Maybe is just going back to basic things
like the amish do every day.
 
prambo

prambo

.475 A&M Magnum
Messages
18,466
Reaction score
43,601
Location
The 'Hood in the Northern Wood
stokes said:
Why do you think the electricity will go out?And if it does,baking bread is your priority? Get a generator.
Click to expand...

Love to have one. Can't afford one, and using one in a 850 sq ft apartment would be difficult. Also it is a shitweasel magnet.

I do have access to portable propane powered devices.

We live in a fairly isolated village in the northern ADK. Power outages happen fairly often. If it's local, the village crews can handle it easily. If it's the main lines that's not going to happen. We buy electric directly from the NYS Power Authority and the transmission lines are huge.

From pure necessity, we roll close to edge. It's just what it is - we make do with very thrifty habits, making do with less and do things that are free or inexpensive. You wouldn't imagine some of the stuff we do.

My PT job is at a flower/gift shop - my assumption is that business will be very low. No biz...no work.

If I explained it you'd think I was a dumbass for letting it happen...and I was to some extent.
 
Last edited:
prambo

prambo

.475 A&M Magnum
Messages
18,466
Reaction score
43,601
Location
The 'Hood in the Northern Wood
First, thanks to all you guys for the thoughtful responses. Got some ideas from the posts that we can use in a lot of different ways.

Found an interesting article about baking bread without an oven...

7 Ways to Bake Without an Oven - Homestead Survival Site

The vid below should work for us. Dug our cast iron out the basement and will be cleaning and reseasoning, as per another thread on the forum - who needs Pinterest? Almost everything can be found here.

Mrs. prambo did, however dig up a Pinterest post about taking too small bar soap small to use, liquify it and cast into bigger bars. I save almost a gallon bag of them.

 
Last edited:
BDinPutnam

BDinPutnam

.475 A&M Magnum
Messages
14,490
Reaction score
20,853
Location
Someplace else
Robin said:
I've got one of those bread machines and it make all different kinds of bread, all good. Once in a while I make up a cinnamon roll recipe and program it to start up and be done just before I usually wake up. The smell, what a thing to wake up to!!!!
Robin
Click to expand...

Man! I'll be right over (in 3 or 6 months, lol)!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top