Outdoor Bread Oven

[BWHLover]

Has anyone built and outdoor bread oven ?

I am dreaming of homemade crusty sourdough bread from a homemade bread oven.:wub:

[NCLee]

No, but like you, I'd love to have an earth oven in the backyard. It's another thing on my to-do list.

BTW, this link may be interesting to you. Emergency and Outdoor Bread Manual. It's pdf and available here. (slow to load) http://www.preparedpantry.com/e-book-help.htm Lots of other e-books on the list, too.

Searching for "earth oven" and "adobe oven" will turn up lots of plans for a DIY oven. Some simple and fairly easy to build, others .... well.

BTW, I've baked bread in my gas grill with good success. Sure, not the same as an earth oven, but it does work in a pinch. After all when you think about it, close the lid and it is an oven. And, it sure helps keep heat out of the house this time of year.

Lee

[leera]

Like so many others,it's on my to do list.

Would like to build an adobe style oven,but it's in the future,not gonna happen this year.

[Grendal]

Not gotten around it but I got a tandoor oven, and a beehive oven plan....somewhere...will take me awhile to dig them out.

http://heatkit.com/html/bakeoven.htm (bee hive and lots of information)

[oldtimer]

I've looked at this site over the years and salivated over it. Have long desired to build an old time outdoor bake oven like our Germans from Russia ancestors had in the old country and a few built in this country.

I've even saved up bricks to build it, but never get the time as there's always something else that needs fixing or built instead.

I wish you well in building one and would love to hear from anyone that has one and see a picture.

[Grendal]

I've looked at this site over the years and salivated over it. Have long desired to build an old time outdoor bake oven like our Germans from Russia ancestors had in the old country and a few built in this country.

I've even saved up bricks to build it, but never get the time as there's always something else that needs fixing or built instead.

I wish you well in building one and would love to hear from anyone that has one and see a picture.

If I ever can get the money aside, I want one that's portable. I'm moving into an apartment, and I need something I can easily hide...otherwise It's going to be stolen lol.

[J R Adams]

BTW, I've baked bread in my gas grill with good success. Sure, not the same as an earth oven, but it does work in a pinch. After all when you think about it, close the lid and it is an oven. And, it sure helps keep heat out of the house this time of year.

Lee

Where and how did you position the bread in the grill?

JR

[Grendal]

Where and how did you position the bread in the grill?

JR

I usually put it in the top rack away from the heat, and open side up...such as garlic butter up.

[NCLee]

Where and how did you position the bread in the grill?

JR

Depends on the grill, as I have several styles. You'll need to experiment to see what works best for your particular grill. Generally, whether gas or charcoal, preheat the grill to about 400 degrees. With charcoal, charcoal on one side and bread on the other. With gas burner lit on one side, bread on the other. With the horizontal charcoal grill/smoker, charcoal is in the side fire box, bread in the middle of the grill body. Have baked biscuits and cornbread directly over the heat. Those best done with castiron skillets or cornbread/cornsticks pans.

Again, you'll have to experiment with your equipment. One way to do this for a 2 loaf recipe is to bake one in your kitchen oven and the other loaf in the grill. (That way your whole batch won't be lost if at first things don't go well.) Same principles for other breads. Make a big batch of biscuits and bake 6 in a small skillet in your grill, for example.

If your enjoy outdoor cooking, something else to try is bread in Dutchovens, using either charcoal or coals from a hardwood fire. Another is to use reflector oven baking along side a campfire. Reflector ovens can be a DIY project using a rectangular cake cooking rack to support the pan, and disposable aluminum pans or aluminum foil and coat hanger wire (for example) to form the oven itself. Search: "reflector oven plans"

If memory serves, Diane Thomas Roughing It Easy books have plans for these easy to make ovens along with info on how to use them. And, her books have so much more!!!! It's well worth the investment. I have Roughing It Easy, Roughing It Easy II, and the later issue that combined the best of I & II. -- Just checked, RIE I has Dutch, reflector, and even a tin can oven for baking outdoors.

Lee

[gmam]

Has anyone built and outdoor bread oven ?

I am dreaming of homemade crusty sourdough bread from a homemade bread oven.:wub:
BWHlover
I have a brick oven for over 4 years. It took me about 10 months building it. Check out this website, http://mywoodoven.ning.com/ click on oven map, click on florida,

[gmam]

Has anyone built and outdoor bread oven ?

I am dreaming of homemade crusty sourdough bread from a homemade bread oven.:wub:
BWHlover
I have a brick oven for over 4 years. It took me about 10 months building it. Check out this website, http://mywoodoven.ning.com/ click on oven map, click on Florida,

[GentleLady]

Very cool and I'm envious, that would be the cat's pajamas!

[opsrto]

I had planned to incorperate a bread / pizza oven in the outdoor canning kitchen. Nothing like fresh oak baked sourdough

[Grendal]

I had planned to incorperate a bread / pizza oven in the outdoor canning kitchen. Nothing like fresh oak baked sourdough

thats not true....fresh oak baked sourdough roast beef italian panini with apple smoked cheddar. Or a fresh burger on sourdough mustard lettuce tomatoe onions and apple smoked cheddar.

[Bondo]

I think using the grill might just work. I'm not going to try it right now though, this ninety-five plus degree stuff has got to go!

I just got a new grill from Lowes, and it is big enough to take my pizza stone. Now, the problem I have always had on baking bread and pizza in my oven was only being able to hit 450. Well, I have checked the grill and it will hold 600 degrees with only two burners on. Hopefully this with my pizza stone will make some great bread- and Pizza!

[BWHLover]

BWHlover
I have a brick oven for over 4 years. It took me about 10 months building it. Check out this website, http://mywoodoven.ning.com/ click on oven map, click on florida,

That is one lovely oven.:wub:

[BonnyLake]

A very innovative friend of mine lined the bottom and half way up the sides (to the lid) of an old charcoal BBQer with thin pieces of slate she found laying around - she didn't afix them to the inside, she just stacked them a little. Then made a small wood fire in the bottom where the charcoal went and let it get hot - put the bread loaf on a cookie sheet on the rack, closed the lid, vented the smoke and just eyeballed it for doneness... amazing that it worked... and it was free!

[NCLee]

I think using the grill might just work. I'm not going to try it right now though, this ninety-five plus degree stuff has got to go!

I just got a new grill from Lowes, and it is big enough to take my pizza stone. Now, the problem I have always had on baking bread and pizza in my oven was only being able to hit 450. Well, I have checked the grill and it will hold 600 degrees with only two burners on. Hopefully this with my pizza stone will make some great bread- and Pizza!

Supposed to be 102 here today. (sigh)

Let us know how your grill works out.

BTW, as Bonnie mentioned there are things you can do to a grill to improve the performance. Natural stone floor tiles can be used on the grate. Often a better fit than a pizza stone. Fire brick can be used to line the burner area (depending on your burner configuration). Fire brick work even better with charcoal grills. In either case, be sure to maintain good air flow.

Lining the inside of the lid with aluminum foil is another option. The outside of the lid can be insulated, as long as the material used has a combustion point higher than the temperature you're running inside the grill. For example, when making pulled pork (cooking at 220 degrees) old blankets cut to fit, insulate the top of the cooking chamber (oven).

Oh, one more. Clean builder's sand can be used in some grills, especially charcoal, to provide heat maintaining, retaining, capability. Either spread a couple of inches deep in the bottom of the grill, and/or in metal pans set in the grill directly over the heat source. Line the bottom of the grill with foil, then add sand. (Makes clean up easier, when the sand needs replacing). When you first add sand, fire up the grill without food. This dries out the sand and will drive out any odors this natural product may have.

Mentioned these, even though the temps are awful now, they won't stay that way forever. Before long we'll be complaining about the cold. Thinking about insulation, wind breaks (plywood folding screens), and such gives prep time to be ready to bake in the grill when we're shivering from the cold.

One caution note. Modifying grills by adding stuff, will probably void the warranty. And, with some grills can cause discoloration of the metal when heat is directed where it wasn't originally intended. Enameled grates may not withstand the "abuse" that castiron or uncoated steel grates will take. Finally, have a water hose handy, if you're experimenting with insulation materials that may catch on fire. (Windshield sunlight reflector panels, blankets, fiberglass batts, old quilts, etc.)

Yes, your grill can be an oven. And, an even more effective oven with a little modifying and experimenting.

As you can tell, I enjoy talking about outdoor cooking. LOL Especially when it helps others get more from what they may already have sitting in the backyard.

Lee

[BWHLover]

Supposed to be 102 here today. (sigh)

Let us know how your grill works out.

BTW, as Bonnie mentioned there are things you can do to a grill to improve the performance. Natural stone floor tiles can be used on the grate. Often a better fit than a pizza stone. Fire brick can be used to line the burner area (depending on your burner configuration). Fire brick work even better with charcoal grills. In either case, be sure to maintain good air flow.

Lining the inside of the lid with aluminum foil is another option. The outside of the lid can be insulated, as long as the material used has a combustion point higher than the temperature you're running inside the grill. For example, when making pulled pork (cooking at 220 degrees) old blankets cut to fit, insulate the top of the cooking chamber (oven).

Oh, one more. Clean builder's sand can be used in some grills, especially charcoal, to provide heat maintaining, retaining, capability. Either spread a couple of inches deep in the bottom of the grill, and/or in metal pans set in the grill directly over the heat source. Line the bottom of the grill with foil, then add sand. (Makes clean up easier, when the sand needs replacing). When you first add sand, fire up the grill without food. This dries out the sand and will drive out any odors this natural product may have.

Mentioned these, even though the temps are awful now, they won't stay that way forever. Before long we'll be complaining about the cold. Thinking about insulation, wind breaks (plywood folding screens), and such gives prep time to be ready to bake in the grill when we're shivering from the cold.

One caution note. Modifying grills by adding stuff, will probably void the warranty. And, with some grills can cause discoloration of the metal when heat is directed where it wasn't originally intended. Enameled grates may not withstand the "abuse" that castiron or uncoated steel grates will take. Finally, have a water hose handy, if you're experimenting with insulation materials that may catch on fire. (Windshield sunlight reflector panels, blankets, fiberglass batts, old quilts, etc.)

Yes, your grill can be an oven. And, an even more effective oven with a little modifying and experimenting.

As you can tell, I enjoy talking about outdoor cooking. LOL Especially when it helps others get more from what they may already have sitting in the backyard.

Lee

Lee,

It was 112 a few weeks ago and I had a craving for pot roast. Did not want to heat up my house, so I put all if the ingredients in my cast iron dutch oven and put it on the grill (lump charcoal). boy was it good. My DH was very skeptical, the next week when we were at the store he headed straight for the pot roasts and purchased another one for me to cook the same way.:wub:

[NCLee]

Lee,

It was 112 a few weeks ago and I had a craving for pot roast. Did not want to heat up my house, so I put all if the ingredients in my cast iron dutch oven and put it on the grill (lump charcoal). boy was it good. My DH was very skeptical, the next week when we were at the store he headed straight for the pot roasts and purchased another one for me to cook the same way.:wub:

Yeah! Love success stories! Can't remember when the light bulb came on that the grill IS AN OVEN! Probably when we had a hurricane that took out the power and tried baking biscuits in one. For years I'd fussed about not having 2 ovens in the kitchen for those few times a year a second one is needed. Didn't have sense enough to know there were 2 sitting in the backyard (gas and charcoal).

And, most gas grills can be slow cookers (crockpots), too! Pick up a few $5 crockpots from yard sales and take out the insert. Fill the insert(s) with food, cover, and put on the grill on low. To take advantage of the grate space and fuel, do several at a time. Freeze excess for heat and eat. Can even re-heat on the grill on the cool side while grilling chops on the other side.

Anything to keep heat out of the house this time of year. Our record is 105. That was bad enough. 112 ouch!! Glad you put on your thinking cap for some good eating in a cool kitchen!

Lee

[windmo]

BWHlover
I have a brick oven for over 4 years. It took me about 10 months building it. Check out this website, http://mywoodoven.ning.com/ click on oven map, click on Florida,

Ahhhhhh, jealousy! I'd love to build one - there's already an outdoor fireplace in the house we're trying to buy, and having an oven next to it would be amazing :)