Wood stoves are a thing of the past. However, more and more people are liking the idea of baking some goodies from a wood stove. Back in the day, wood stoves are the norm for baking and cooking different kinds of food, but with the advancement of gas and electric ovens, some people don’t even know what a wood stove looks like.
Suppose you want to take a step back from the technological advancements of cooking. In that case, learning how to bake in a wood stove is the best way to go around it—if you’re like me, then baking in a wood stove will undoubtedly take you back with some memorable experiences. But if you want to learn how, then be our guest! We will be teaching you how to bake in the wood stove in simple steps!
What is a Wood Stove?
As the name suggests, a wood stove is a type of stove in which it uses wood fuel such as firewood, sawdust bricks, chips, sheets of wood, charcoal, and any kind of food. Primarily, the wood is the source of its heating mechanism, allowing you to cook your favorite meal in the process.
Although a wood stove may take an unusual amount of time to cook your favorite meal, cooking in a wood stove will easily give you some good taste after all. Cooking on a wood stove is so much more fun than cooking on a multi-fuel camping stove. Woodstove cooking or baking is a hundred-year-old practice, the times where technology hasn’t taken over just yet.
Compared to an electric stove or microwave open, baking in a wood stove requires a relative amount of work, time, and wood sources. But if you’re willing to fire it up, then learning how to bake in a wood stove might just be a household chore you are looking for, especially during this time of the pandemic.
How to Use a Wood Stove: Quick and Easy Steps
Many people aren’t sold on the idea of baking on a wood stove, it takes a considerable amount of time, and it is quite inefficient when it comes to baking. To use a wood stove effectively and efficiently, there are a few basic things to get right and prepare first. The steps are as follows:
Step1: Preparing to stove top
Before you start, ensure that your wood stove has had a enough space for your pot, pan, tray or what ever you are cooking in / on.
Step 2: Get the fire going
Some older wood stoves need the door to be keep slightly ajar when starting a fire, this is to ensure there is a good air supply for the kindling flames. Newer wood stoves tend to have better air flow design so leaving the door ajar might not be so much of a problem
Once your kindling catches fire, slowly build up the fire by placing ever increasingly thicker logs until you are putting full sized logs in the fire box. Note, the door should have been closed well before you are putting full size logs into the wood stove.
Step 3: Only start baking when the stove is warm enough
Its pointless to try to bake when the temperature is too low for what you are baking. A good indicator for a hot and consistent fire is when coal start to form from the largest logs.
How to Bake in Wood Stove: Quick and Easy Steps
If you already know how to use a wood stove, the next step is learning how to bake on top the wood stove. Generally, baking in a wood stove is similar to that of a hot plate. However, as mentioned, baking in a wood stove requires plenty of seasoned firewood to succeed.
Hackberry is a good firewood to use for heating and cooking.
Here are the quick and easy steps to bake on the wood stove if we are making cookies.
Step 1: Once you have created a fire and made your baked product. The next step is baking it through the woodstove. To do this, place a trivet on top of the woodstove. This is to prevent the surface of your cookie pan and wood stove open from coming into contact directly. This is to ensure that the cookie pan doesn’t get burned instantly.
Step 2: When your trivet is already positioned on top of the woodstove, place your cookie pan on top of the trivet. Whether you are baking muffins, cookies, or any sort, this is a general step you must follow.
Step 3: To create the oven concept, you must cover the cookie pan on top of the trivet with a lid. In most cases, they usually cover it up with a clay lid. Always wear gloves whenever you place or remove the clay lid.
Step 4: Always check your cookie pan if the heat is circulating well. If it doesn’t, then rotate your cookie pan. This is one of the downsides whenever you bake with a wood stove; uneven cooking is bound to happen; that’s why to check your cookies periodically to avoid this problem.
Step 5: Once your cookies are cooked, remove them from the wood stove. But first, wear gloves, remove the lid, then remove your cookie pan. Job’s finished! That’s how to bake in the wood stove in quick and easy steps.
Conclusion
Now that you know that baking in a wood stove is possible and will give you a natural and distinctive flavor, perhaps you give it a try and consider cooking meals in it. Many people love the taste of food cooked on a wood stove; not only does it give you a tasty result, but it also saves electricity. Cooking with a wood stove is great in winter, as it saves energy costs, by using wood that you would otherwise only use for heating.
I hope the guidelines have helped you when you decide on baking on a wood stove. This will be a great alternative to electric stoves and traditional gas, and it can make whatever you bake taste better. You just have to be careful and keep an eye on it to avoid accidents from happening.