Dutch oven bread

I know I am pushing the season, but does anyone have experience baking bread in a Dutch Oven on an open fire?  Any tips? It is something I would like to try this winter.

Use coals rather than open flames. Easier to control & gives more consistent results. I use a slightly moister dough compared to baking bread in an indoor oven. Larger loaves seem to work a little better than small ones.

Years ago...when our boys were young and we took long tent camping trips on the river and we always brought the dutch oven and a big big 50# bag of whole wheat flour and some bulk bread yeast.  

As Mike says, use coals...so it was necessary to have a fire burn for awhile to get enough coals to last long enough for baking a big loaf .  It seems like we moved a pile of coals to the edge of the burning fire (and then still had the main fire for cooking other things and more coals if necessary)...made a nice bed of coals to set the oven on (it had feet) and then added more coals to the lid which had a rim that held them in place.  I think I remember using the ash scoop to move the coals around? We probably had a shovel along too though for other things.....

We rarely used the dutch oven at home because we had a wood cook stove and other iron ware that worked better on the stove surface.

On a side note, I always blamed my cataracts on cooking over smokey fires...campfires, roasting peppers....etc.

Thanks Mike and Judith,

I have used a Dutch Oven before ... many years ago ...unpredictable results. I figured I would take advantage of the site for a primer. My wife has been the primary bread baker, but I figured I would give it a try in our fireplace when the weather cooled.

It takes a bit of practice but if you want super predictable results wrap the oven in aluminum foil & bury it in the ground under a big bed of coals.

There's a system out there for controlling the heat of the dutch oven called the Dinwiddie Ring Method. A good write up on it is here: http://www.susquehannaironmasters.com/temperature-control.html

Hi Mike,

I was planning on doing this in the fireplace this winter.

Hi Pearl,

This article is interesting. Thanks.

Pearl Sutton wrote:

There's a system out there for controlling the heat of the dutch oven called the Dinwiddie Ring Method.

Hmmm.. so how can we adapt that to work with actual wood coals?

We have a wood stove and I've always wondered if once it was a bed of coals, could I put my Dutch Oven in to bake or cook something. Mine is a glazed over iron, not straight cast iron, which scares me a little.

I do make a No-knead Sourdough bread in it if people want my recipe. I have Rye sourdough babies that I've been using for several years now and I'm rather pleased with myself that I haven't managed to kill them! I've recently tried several alternate recipes that use the starter, but every time #2 Son has said, "I like your bread better".

Hi All,

If you take the article Pearl posted down to it's most basic level, it says more coals equals more heat.  Not the most extreme concept.  The trick is to estimate how much is needed. This article did point the way as to how to do that.  My approach that I intend to run with is to estimate how much coals equals a charcoal brick.  With this approach, the article takes on much more value.  Yes, it is still guessing ... but less so.

not to hijack the subject but I have become recently interested in trying to make a good whole grain bread and have read a little about dutch oven bread that is easy and does not have to rise for 18 hours an be kneaded and such
has anyone a good recipe and experience doing this in oven

I saw one recipe was
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups 100 degree water

mix and let stand an hour or 2
put on flour covers parchment paper
put it in 450 degree heated dutch oven
sprinkle w flour
bake 30 minutes with cover
10 minutes wo cover

I guess I should have said I want to try using dutch oven in stove not in wood fire

Hi Bruce,

I have been doing similar in the fireplace this winter. It is working out well. I have only had the fireplace going a few times this winter ...we have have had pretty warm weather overall.