Baking bread in a Dutch oven over hot coals or an open fire.

by James K. Sayre

20 July 2001

In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, commerical bread baking in North America has been done in large gas-fired or electrically heated industrial ovens. Home bakers of bread use modern electrical or gas ranges that have built-in ovens.

In the nineteenth century and earlier, when the technology of the modern oven had not been developed, bread was baked in ovens of stone, brick or fired clay. These ovens were heated with wood, charcoal, coal or heated with hot stones pulled from a fire. An alternative for American settlers was to use a cast iron kettle or pot, commonly called a "Dutch oven," which was put into the hot coals from a fire. Hot coals were also heaped on the top flat lid of the Dutch oven to help provide a more even heat for the bread baking.

An overview of the Dutch oven:

A modern dictionary gives four different definitions of the term, Dutch oven: 1. a metal shield for roasting before an open fire. 2. a brick oven in which cooking is done by the preheated walls. 3. a cast-iron kettle with a tight cover that is used for baking in an open fire. 4. a heavy pot with a tight-fitting domed cover [Merriam-Webster].

Here, I will focus on the third definition, that of using a cast-iron kettle for cooking over an open fire.

[Etymology: dutch Middle English duch, duche, Middle Dutch Duutsch, meaning, "Dutch" or "German," compare: German Deutsch + oven Middle English oven Old English ofen, compare: Old High German ofan, oven + -s, the name "Dutch" was possibly applied to this type of cooking kettle by American settlers because they were often sold by Dutch peddlers [Lodge]].

The traditional Dutch oven is a large heavy cast iron kettle or pot with a matching flat tight-fitting lid. It typically has three short legs on the bottom to hold the bottom above the hot coals. The sides of the pot are usually vertical and the lid is designed to hold hot coals. The lid is either flat with a raised outer rim or it is concave (sunken in the middle); either design allows hot coals to be placed on the lid and thus faciliate the cooking process. The lid usually has an open ring attached at the center to facilitate lifting it off the pot. The lower pot has a wire metal bail (arched handle) to allow easy lifting in and out of the fire. A long metal rod or poker with a bent end is useful for lifting the hot lid. A fishing gaff could also be used the same way.

Other names: Camp Dutch Oven, Country Oven, Outdoor Dutch Oven, Traditional Dutch Oven, Western Dutch Oven.

The baking of the bread.

Basically, one prepares a batch of bread for baking in a Dutch oven in much the same manner as baking in an oven in a kitchen range or stove. Of course, there is the matter of timing the wood or charcoal fire to allow the baking to proceed.

References:

Farmer, Charles and Kathleen, Editors, Campground Cooking, 1974. Northfield, Illinois: Digest Books, Inc.

Jobson, John, The Complete Book of Practical Camping, 1974. New York: Winchester Press.

Lodge Manufacturing Company, Lodge Dutch Ovens... "100 Years & Still Cooking," South Pittsburg, Tennessee: Lodge Manufacturing Co. Company. Also see web site at www.lodgemfg.com.

Merriam-Webster, Inc., Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1998. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Ormond, Clyde, Outdoorsman's Handbook, 1970. New York: Outdoor Life and E. P. Dutton

End.


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Web page last updated on 7 May 2003.