If I had gotten my retreat in Colorado built, I had planned to build in an old style beehive baking oven and a tandoor. Actually, I'll probably build a tandoor here since they're not a lot of work and I make a lot of Indian food.

I think a wood oven would be a great feature for baking bread with. Pizzas too.

 

I had to look up what a tandoor was.
[Removed dead link]

 

That sure looks like an easier way to make one. I don't know that I'd trust the flower pot though. You stick bread to the wall of the tandoor and I don't know what it might pick up from the flower pot. I guess they're probably just plain clay though, which would be fine. I'd worry about the colorings maybe.

 

A lot of Mexican clay pottery had lead in them at one time, probably from the paint. An unpainted and unglazed pot should be okay. The terra cotta color is the natural color of the clay.

 

Stored Wheat and baking

Baking is a lot of work compared to other uses of wheat. Did you know you can grind it in a blender (if you have electricity). All of the softer grains can be milled in a blender to "grits" or even course flour.

In order of energy input to make something edible:
First is sprouted grain -- soaked for a day and ground or pounded into a really quite tasty "dough" that can be solar cooked or eaten raw.

Second would be making it as a hot cereal ("cream of wheat") is the easiest use for energy input

Third would be "chiapati" or four tortilla shapes quickly grilled over a fire.

Last of all and most energy intensive is baking a loaf of bread unless you do it in a solar oven. Even then the prep time and attention is the most.

There are a reason various cultures use flour in other ways -- when fuel is short tortillas and flat breads have, for centuries been the answer.

So I wouldn't want to discourage you from building an outdoor oven if you like it for the fun. Always good to have multiple ways to cook. But if fuel is a concern, ovens are not the way to go.

 

Third would be "chiapati" or four tortilla shapes quickly grilled over a fire.

Last of all and most energy intensive is baking a loaf of bread unless you do it in a solar oven. Even then the prep time and attention is the most.

There are a reason various cultures use flour in other ways -- when fuel is short tortillas and flat breads have, for centuries been the answer.

So I wouldn't want to discourage you from building an outdoor oven if you like it for the fun. Always good to have multiple ways to cook. But if fuel is a concern, ovens are not the way to go.

A lot of cultures never developed a tradition of baking for that very reason. Fuel was in short supply. Asians for example.

Flat breads are very energy efficient and easy to make. Everyone storing grains should have several versions they can make. One of my earliest posts was about flat breads and their uses. There are even yeast leavened flat breads out there.

 

Mother Earth Magazine has instructions on a brick outdoor oven. I will be buying that magazine and looking into it.

 

Here's another option I found on a download at this site.
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=89658&highlight=live+electricity

I've never tried baking bread this way but I have cooked a ham and chicken using this method while camping. I always keep kindling burning on the side to add around the pot if needed. I also cooked potatoes and fish in foil by burying them in the coals.

“Campfire” cooking can lend itself to some baking, if you also have a cast iron Dutch Oven—a large, heavy, cast iron covered pot. Place a well-kneaded pound of bread dough into a heavilygreased or oiled Dutch Oven and put the cover in position. Make a hole or pot-sized well in the ash near the fire, and line this with glowing coals. Put about an inch of ash over the coals, and
place the Dutch Oven into this. Now, pile about an inch of hot ash around the oven and cover with glowing coals, then another layer of ash to keep the heat in. Uncover and check your bread in about 35 minutes, it should be done.

 

One of the reasons I caution about planning on baking much is my own experiences trying to work with a not-modern kitchen. Its a LOT of extra work. Might be nice for once in a while but not a regular thing.

The other things i mentioned -- flat bread for instance -- is still bread -- so are "chiapatis" or "nan" (bread in India). They are flour and yeast but formed in a flat round dough something like a tortilla and then cooked over a flame briefly one at a time . . . a bit of a cross between a tortilla and a pancake (tho no baking soda, only yeast). They puff up and are quite tasty! Its easier to cook than heating an oven unless you have a standard cooking oven like we use now.

I suggest you try baking on a fire, or in a dutch oven, or in some way other than a regular oven before you commit to the idea of baking much bread. Solar baking can be done and is not so difficult, that would be the exception to what I'm saying. But solar baking does not brown things or give the crust you expect in a bread. It is great for corn breads, soda breads, muffins, etc. however.

 

More directions to make a tandoor clay oven:
http://www.goldentandoors.com/products/clayovens.htm

 

I sure like the idea of using a premade pot in tandoors. I know how to make them the old fashioned hand made way using handfuls of clay applied inside the shell. While it's not as much work as a beehive oven, it still takes a lot of labor. Tandoors are awesome to cook with. I spent a lot of time with an Indian family years back. They owned a restaurant and taught me much.

 

What all did you cook in them?

I agree with what has been said about bread: it is much easier and takes much less fuel to make pancakes or tortilla-like breads. I like slabbing a bunch of hot beans on tortillas as well as just eating them hot by themselves. The Native Americans have always fried flat bread and today they often put cinnamon, butter, and sugar or honey on them for a dessert. I don't think that can be beat!

Still, regular bread or cornbread would be a nice treat now and then.

And the ovens are good for making most foods without a lot of fuel: the ovens continue to bake food after the coals have been removed because of the excellent insulation of earth. This is the true reason clay works.

 

They have campsite stoves made out of clay? Or are you talking about reflector ovens, or what?

 

Camp stoves are sheet metal. They sit over a small fire. Even Coleman makes a small version for use on their stoves. It works fine over a small wood fire also. It's just too small to be terribly useful, at least to me.

 

I have built 3 using "Build your own Earth Oven". I have had to replace the book a few times because i have seemed to become the library of choice for family and friends. You will be surprised at the ease.

 

UPDATE 25/10/06

All links broken (#1, 3, 5, 15) , except SB links work.

[Mod note: removed or edited broken links]