The Simple Pleasures of Wood Cookstove Baking

I have made a startling discovery.  I can only bake effectively in a wood cookstove.  I don't know when it happened - it just crept up on me.  One day I was turning out lovely loaves from my propane cooker and the next, I couldn't bake a perfect loaf of bread for the life of me.  In desperation, I slid a loaf of Irish Soda Bread into the wood cookstove, gave it a turn every once in a while, shuffled it from shelf to shelf and finally pulled it from the oven looking darkly golden and producing the most satisfyingly hollow thump when lightly tapped on the bottom.  Perfection!  A few days later I made French bread and pulled pasty looking loaves from the propane stove (that were very dark on the bottom) and proceeded to continue baking them in my beloved wood cookstove, where they turned a golden brown and developed the most flavorful, chewy crust imaginable.

Irish Soda Bread

In my defense, my propane stove is more than a little dodgy.  It doesn't have a working temperature gauge, so I have to turn the oven off and on, off and on, in order to attempt to regulate the oven temperature manually.  My propane frustration has yielded a blessing however - I have turned to my wood cookstove almost exclusively for baking and cooking, making me ever more proficient.  Now that is something to celebrate!  And food really does taste better when baked in a wood cookstove - go figure!

Bread isn't the only thing my wood cookstove has been producing in abundance.  Last week my older children got a party together to go skating at the "local" skating rink (about 45 minutes away).  Maid Elizabeth and Miss Serenity both had to work, getting off at 5 p.m., so they met their friends here (at Little Shouse on the Prairie) to carpool together to the skating rink.  Knowing that they would be missing dinner and wouldn't want to infringe on their skate time by grabbing a bite to eat in town, I made a big batch of Pizza Pockets that they could eat on the road.  I made my regular pizza crust recipe, rolled out the dough and cut small (3"x3" more or less) squares to use as the pizza pockets.  I spread a bit of olive oil on each square, followed by a bit of pizza sauce, sprinkled them with mozzarella cheese and bacon bits and layered a few pieces of pepperoni followed by just a little bit more cheese.  Then I pulled corners together and pinched them close, sprinkling a little of mozzarella on top of each pocket.  I baked them on pizza stones until they were golden and bubbly.

Beginning Pizza Pockets

Pinching the corners

Ready for the oven

Fresh from the wood cookstove

I sent a laughing, giggling truck-full of kids to a skating party with a basket filled to the brim with pizza pockets, German Chocolate cookies and bottles full of water - a veritable rolling dinner party.  The children came home late, sporting head-to-toe bruises and regaled us with exuberantly delivered stories of their skating adventures.  Their dinner on-the-go had been a huge success and they appreciated not having to spend their hard-earned money on not-so-great fast food.

As winter continues to grip us in its cold embrace, Sir Knight and I have begun to look forward to the warming ritual of afternoon tea with even more anticipation than usual.  Yesterday, in celebration of Monday Tea (I just made that up!) I made a little something to accompany our tea and was rewarded with a heavenly aroma wafting from the wood cookstove, filling our Shouse with sweet, spicy goodness.  Pumpkin Maple muffins are the perfect combination of winter flavors and only enhanced when accompanied by a good, stout cup of English Breakfast tea (yes, even in the afternoon!).  Generally, I would bake these in a standard muffin tin, however, Maid Elizabeth brought home a commercial "muffin top" pan for me years ago and I thought it would work perfectly for these soft, flavorful, sweet breads.  The muffins are made with mostly whole wheat flour but still rise high and soft, with no graininess of texture.  You can make them with or without the glaze, whatever your preference.  I think they would last for days and remain moist (the pumpkin), however, they never last past tea here!

Pumpkin Maple Muffins
2 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 C all purpose flour (can use all whole wheat)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C sugar
2 C pumpkin puree (or any other squash)
1/2 C olive oil (or any other oil)
1/4 C maple syrup (real or corn syrup based)
3 T milk
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°

Combine the sugar, pumpkin, olive oil, maple syrup, milk and egg.  Beat to combine.  Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Stir just to combine.

Fill greased muffin tins almost to the top and bake for 20 minutes or until tops are puffy and spring back when you touch them.  Turn out of pan and cool before glazing.

Maple Glaze
2 T butter
1 1/4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T maple syrup (real or corn syrup based)
1 - 2 T hot water

Melt the butter in saucepan.   Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Stir in the maple syrup.  Mixture will be thick and sticky.  Add water and beat until spreading/pouring consistency.  Spread/pour over muffin tops.

Pumpkin Maple Muffins in Muffin Top pan

Light and Fluffy (and whole wheat!)

Cooling with Maple Glaze

If you haven't had the pleasure of baking with wood - it's never too late!  It is simple and complicated all at once and entirely satisfying.  It truly is an experience not to miss.

Chimney Fire!

Cherry Red stove pipe

It has been roughly 5 months since we began consistently burning wood for the season.  Generally speaking, we burn hot fires almost constantly, except when we shut the stove down for the night.  Because of that, we rarely have a problem with creosote building up in our stove pipe.  Occasionally, when we have a really hot fire, we hear the tell-tale sound of a freight train coming from our cookstove and immediately shut all of the dampers, tap the stove pipe (freeing loose creosote) and give the fire a chance to settle down.  Taking care of the problem quickly has always kept us from having a chimney fire emergency.

Chimney fires are a real danger.  We have known a number of people who have lost or nearly lost their homes to chimney fires.  Because of the threat of fire, we have taught our children what to do in the event of a chimney fire.  It is a little trick that Sir Knight learned years ago, when he worked at a fire station in Issaquah, Washington, but it has proven to be incredibly effective.

When our chimney is on fire and the dampers have done little to starve the fire of oxygen, we quickly submerge a large pile of newspapers (we keep them on hand in the kitchen to use as firestarter) in a sink full of water.  Once the paper is thoroughly soaked, we open the stove, dump the papers in the firebox, closing the lid and all of the stove dampers.  As the paper hits the burning coals, a large amount of steam rises from the wet papers.  The steam puts out the fire in the stovepipe almost immediately.

A wad of wet newspaper in the firebox

Just last night we put this fire suppression method into practice.  We have been burning with the stove shut down due to unusually warm weather.  Last evening, the wind whipped up and the fire began to draw, catching the built up creosote in the stovepipe on fire.  Soon, the stovepipe was cherry red and the stove was roaring.  Closing the dampers had little effect (the wind was driving the fire) so we immediately soaked newspapers.  Within seconds of dumping the soggy papers in the stove, the chimney fire was squelched.

Fire is a very real risk when you heat with wood.  By having a pile of newspaper in your kitchen, you will always be prepared to take care of a chimney fire quickly and effectively.  Tell your neighbors and teach your children.  Don't let a chimney fire ruin your night.

***NOTE:  Remember, there are times when wet newspaper won't be enough to put out your fire.  Don't hesitate to call the fire department!  They are there if you need them!

Off-Grid Ingenuity - Fire Bricks

As most of you know, I adore my Pioneer Maid wood cookstove.  I have cooked on it and we have used it to heat our home for over 15 years.  It has an enormous firebox and oven and with the addition of the water reservoir, the stovetop is gigantic.

Our stove is very utilitarian and quite easy to maintain.  It does not have a lot of bells and whistles (it is, after all, a wood cookstove) - its strength is its simplicity.  The one complaint we have had with this stove is the requirement for custom firebricks.  Rather than building the firebox around standard firebricks, the Amish built the stove and then fashioned firebricks to fit.  The bricks are unique sizes and interlock with each other so as to form a "solid" firebrick wall.  Although easy to install, they are very expensive (as firebricks go) and require shipment from Ohio, adding to their cost.

In the 15 years we have used our stove, we have replaced the firebricks 4 times.  We order them from Lehman's Hardware at a cost of about $160.00 with an additional $60.00 shipping.  Due to the high cost, we often limp along with broken firebricks until spring, when we can order a new set.

Because of the way the firebricks sit in the firebox, they are easy broken during the normal course of loading the stove with wood.  Our firebox can only be loaded from the top of the stove and the wood clunks down on the top of the bricks, cracking and breaking them.  Ouch!

After studying the problem, Sir Knight came up with a possible solution to our firebrick dilemma.  Knowing that our bricks break when wood slams into them (on the top of the bricks), Sir Knight welded a couple of pieces angle iron together, snaked them through the top of the stove and set them on top of the firebricks to protect them from flying firewood!  Ingenious!

Angle Iron "Firebrick Guard" on top of the firebricks

The angle iron will burn out eventually and Sir Knight will have to make another "firebrick guard", but that is simple enough.  Hopefully, this little invention will keep our firebricks from breaking and crumbling and save us from having to replace our bricks so often.

Don't you just love "off-grid ingenuity"?

The Comfort of Winter Dinners

As the air chills and the fires crackle, I love nothing more than settling in to our wonderful winter menu.  Beef roasts, roast chickens and hams send their heavenly scent throughout our little shouse and minister not only to our bodies but also to our souls.  Mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh rolls and any number of vegetables round out our simple feasts.  Oh, there is nothing to compare with a meal prepared by loving hands for the delight of a waiting family!

One of our favorite winter meals consists of pork chops, mashed potatoes, gravy and biscuits (and a veg on the side, for good measure).  When I was a girl, my mother always served pork chops baked atop escalloped potatoes.  They were delicious and creamy - rarely were any left over to enjoy later.  For the first couple of years of marriage, I served pork chops just like my mother, however, my husband, not being fond of escalloped potatoes, wasn't particularly enamored with this meal.  And so, for our family, pork chops became a thing of the past.

One day, as I was frugally shopping for our monthly groceries, I noticed that pork chops were on sale and thought that just one more pork chop dinner could be in our future.  Remembering my Aunt Anita's method of cooking pork chops, I thought I would give it a try.  She dredged her pork chops in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and quickly browned them in a bit of butter.  After browning both sides, she poured water over the chops, covered the frying pan with a lid and simmered the whole lot for about 3 hours.  She added water from time to time and by the time the pork chops were done, there was a thick, flavorful broth just waiting to be turned into gravy.

Flour-dredged pork chops with sliced onions

Water added

Simmering away

The savory makings of gravy

Princess Dragon Snack mixing roux

Adding roux to the broth

Adding milk to thin gravy

Rich, savory gravy

I tried out my newly remembered recipe, adding a sliced onion to the pork chops and water and oh, my goodness - what a feast!  After the chops were done, I removed them to a serving platter, mixed a roux (water and flour, mixed into a thick soup), poured it into the liquid left in the pan and heated it to make a flavorful, thick gravy.  Mashed potatoes, corn and biscuits filled out the meal.  To say that Sir Knight approved is putting it lightly.  Pork chops once again graced our winter menu!

Pork chops and wood cookstoves are a match made in heaven.  Your cast iron skillet (with lid) and your wood cookstove work in concert to create the perfect "slow cooker".  Your pork chop dinner will bubble away on the cookstove as you go about your day and culminate in a perfect winter feast.

Off-Grid Ingenuity - Toast on the Wood Cookstove

O.K., I'll admit it.  I'm a little slow.  For the past 15 years, I have been making toast in my wood cookstove oven.  Well, it can't really be classified as toast - more like razor sharp slabs of bread - but I call it toast, nonetheless.

The thing with wood cookstove toast is that by the time it is nicely browned, it is dried out, hard and brittle.  Eating wood cookstove toast is an explosive experience.  By an explosive experience, I mean that when you take a bite, your toast explodes into a million microscopic crumbs.  Due to the fact that I am an unapologetic toast lover, I overlooked the wood cookstove's toast deficit and assumed that I would eat dry, hard toast for the rest of my days.

And then I had a rather illuminating conversation with my mother.  We were waxing eloquent about the charms of our cookstoves and how pleased we were that the weather had turned, allowing us to fire off our beloved stoves.  We talked about all of the things we missed about our wood cookstoves during the hot summer months - things like putting food in the warming oven while we finished cooking so that everything was delivered to the table hot and always having warm plates (out of the warming oven) with which to set the table.  And then my mom said something that caught my attention - she said she missed browning hamburger buns on the top of the cookstove.  She opined that there was nothing as perfect as a bun, buttered and placed on a piece of aluminum foil to brown to perfection on her wood cookstove surface.

Really?  She has been toasting hamburger buns to perfection on the top of her stove for all these years while I have been eating toast that is roughly the same consistency as croutons?  Oh, the inhumanities!

Of course I had to put my new found knowledge to the test immediately!  I placed a piece of tinfoil (I assume you could use a thin cookie sheet also) over the medium/high setting (almost over the wood box) on my cookstove, placed three slices of bread on the foil and let the stove do its magic.  Almost immediately the toast began to brown.  I moved it around a bit (to make sure the bread was evenly browned) and turned it over a couple of times.  It only took a few minutes (rather than the 15 minutes, at least, that it takes in a hot oven) and, oh, my goodness, it was wonderful!  No more hard, dry, crumbly toast for me!  Now I can enjoy perfectly browned, yet tender, toast every morning with my tea, all because of my mothers Off-Grid Ingenuity!

Slices of bread placed on tinfoil over the wood box

Browning nicely!

The Good Life

We definitely do - live the good life, that is.  Although at first glance, the good life may appear diametrically opposed to the life of a prepper, but nothing could be further from the truth.  The assumption is that preppers spend their time thinking only of the worst case scenario, planning for that allusive thing known as TEOTWAWKI, but the reality is that in our pursuit of preparedness, simplicity and self-reliance, we are actually living life to the fullest.  We learn, we create, we experiment - we think.  In our attempts to master the world around us, we truly become modern day "renaissance men".

As the Mistress of my home, I take great pride in serving my family.  I love nothing more than creating a home that calls to the very soul of the people that I love.  We thrive on good fun, good conversation and good food.  We daily live the good life.

And so, as we live the good life, we have learned a few things.  One essential thing we have learned is the secret to PERFECT wood cookstove pizza!  When I began cooking and baking on my wood cookstove, it was a comedy of errors.  If the bread was baked to perfection on top, the bottom was raw.  If the bottom was done, the top was doughy.  The heat was too high or the heat was too low.  The cookies would look perfect, but because the temperature was too low to bake properly, they were roughly the consistency of rocks.  Oh, the learning curve!

Trial and error (and much perseverance) paid off, and my baking became acceptable and then even wonderful.  Bread, biscuits and cakes came out looking impeccable - now I could really bake.  And then I tried pizza.

You have to understand - pizza is an institution in our home.  EVERY Friday evening is "pizza and a movie" night.  We have EVERYTHING we need for pizza stored in our long term storage.  Wheat for the crust, olive oil, garlic and pizza sauce are all on our shelves.  I have canned mozzarella cheese, Italian sausage, pepperoni and mushrooms.  Dried onions and green pepper are at the ready.  So you see, I HAVE to be able to bake these beauties to perfection.

Dutifully, I slid a freshly prepared pizza into our wood cookstove oven.  I put it on the bottom rack so that the bottom would bake properly while the cheese melted into the top.  The oven was hot (about 450°) and the pizza browned right up.  After about 25 minutes, the pizza looked perfect.  It was nicely browned on top with melted cheese just beginning to brown.  Knowing that because I baked the pizza on the floor of the oven the bottom would be done, I slid the pizza onto a cutting board and slid the pizza cutter through the hot crust.  After everyone had dished up, we bit into our first bite of honest-to-goodness wood cookstove pizza, and almost had to spit it out.  It was raw.  I mean, absolutely raw.  I couldn't believe it.  I had baked it for plenty of time, in an oven that was certainly hot enough, and my pizza was raw in the middle.  Frustrated, I put the pizza back onto the pizza stone and put it into the gas range to finish baking.

Baking the pizza on the TOP of the stove

In the oven

A browned bottom crust!!!

TEOTWAWKI pizza!

What to do!  I thought and thought and thought and then it hit me.  Cast iron (every wood cookstove cook's best friend) on the surface of the cookstove FIRST, followed with baking in the oven to brown the crust and melt the cheese.  I brought out or large cast iron skillet (16") and rolled pizza dough into it.  After the dough was ready, I poured some extra virgin olive oil on, spread with garlic and added pizza sauce.  Next came the mozzarella, pepperoni and bacon bits.  Full of hope and expectation, I put the skillet on the stove-top (near the firebox but not directly over it) and let the pizza bake.  I allowed the pizza to bake for about 15 minutes, moving the skillet slightly farther from the firebox as the pizza began to bake.  After baking on the stovetop, I slid the skillet into the oven (on the lowest rack) and let the pizza bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Perfection!  Really, it was wonderful!

Looking at the nicely browned bottom of the crust, I knew that Friday night "pizza and a movie" would not have to end in the case of TEOTWAWKI, but only become more precious.

Tea and Crumpets

I have to admit - I don't think there is a better place in the world than my kitchen at tea time.  The kettle boils merrily on the cookstove, sweet aromas fill the air.  Children bustle about, excitedly telling their father about the adventures of the day.  Sir Knight kicks back in his rocking chair, presiding over the whole affair like a king holding court in his throne room.  As humble as our little kitchen is, the potentates of the world don't reside in such splendor.  No matter what the day holds, our kitchen always calls to us, encouraging us to rest in its warm embrace.

In the winter, when the stove is bubbling along, I like to make crumpets to accompany our afternoon tea.  Crumpets are quite unlike English muffins, in that they are soft, almost chewy.  They have a pungent, yeasty flavor that is only enhanced by butter and jam.  They are divine warm, just off the griddle, but are equally wonderful toasted or warmed in the oven.  It is worth making a double batch, as they freeze well (however, ours never stick around long enough to freeze).

Although there are a few more step in making crumpets than there are in typical yeast breads, they are  not difficult.  Crumpets are not split, like English  muffins, rather they are buttered on the top (there are lots of little holes, allowing the butter to soak into the middle).  In France, they call them "Les Eponges" or "Little Sponges" because of the way they absorb copious amounts of rich butter.
Crumpets

3 C flour
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 T yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 1/4 C water (lukewarm)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C milk (lukewarm)

Sift together the flour and cream of tartar in a large bowl.  Mix yeast, sugar and lukewarm (110°) water in a smaller bowl and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

Mix the yeast mixture into the flour to make a very thick, but smooth batter, beating with a spoon for 2 minutes.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot until the batter is doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Add the salt and beat the batter for about 1  minute.  Cover the bowl and let stand in a warm spot  until the batter increases in volume by about one-half, 15 to 20 minutes.

Dissolve the baking soda in the lukewarm (110°) milk.  Then gently stir it into the batter.  The batter should not be too stiff or your crumpets will be "blind" - without holes - so it is best to test one before cooking the whole batch.

Heat an ungreased, very clean griddle or frying pan over moderately low heat for about 3 minutes until moderately hot; your palm will feel warm when held 1 1/2 inches above the griddle for about 30 seconds.  Put a well-buttered crumpet ring on the griddle and heat for 15 seconds.   Spoon or pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the ring.  The amount of batter will depend on the size of your crumpet ring.

As soon as the batter is poured into the ring, it should begin to form bubbles.  If bubbles do not form, add a little more lukewarm water (from the tap is fine), a tablespoon at a time, to the batter in the bowl and try again.  If the batter it too thin and runs out under the ring, gently work in a little more flour and try again.  As soon as the top surface is set and covered with bubbles, 7 to 8 minutes, the crumpet is ready to flip over.  Cook the second, holey side of the crumpet for 2 to 3 minutes, or until pale golden.

Butter the crumpet rings well after each use.

Water, sugar and yeast "sponging"

Pouring the yeast mixture into the flour mixture

Beating the batter

Covered with plastic wrap

Doubled in size

Stirring the baking soda into the milk

Mixing the soda/milk mixture into the batter

A buttered crumpet ring on an ungreased griddle

Full crumpet rings

See all the holes forming?

I use tongs to remove the rings before I flip the crumpets

Crumpets, fresh from the griddle

All dressed up for tea time

Welcome 2012 - New Year Day Brunch

During the week, I rarely make a "real" breakfast.  Generally we get by with toast, hot cereal or hard boiled eggs - just enough to get us going in the morning.  Weekends are a different story.  Sir Knight is home, we are all together and we love starting our day around the table with good food, hot tea and great conversation.

Most often, Saturday breakfasts consist of a real "farmers" breakfast.  Eggs, bacon/sausage, hash browns and toast are the norm (served with Tabasco sauce, of course), although breakfast burritos or sausage gravy and biscuits are equally welcome.  Sunday, being our day of rest, I usually like to make something that requires a little less effort.  Crepes, Amish Baked Oatmeal and German Pancakes are all simple, delicious and perfectly fill the bill for a laid-back Sunday brunch.

I have made German Pancakes for years, but I have to admit, they really are better when baked in a wood cookstove.  Somehow, the butter baking on top of the pancake becomes crunchy and, well, incredible.  German Pancakes are full of eggs, so their consistency differs greatly from a "griddle cake".  They are spongy, almost custard like, with a rich flavor that is enhanced by their copious amounts of butter.  This is the perfect recipe to use up all of that extra butter (from your cow) and those eggs (from your chickens).

German Pancake
(8 inch skillet)                                                     (16 inch skillet)
1/4 C butter                                                          3/4 C butter
1 C milk                                                                3 C milk
4 eggs                                                                  12 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract                                           1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C flour                                                               3 C flour
2 T sugar                                                              6 T sugar

Place butter in your cast iron skillet, place skillet in a 425° oven (or 350° (a hot oven) if using your wood cookstove) for 2 minutes or until butter melts and pan is very hot.  Combine milk, eggs and vanilla in bowl.  Beat until combines.  Stir in flour and sugar.  Beat with egg beater (or mixer) until smooth.  Pour the batter into your hot pan.  Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until puffed and brown on top.  Serve with berries or butter and syrup. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Melting the butter in the skillet

The milk and eggs

An old-fashioned egg beater works wonders!

Adding the flour and sugar

Beating the flour and sugar into the milk, eggs & vanilla

Pouring the batter into the hot, butter enveloped skillet

Can you see the butter slick  on top?

Make sure your fire is nice and hot!

As it cooks, the pancake begins to climb the side of the pan
(it climbs higher where it is closer to the firebox)

It gets higher
(remember to rotate, if you are baking in a wood cookstove)

And higher....

Until, Viola! A pancake, light and fluffy!

Butter pools at one end, and all of the brown area are mmmm, caramelized butter!

The pancake does deflate as it cools - that is perfectly normal

That's all there is to it!  This is a family favorite, and the perfect way to herald the new year.  Sir Knight says that if the Mayans had had these pancakes, they wouldn't have stopped their calendar at 2012!

As we usher in this new year, let us be ever diligent, ever faithful - wise stewards of what God has blessed us with.  Happy New Year.