How To Recycle- And Bake In- A Wood-Burning Cookstove

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When you have a good flame going and the stove has heated up some, close the flue that forces hot air to the oven. Keep in mind that-before you take this step-the cookstove must be hot enough to draw the heat above, around and below the baking compartment. Otherwise it will smoke.

A cookstove usually has a dial on the oven door which registers the internal temperature as "slow" (200° to 325°), "moderate" (325° to 400°) and "hot" (400° on up). Some really early all-cast-iron models, however, have no gauges at all. Old cookbooks used to give such helpful directions as, "The oven is hot enough for bread when you can just hold your elbow in for a count of ten." Great-Grandma was accustomed to that sort of thing, but it's probably not much use to you. If you're fortunate enough to own one of those very old and very beautiful ranges, though, you can easily solve the problem by purchasing an oven thermometer.

For biscuits you need a hot oven, say three-quarters of the way between "moderate" and "hot" on the dial. Make sure the indicator is at least at "moderate" and is climbing before you start mixing your dough. As you work, check the firebox occasionally to see if it needs more wood. If you let the fire go too long and it's burning a little low, add more fuel and reopen the firebox grate until you have a good blaze. In case the oven has overheated, open the flue to let heat out the chimney. In a real emergency you can open the oven door too.

I began my baking efforts with biscuits, pie and bread. Only after I felt I had some working knowledge of my stove did I attempt a cake. Then I chose an easy recipe . . . a heavy, moist spice cake that doesn't require delicate temperature control. It's also inexpensive to make, and well adapted to those early days on your homestead when you may lack milk and eggs. It works equally well with light or dark molasses or even sorghum. Here's the recipe:

SHOO-FLY CAKE

4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening

Mix the flour, sugar and salt, cut in the shortening and reserve 1 cup of the mixture for the topping.

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup molasses
2 cups hot water

Combine the above ingredients and add them to the remaining dry mixture. The batter will be very thin. Pour it into a 12" X 9" X 2" greased pan. Sprinkle the top with the 1 cup of reserved dry ingredients to which the following has been added:

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