OVENLESS BAKING

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by Therese Allemeier

Sometimes circumstance cuts folks off from one thing or another they once thought they couldn't live without and they get along pretty well anyhow. When you move from a city home to a country cabin, for instance, you quickly adjust to the new mode of life and learn to improvise when necessary. No more flick of the switch lights, so you convert to kerosene lamps. No more thermostatic heat, so you get out a saw and cut yourself some fuel to feed the wood heater. Instead of turning on the hot running water, you haul your supply from a nearby creek and heat it on a stove.

All right so far but how do you bake if there's no oven? Being cook around here, I faced that problem when we made our own move. At present our cabin has only a wood heater, and although I dream of a big, beautiful wood cook stove, complete with oven for now I have to do my best with what's available.

At first Roger and I just accepted the local store bread, full of preservatives, as our only alternative to doing without. It wasn't long, though, before we got an ache for some wholesome, homemade, fresh baked loaves. That's when I put a little brainpower to work and with the help of some old and new recipe books and a bit of experimentation came up with an assortment of breads, biscuits, cookies, and other baked goods I could make without an oven (or any tools or contraptions other than normal kitchen utensils).

If you're cooking on a wood heater (as I am), or over an open fireplace or campfire, you'll find that the following recipes offer a lot of good eating. Even those of you who are blessed with stoves may want to take advantage of ovenless methods now and then especially this time of year. Summer's well along by now, and on a warm day a hot oven can make the kitchen an awfully uncomfortable place. Why not leave conventional baking for a cooler spell and try some of my discoveries instead?

YEAST BREAD
The following creation is made like regular yeast dough, except that it takes very little kneading and is baked on a hot griddle on top of the stove. Instead of a loaf, you get flat, medium sized muffins that taste just like bread and when sliced in two can be toasted or used for sandwiches or spreads.

BREADLETS

1 1/4 cups milk
1 /2 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast
1 /4 cup lukewarm water
4 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons melted shortening or oil

Scald the milk with the salt and cool the mixture. Soak the yeast in the water (a little sugar or honey hastens its action) and combine the leavening with the milk. Add half the flour gradually, beating the batter with a wooden spoon until it's smooth. Thoroughly blend in the cooled shortening, add the remaining flour, and mix to get a soft dough.

Place the future bread in a greased bowl, brush the top of the mound with water, cover the container with a damp cloth, and leave the dough in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours: (if you set the dish near the stove or fire, rotate it occasionally to keep it evenly heated.)

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