Yeast Bread

[Delmonico]

Bread in a Dutch Oven


Biscuits leavened with baking powder is probably the most common camp bread folks make in a dutch oven. This has a couple advantages over a yeast leavened bread, it's quicker, it's easier especially in cold weather, baking powder works as well in the cold as it does in the warm.

There is something though about yeast bread that is hard to beat, the smell of the bread when it's done is considered one of the top favorite smells time after time in surveys, on a calm day you can smell it 25-30 yards away.

So I will do another of my how to's with pictures on how to make yeast bread in a dutch oven.  If you have a sharp eye for pictures you will notice that the pictures are not all from the same day, there is often not time to get all the pictures from start to finish the same day.

This recipe will make one large loaf in a 12" deep or rolls in a 14" shallow or one can use a couple of 10" or 12" shallows.   It will also make two loafs in bread pans or rolls in a 15" skillet.

Some will wonder why the yeast varies so much, that is simple, if you want to slow the raising process then use the least amount recommended, speeding it up, use the most.   

I use lard, one can use vegetable shortening, margarine or butter if desired, just use 3 tablespoons.

Baking time will vary depending on the heat you use, 350F-425F is the where you want to be, also time will vary between the dinner rolls and the large loaf.  The bread will pull away from the edge of the pan and have a hollow sound when thumped. A meat thermometer inserted in the center will read 195F.
   

Basic white bread

2 ½ cups warm water
2-6 teaspoons yeast or 1-3 packages yeast (1 package of yeast is 2 ¼ teaspoon)
2 tablespoons sugar or honey (brown sugar is fine)
1 teaspoons salt (optional)
2 tablespoons lard
7-9 cups all purpose flour



Mix the yeast into the liquid along with the sugar and salt as well as about 1/3rd of the flour.  Cover and allow to get bubbly and turn into a sponge.  Mix in enough of the rest the flour to make a stiff dough and knead well, developing the gluten till the dough is smooth.  The amount of flour needed will vary with the humidity.

When the well kneaded dough has doubled in size is needs punched down and formed into loaves or rolls.

Let rise till doubled and bake 25 -45 minutes in a moderate to hot oven (350-425F).


The two picture of the coals will give you a good guide as to how many coals to use.  If the oven seems to be running you can remove it from the bottom coals, I set my ovens up on the bottom coals to remove it about a 1/4th of the way through and finish it with just the top coals, it takes less attention to it since I often have at least another 1/2 dozen running.

The last picture is some I made with some extra dough one time when we were cooking for a group. I put the extra in a 10" shallow and did an egg wash on top to show a friend how to be fancy.

[dusty texian]

Thank you Del, for taking the time to teach bread making . I have been reading through lot's of your cooking thread's , and learn something from each one . It's a lucky man that get's to share a camp with a cook with your skill's . I can smell that bread from here .,,,DT

[Delmonico]

Would be stupid if I didn't pass the knowledge on.