Step One: Place dough into inverted dutch oven lid for its final rise.
Step Two: Let fireplace burn down to a nice bed of coals and rake coals over to one side.
Step Three: Put some water in the bottom of the dutch oven. Nestle into fireplace, near, but not on, the coals.
Step Four: Place the inverted lid full of dough onto the bottom part of the dutch oven. Congratulate yourself on your cleverness.
Step Five: Bake for about an hour, turning the dough periodically. Smile to yourself at how well it seems to be doing.
Step Six: Decide the bottom is still too doughy. Remove bottom of dutch oven; place lid directly on coals; bake 10 more minutes.
Step Seven: Remove brick of finished charcoal from the oven and allow to cool thoroughly before using as part of a terra preta experiment.
Lesson, learned yet again: fire is hot.
Fear not; I will try again…
Robyn M. said,
January 3, 2009 at 7:55 pm
*snort* No, no, I’m sure it tasted just fiiiiine…
It does look awesome in that first picture, though. Are you using the classic no-knead recipe, or some other one? I’ve been messing about with the perpetual bread recipe in Mother Earth News recently, with some success.
Heather said,
January 3, 2009 at 8:34 pm
The inside looks greeaaaatttt.
I have entertained the idea of cooking in my fireplace, but I’m pretty sure I’d burn something–perhaps even my house. When I was a little girl, we had a woodstove and we used to cook on it during weather crises.
Patrice Farmer said,
January 3, 2009 at 10:59 pm
People used to cook their foods in their fire places…hey why not.
Moms Kitchen said,
January 4, 2009 at 9:08 am
The trick to baking in a dutch oven is that you need some coals on the top, and some on the bottom. Try this recipe:
http://motherskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/05/camping-at-portage-lake-campground.html
I’ve got some other dutch oven recipes on my blog in the camping section, too. Good luck!
Chile said,
January 5, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Charcoal is supposed to be good for settling the stomach…