Baking bread in Airstream oven?

[FishByFly]

How about baking bread in the convection/microwave? Add a pizza stone? I can hear the eyes rolling but I’m serious. There are folks who use an electric oven at their sticks and bricks.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by COHEK

Hi Bob, what kind of oven do you have?

Hi

It's just the stock Dometic that Airstream puts in the Classics. There is nothing fancy about it. it's a very normal RV oven. I would not in any way consider it to be an "upgrade" sort of item (if there even is such a thing). The main point is that with some care, it's plenty good enough to cook bread.

Trailer is in storage right now so no easy way to go read the model number off the name plate ... sorry about that ...

Bob

[Eagleuh1]

My 68 AS Ambassador International original oven bakes bread just fine. I use an oven thermometer to adjust temp.

[BillTex]

We use the oven in our AS and TC all the time. Having a large heat sink in the oven tends to stabilize the heat and make small RV ovens much more...predictable?

We use a flat cast iron skillet, some folks use a pizza stone.
I tried a pizza stone, it worked fine, but it cracked during travel.

We have found just baking something in the oven is often enough to heat up the whole camper, which saves on battery power. We are usually boondocking so this is a concern for us. And leads to yummy baked goods!

Safe travels,

Bill

[forestgirl]

Hi there, I had a 22’ Sport with the microwave convection and after some research, decided to make bread in the AS. We wanted to upgrade to a 30’ and I wasn’t sure to get the oven or stick with the convection. I’m so glad I stuck with the convection! It makes a perfect loaf of bread, sourdough or other. I use a Pyrex French white round dish (that was recommended by a bread baker) instead of the cast iron Le Creuset I normally use. I proofed the dough in the banneton with parchment paper and then plopped it in the Pyrex dish. Each loaf is slightly different but normally I bake it at 425° ( the highest temp the oven goes) for about a half hour, take the glass top off and bake it for ten minutes more. That convection oven does a great job. You will have to experiment a bit but you absolutely can bake bread in an Airstream!

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by forestgirl

. . .
. . . you absolutely can bake bread in an Airstream!

If you have shore power for your convection oven . . . [or significant generator/solar/lithium battery capacity].

One of the great things about an old-fashioned gas oven is that it requires NO electricity to bake bread, all the while warming the trailer nicely and quietly in cold weather.

The following earlier thread goes into more detail about the joys of using the gas oven: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f48...ven-28619.html

Originally Posted by BillTex

. . .
We have found just baking something in the oven is often enough to heat up the whole camper, which saves on battery power. We are usually boondocking so this is a concern for us. And leads to yummy baked goods!
. . .

Bingo!

[NancyLKerr]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

You failed to mention what year your Airstream is, or the brand of your current oven. Generally with a 3 burner stove, the front burner has high BTU's and the other two are fine for simmering stuff. Some propane ovens do a decent job.and others are dreck. Ovens are generally not well insulated, and the doors do not seal well. Food in the back burns, in the front they barely get done. A pizza stone will even much of those problems out as will reinstalling the oven with extra high temp insulation around the sides and in the door.

You might want to consider one or two add on appliances for cooking... just remember space and weight add up, so the more general use stuff can be better than a one function gizmo like a bread maker or a pasta machine. Find and read the thread on Cast Iron Cooking. A good Dutch Oven works for biscuits, monkey bread, oat bread, sourdough, pies and cakes (adding a trivet), meatloaf, venison chili, mutton stew (garlic required in copious amounts), soups, etc. Start with a 12 inch Lodge dutch and coals on the ground... add on to your heart's content. Bacon...yum and no grease or smell inside. A big skillet of trout.... drool.

Darn it, there goes the diet!

Can you tell me how to find the thread on Cast Iron Cooking? Thanks.

[MotoMannequin]

This is a great thread since I've recently got the bug to dump our convection microwave, which we've never used in two years, for a gas oven.


From someone who's baked a lot of pizza in all manner of devices, for pizza stones I go for ceramic kiln supplies because they tend to be cheaper and/or beefier and more durable than consumer pizza stones. Cordierite is the material you want: https://www.axner.com/cordierite-kiln-shelves.aspx

[patriciaphal]

I do not have an Airstream but in my camper, we use a pottery casserole dish (Pampered Chef) in the oven to regulate heat. I have baked biscuits and quick breads in it with no problem but I keep it in there for what ever I bake to make the temperatures more even.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by NancyLKerr

Can you tell me how to find the thread on Cast Iron Cooking? Thanks.

Welcome to the forum!

FYI Post #2 here:

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Welcome to the forum. As Paula just mentioned, knowing more about your setup would help gather better advice IMO.

You might want to peruse the following threads/forums for more info.

The best "Pro-ovens" thread IMO: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f48...ven-28619.html
Stella's Kitchen forum: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f484/

Maggie's thread has lots of good baking advice [albeit for a home oven]: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f16...ii-133171.html

If you can bake bread at home, you can bake it in a smaller gas oven in the Airstream IMO. We have the OEM gas oven in our FC20, and had one in the 25' back in the 90's.

Cast Iron Cooking: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f48...ing-64047.html
Dutch Ovens: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f48...ing-40090.html
. . .

Here is a good overview of all the forums:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/

Stella's Kitchen has lots of good cooking stuff:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f484/

[blkmagikca]

COHEK: You most likely have the Magic Chef range, which is what I have in my 1987 Excella. This 4-burner range is IMO far better than the new crop of Dometic/Atwood products. In fact, when the oven door glass shattered on my original oven, I replacd the range with a new Airexcel (Suburban) range which was a total POS. I located a Magic Chef range and swapped it in place. I had looked into the Furrion range, but it's quite pricey.

[seanslatt]

We have the standard Dometic 3-burner stove and oven. We bake all the time - bread, pizzas, cinnamon rolls, cookies, etc. You'll just need to figure out the nuances of your unit e.g. hot spots and actual heat levels with respect to the knob. You'll also want to find suitable Airstream-sized pans and trays that work for your recipes.

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by seanslatt

You'll just need to figure out the nuances of your unit e.g. hot spots and actual heat levels with respect to the knob.

This is where the heat sink (cast iron/pizza stone) comes in...try it.

[PatLee]

patriciaphal - could you take a photo of the Pottery Chef casserole dish you use or provide a description of it i.e. is it round? If round, what is diameter? How deep is it? I think I might have that very dish in my kitchen cupboard. It would be nice to re-purpose it for the Airstream as it never gets used at home. Thanks so much.

[patriciaphal]

I do not have the dish here - our trailer is in storage - but it is at least 12 inches across and 2 inches deep. I rarely used it at home which is why I put it in the trailer.

[PatLee]

patriciaphal - thank you! I assume the dish is round? Like you, I'd like to use a dish from home (that I don't use) versus buying yet another. I have two Pampered Chef dishes, see 4 photos below. Does the one you use look like either one? They are both about 11"-12" round. One is 1.5" depth, the other is 2". Take care.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Finding just the right dish is a wonderful reason to stop at all sorts of out of the way little pottery places as you travel around in your AS .... I have empirical data on this ...

Covered / uncovered is one thing to investigate. Covered is a process closer to Vienna Bread (= steam ). Diameter and height also do make a difference.

Bob

[patriciaphal]

The one I use is like the first one in your pictures but either one would work.

[perri]

Originally Posted by karenjude

I’ve cooked bread in my oven ( no knead) and I regularly cook bagels in it. I think I might have made baguettes in it once too. A few minor adjustments on time and careful watching is all I’ve needed. This is our second oven in this trailer and both worked fine. Not like a home oven but gets the job done. This is the gas oven, not the electric convection oven.

Same experience here. We’ve used the magic chef propane range that came with our 1970, and the only true limitation proved to be pan size. Time passed and we now have smaller pans that work well. We use cast iron skillets for roasting in the oven. Have baked scratch bread, cakes, pies, brownies. And cornbread in the cast iron, of course. The broiler also did a nice job.

We have never used the newer ranges, can’t speak to new models. With the current coach we are cobbling together a 4-burner range. In our 86 we have 4 burners but the hardware feels cheaper, more metal stamping. Hence the improvisation. If you aren’t happy with your new range, I suggest finding an older Magic Chef, we are happy with them. They are all-propane and many operate w non-electronic starts. Ours was all-silver, so, while definitely vintage, wouldn’t clash w a new interior.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally Posted by Piggy Bank

We bake in our gas oven a lot in the airstream.

One tip is to get a smaller sized pizza stone and put in the oven. This diffuses the heat from the single row burner and results in a more even temperature throughout the oven.

I would also recommend for baking to get good quality heavyweight pans. (I like the Nordic brand, or cast iron.) For cooking we use disposable foil catering pans for things like chicken, salmon, or pasta.

This is exactly what we do.