Baking bread in iron stove

Made bread today, from rye and spelt. With a little syrup and oil. Baked it in our iron stove, which I do not often use for baking. Makes bread a little extra delicious, though. Can't explain how or why it is more delicious, it is a rather subtle difference in taste and/or texture.

It is a little awkward, since I have to turn the baking tray once, since the heat is stronger on one side, because there's where the fireplace is. It is fast too, so it requires more supervision than baking in an electric stove. Saves energy and money, since the iron stove is only used when weather is cool.

My farmer grandparents had a old style big oven built into the chimney. Heat up thouroughly, rake out the coals and clean a bit, put many loaves in to bake simultaneously. When they were ready and taken out, heat was a bit lower and perfect for cakes and cookies. Large scale baking, like a mini bakery. In Western Sweden, the small one-bread oven was more common. "Serial" baking. Like I did today, but was just two trays, so just a small amount.

A kitchen iron stove is imho probably the best piece of "furniture" there is 🙂

We have a modern made one, Smålandspisen, but there are also old renovated ones to be found. They often have very nice decorations. In Sweden, the classic model is half height, placed on a foundation made of bricks. Modern ones are often with legs for placement in any room of the house. As for me, I really associate it with kitchen 🙂

 

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