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General Angling Topics => DIY Forum => Topic started by: Ziggy on December 21, 2013, 06:16:06 PM

Title: making a bread oven for camping
Post by: Ziggy on December 21, 2013, 06:16:06 PM
I can’t eat factory made bread! As some of you know, I make  my own bread.
I am going camping in the Berg for 5 days the first week in Jan and the thought of  having to eat “factory” bread puts me into a severe depression!.
You can bake bread in a potjie – but, our group is about 25  people – and the potjie would not be able to make enough bread.
My wife thinks I am mad, but I have decided to make my own camping oven for baking enough  bread for our group. I took a walk around the house looking for the ideal oven components  and this is what I have come up with
It should be able to make at least three loaves at a time –  and we can also use it to roast chickens
Any opinions? Will this work? Will I be able to maintain the  heat at about 225c?
Title: Re: making a bread oven for camping
Post by: pieta on December 21, 2013, 08:37:21 PM
My uncle in George has the same thing. He just turned the lid up side down and cutted a litle door in the side. Use the lid to make his fire for braai. He add a few coals from the top inside the filter threu the door with his bread pan or sweet petato, onions on mielies and close the door. While doing the meat on top the bread is backing in the oven. Works very nice but kept the filter as is. Use it around the house.
Title: Re: making a bread oven for camping
Post by: dodger on December 23, 2013, 08:53:10 PM
You probably will have to insulate the stainless shell. The cast iron / aluminium pots have some thickness so they retain heat more  than a thin stainless shell, for camping it might pay to get a few more cast pots
Title: Re: making a bread oven for camping
Post by: Ziggy on December 23, 2013, 09:31:09 PM
You probably will have to insulate the stainless shell. The cast iron / aluminium pots have some thickness so they retain heat more  than a thin stainless shell, for camping it might pay to get a few more cast pots


To solve that issue - I thought of:
I need to keep the oven at about 200 degrees for 50 minutes to bake the bread
Title: Re: making a bread oven for camping
Post by: dodger on December 23, 2013, 09:46:56 PM
You probably will have to insulate the stainless shell. The cast iron / aluminium pots have some thickness so they retain heat more  than a thin stainless shell, for camping it might pay to get a few more cast pots


To solve that issue - I thought of:
  • Digging a hole that fits the oven (at least 2/3 buried) and using the soil from the hole, build it up to cover the sides as insulation to keep the heat in
  • Burrow out under the oven  - with a large hole in  front to feed the fire and a small hole at the back for ventilation of the fire - to keep a through flow of oxygen so that they fire does not die
  • Add a layer of Umgeni sand inside the oven at the bottom which will heat up and retain an even temperature.
  • Keep feeding the fire on the lid
  • I have a thermometer that I will use (one of those candy thermometers). Drill a hole in the side of the oven and put the probe in there. That way I can monitor the temp.
I need to keep the oven at about 200 degrees for 50 minutes to bake the bread

hopefully you are in a place that is not full of rocks and tree roots
Title: Re: making a bread oven for camping
Post by: Ziggy on December 23, 2013, 10:22:54 PM
You probably will have to insulate the stainless shell. The cast iron / aluminium pots have some thickness so they retain heat more  than a thin stainless shell, for camping it might pay to get a few more cast pots


To solve that issue - I thought of:
  • Digging a hole that fits the oven (at least 2/3 buried) and using the soil from the hole, build it up to cover the sides as insulation to keep the heat in
  • Burrow out under the oven  - with a large hole in  front to feed the fire and a small hole at the back for ventilation of the fire - to keep a through flow of oxygen so that they fire does not die
  • Add a layer of Umgeni sand inside the oven at the bottom which will heat up and retain an even temperature.
  • Keep feeding the fire on the lid
  • I have a thermometer that I will use (one of those candy thermometers). Drill a hole in the side of the oven and put the probe in there. That way I can monitor the temp.
I need to keep the oven at about 200 degrees for 50 minutes to bake the bread

hopefully you are in a place that is not full of rocks and tree roots


25-30 of us have our annual camping trip in the same place every year (for the past 20 years) - no stones and roots
Title: Re: making a bread oven for camping
Post by: AndriesH on December 24, 2013, 07:30:21 AM
Brilliant - two credits here.
I have a cut 19kg gas bottle that I want to use for a konka - but there is also an old skottel that I can use for a lid.
Eish, konka, bread oven and skottel, all in 1 - absolutely fabulous.  :+ cred:
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