Frypan “baking” on an induction hotplate (or Refleks diesel heater top or stove top)

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Here in Alaska sunrise is 0913 and sunset is 1613. We love it here.

It is similar in Scotland at the moment. We live at anchor, and rely almost exclusively on solar power, which is very limited at this time of year with the sun barely sweeping the horizon. And we love it here too .

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Im VERY interested in the pizza! Looks great! Recipe please? Your fry pan is the same as ours I think - 24cm? Technique tips for cooking please? Do you just put the pan on the fiddle and let it cook and then cover the top and steam melt the cheese?

My frypan is smaller - just 21 cm at its widest. The dough quantity would be fine for a slightly larger pan, it would just be a bit thinner and cooking time would be a bit shorter.
The following recipe may sound complex, but it is easy with a little practice. Having the dough and tomato mix premade makes it super easy to prepare.

PIZZA
Makes 2 large ones in the oven or 6 small in a 21 cm frypan on a 2000K Refleks.
The dough is the same as my basic bread dough.

Base:
Approx 450 ml slightly warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 (7g) sachet dry yeast
500g bread flour (high gluten)
1/2 tsp salt

Approx 1 tbl extra virgin olive oil for kneading and to coat the bowl

Tomato sauce for base:
200 g tube of tomato paste
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 flat tsp dry oregano
1 flat tsp dry thyme
1 flat tsp dry rosemary
(or 2 heaped teaspoons mixed herbs)
Approx 4 tbl water

Topping:
Anything you like. Don't put too much on, as the dough doesn’t rise well. Less is more . Avoid wet toppings such as sliced tomatoes.

Mix water, sugar and yeast and let stand until foaming (5 min). This is only to make sure the yeast is not a dud lot (saves disappointment later).
I don’t bother to sift the flour now, I just tip it in a mixing bowl, add the salt and yeast mixture and stir until a ball forms (add a little more water if necessary). It should be very slightly sticky at this stage.
Tip onto a lightly oiled surface, scrape in all excess flour until the bowl is fairly clean (saves washing it). Lightly oil hands and knead the dough 10 minutes (5 is a minimum for an excellent result, but even a couple of minutes is still adequate), folding the dough over in half in between each press. If you knead quickly, the surface does not have to be floured, so it saves a lot of mess.
Lightly oil the bowl and return the dough, cover and leave to rise until it has a least doubled in size. In 30°C degree weather this can be less than an hour. At 15°C it will be several hours. The timing is not critical. If I am in a hurry and it is cold I put a hot water bottle on top of the lid covering the dough (not underneath as it is too hot), and cover it in something to help retain the heat.

The tomato base is best pre made. Finely chop the garlic, herbs and little tomato paste together. Mix with the rest of the tomato paste and enough water to make it a good spreading consistency. I spoon this in a glass jar, cover with a little extra virgin olive oil, seal and refrigerate. This will keep for a few weeks. It can be used immediately, but improves after several days, as the flavours fully infuse the tomato and mellow.

When the dough has risen, lightly punch it down. Remove a 1/6 for immediate use and place the rest in a plastic bag and refrigerate until needed (it will keep for several days). Form a ball and flatten in your hands enough to fit the base of a lightly oiled frypan. There is no need to roll it.

Top with a teaspoon of the tomato mix, whatever cheese and topping you like, cover the frypan with a lid and leave to double in bulk. If using refrigerated dough, this will be several hours depending on the temperature. Again, timing is not critical.

If I am making two, I let the second lot rise on a round of baking paper that just fits the base of the frypan and leave it covered with an inverted pasta bowl. I later just slide the paper into the pan.

When ready to cook, have the Refleks on the lowest setting for a while beforehand (the hotplate takes time to cool if you have had it set higher). Place the covered frypan on top and leave for around 15 minutes for a crunchy bottom. Don’t open the lid during cooking as heat will escape.

Without any topping the bread takes about 12 minutes. It is scrumptious topped with just about anything while warm. I remove it from the fridge the evening before and let it rise overnight if I want to bake it for breakfast.

Enjoy .

SWL

PS I will write up the soup recipe tomorrow.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I've never used a dutch oven the way the sheepherders did, down in a pit, with the embers from the fire for the heat source to bake the bread. But, I've used one a lot, mostly for stews, but occasionally for Sheepherder's Bread. Dutch ovens have been around for a long, time. Wish I had one now. Gave mine away because I thought it would rust on a sailboat, but it turns out, they do fine. Heavy as all get out, though. Agree with A64, only cast iron will do.



Yes, they work fine, over a campfire (don't burn the bottom), or on a propane stove.



Ann

When we were getting ready I bought two sets of nesting pots and pans, one from a member and one at Worst Marine to save space etc.
we left most of our cast iron and all the good silver wear etc in storage.
But properly seasoned cast iron will not rust and nothing absorbs and heats more evenly than cast iron.

I was a little boy on a Boy Scout camp out, we were all around the fire with our little Boy Scout cooking kits that were a lot like the Army ones, thin stainless steel.
Well they didn’t heat up and therefore wouldn’t cook worth a darn, my Father brought out an old cast iron skillet, put an edge of it into the fire and cooked breakfast for all of us, the cast iron absorbed and distributed the heat and I guess the shiny stainless steel reflected it.

But you need to remember, cast iron is OLD cookware, it was the best thing back in the day when temp control and even heat just didn’t exist, everyone cooked either over a fire if you were poor or on a cast iron stove if you could afford one.
Now of course in a modern kitchen where temp control is accurate and instant materials that just wouldn’t work on a stove top are common place because they work well on a modern stove, but if your cooking a little primitive, I bet not much will beat old cast iron.

[LostBiker]

WOW! I didnt know what to expect, but that is some great instructions! Thank you! Enough for 6 small ones is perfect even when the Grand kids come over.

Time to hit the store for a few items.

Scotland! When I was stationed at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, we would go camping in Loch Lomond Trossachs National Park anytime we could get away (spelling from memory). Beautiful country and mighty fine beer!


Thanks again. We have enough time to go get a few things and get started.


Have a good evening!


John

[cj88]

Got used to Dutch or camp oven cooking when 4wding. Don't forget it would also be good for some nice warm Glühwein on your Refleks for those chilly evenings.

[LostBiker]

Now thats something I havent heard or seen for awhile. We would get Glühwein at the German Christmas Market years ago.

Red wine, cinnamon sticks, water, white sugar, an orange and cloves. Right? Boy that brings back good memories. Thanks cj!


John

[cj88]

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Now thats something I havent heard or seen for awhile. We would get Glühwein at the German Christmas Market years ago.

Red wine, cinnamon sticks, water, white sugar, an orange and cloves. Right? Boy that brings back good memories. Thanks cj!


John

I also use some Star Anise plus a dash of Brandy if you want an added kick.

You can also do it with white or rose wine but you need to change the ingredients to suit. So many variations but the classic is always good.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Time to hit the store for a few items.

The recipe is extremely uncritical regarding the exact quantity of water, kneading time and rising time, but the flour does need to be high gluten for a truly superb result.

I have sometimes bought high gluten flour in large quantities directly from a bakery or even from Amazon. Otherwise I use anything labelled “bread flour” from a supermarket. I pull out the scales and bag this up in 500g quantities and store it in Lock & Lock boxes that have an “O” ring seal. This stops (or contains) any insect infestation, unnecessary in this cold climate, but a good practice that started in Greece years ago and it does ensure the contents are dry even when the flour is stored in the lazarette. 8 bags fit into a 5.5 litre sized box. I add 8 yeast sachets and 8 paper sachets of sugar so it speeds up preparation (and I never find myself short of yeast then).

We prefer remote anchorages so access to shops is sometimes very limited and transporting stuff back to the boat can be difficult, so I generally store 16-20 kg of flour this way a couple of times a year when it is convenient.

SWL

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by cj88

Don't forget it would also be good for some nice warm Glühwein on your Refleks for those chilly evenings.

Reminds me of skiing trips, specifically après ski antics. Good memories .

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by LostBiker

I for one would appreciate recipes for anything thats not complicated - breads and pies are at the top of any list for us. Soups are good too. One or two pot meals are what we look for for everyday cooking.

Hi John
I tend to stick to uncomplicated meals as well. I almost never need to use more than one burner for a meal. We have no freezer on board, but I find that sealing soup or stews in glass jars while hot and refrigerating these (or in winter simply leaving the jars in the cockpit if there is no risk of them freezing) means I don’t need to cook much from scratch on a daily basis.

The soup recipe is one I posted here (scarily nearly six years ago - feels like yesterday!).

This combination has become a firm favourite and has stood the test of time essentially un-modified. Last week I used all sweet potato instead of carrot (unlike carrot it keeps for weeks so I usually have some on board).

Of course it is now made and reheated entirely on the Refleks .

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Soup season is in full swing here .
I usually don't follow any specific recipe, I just sauté a couple of onions, add about 1.5 kilos (3 lbs) of whatever veggies I have on hand, and some red lentils or pre-cooked beans or chickpeas for a good dose of protein and flavour it with herbs or spices as the mood strikes. It can be served as is or pureed and with warm homemade bread makes a meal in itself. The options are limitless.

Last night's combo was very yummy and worth making again. The curry flavour is very subtle. The coconut milk adds a creamy texture and combines beautifully with the ginger. A generous amount of buttery pine nuts goes well tossed on top.

CARROT AND GINGER SOUP

2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 kg carrots
2 medium sweet potatoes
800 g tin whole tomatoes
1 mug (8oz) red lentils, rinsed
1- 2 tsp curry powder
2 heaped tablespoons grated ginger (or 2 teaspoons dry)
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 stock cubes
3 mugs of water approximately
200 ml coconut milk

Pinenuts and herbs for topping

- Sauté onions
- Peel and chop carrots and sweet potato and add
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for the coconut milk, using enough water to fill a 3 litre pressure cooker to the max mark
- Bring to pressure, turn off and leave an hour
- Add coconut milk and a little extra water if too thick and puree with a stick mixer
- Bring back to the boil and simmer a few minutes
- Seal in 750 ml glass jars while simmering (it will keeps several days easily)
- Serve topped with pinenuts and fresh herbs if available.

[LostBiker]

Thanks again Seaworthy. We made some pizza dough in our bread machine using White Lily Bread flour and instant yeast as a test (we always test things). The dough came out good and is in the fridge till later today for pizza.



Heres the recipe for a nice buttermilk biscuit that we use all the time.

2C All purpose flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Sugar
6 Tablespoons Butter (we use Kerry Gold)
3/4 C Buttermilk

Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Cut in the butter
Add the Buttermilk and mix.
Roll out to 1/2" or 3/4 and use a biscuit cutter or cup to cut out.
Will make 6-8 biscuits.
Bake in 450* oven for 10 to 12 minutes till the tops are golden brown.
Remove and eat! Good hot or cold. This is our 2x per week biscuit.




We'll be trying the soup tomorrow - looks really good and we love sweet potatos! We need to go get the coconut milk.

Thanks again!

John

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Heres the recipe for a nice buttermilk biscuit that we use all the time.

2C All purpose flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Sugar
6 Tablespoons Butter (we use Kerry Gold)
3/4 C Buttermilk

Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Cut in the butter
Add the Buttermilk and mix.
Roll out to 1/2" or 3/4 and use a biscuit cutter or cup to cut out.
Will make 6-8 biscuits.
Bake in 450* oven for 10 to 12 minutes till the tops are golden brown.
Remove and eat! Good hot or cold. This is our 2x per week biscuit.

Many thanks for the recipe . I have never tried these, but I am a big fan of scones, which I think are similar. Do you cut the butter in simply with a knife leaving bigger bits of butter? For scones I rub it in with my fingertips until the texture is breadcrumb-like.

I wonder if these buttermilk biscuits would cook on a frypan flipping at the halfway mark? After I discovered I could “bake” in a frypan on the Refleks we turned our gas off at the bottle about a week ago, as it just wasn’t being used, so I am keen to explore just how much I can do well without using an oven.

I have no buttermilk on board, but I find milk soured with lemon juice or vinegar or half milk and half yoghurt is a reasonable substitute. Do you think that would be OK in this instance?

SWL

[LostBiker]

Your welcome! Yep, I found its actually better to use cold butter and use a knife to cut it up into small chunks - takes a little extra time, but it will mix well when you knead it a bit. Some complain about so much butter - till they try one. The texture will be breadcrumb like also.



Absolutely works in a fry pan with a bit of oil and flipping halfway. We use the 80yr old cast iron skillet for that.


And yes, we sometime use milk and lemon juice - 3 teaspoons for the 3/4 cup milk. I cant tell the difference myself, but Liz my wife says its more tangy using the lemon juice. Havent tried yogurt in the mix - good idea as we always have some.


We're pretty good at "cowboy" cooking as we call it. We even drag a cast iron pan with us when we hike/camp and make all our meals in it. Our friends laughed at us once for hauling a skillet on a 40 mile hike, but that ended when we ate a really good skillet meal while they ate warm oatmeal and peanut butter for dinner. No, we didnt share. We did teach them a valuable lesson though, so everyone has a skillet now.



John

[LostBiker]

Baked Jam Roll Recipe from the 1914 Edition of Edmonds "Sure to Rise" Cookery Book. I havent tried it yet in a pan, but I believe it will work ok. Its just a fruit pizza!



1/2 pound flour (I used a scale)

4 oz dripping (or lard or butter)
Salt a little (I swear the book says exactly this - I used a pinch, but I have big fingers)

1/2 Teaspoon Edmonds Baking Powder (regular BP is fine)
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar (fine)
Water to mix
This is word for word what the book says.

Beat butter (or dripping) to a cream, add all other ingredients, and sufficient water to make a dough, roll out into shape, and spread with apricot or raspberry jam, sliced apples, plums, or any fruit desired could be substituted for jam. Put in a baking dish; bake in moderate oven.


I used 350* and strawberry jam and baked it and it came out fine. "Moderate Oven" is defined as 325* to 400*. How long? You'll just have to look and see till its cooked (use a clear glass baking dish).



Very simple to make and really good.


John

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Baked Jam Roll Recipe from the 1914 Edition of Edmonds "Sure to Rise" Cookery Book. I havent tried it yet in a pan, but I believe it will work ok. Its just a fruit pizza!



1/2 pound flour (I used a scale)

4 oz dripping (or lard or butter)
Salt a little (I swear the book says exactly this - I used a pinch, but I have big fingers)

1/2 Teaspoon Edmonds Baking Powder (regular BP is fine)
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar (fine)
Water to mix
This is word for word what the book says.

Beat butter (or dripping) to a cream, add all other ingredients, and sufficient water to make a dough, roll out into shape, and spread with apricot or raspberry jam, sliced apples, plums, or any fruit desired could be substituted for jam. Put in a baking dish; bake in moderate oven.


I used 350* and strawberry jam and baked it and it came out fine. "Moderate Oven" is defined as 325* to 400*. How long? You'll just have to look and see till its cooked (use a clear glass baking dish).



Very simple to make and really good.


John

Thanks for posting that. The old recipes are fascinating (particularly ones from the 1800’s to early 1900’s). That is a one I have not come across before. “Half fat to flour” (with a touch of salt and sugar and water to mix) is classic for shortcrust pastry, except the fat is rubbed in, not creamed initially. For shortbread the butter is creamed, but the amount is doubled.

So that must make this shortbreadcrust .

I developed a love of baking from my mum, when as a youngster I was given the spatula to lick clean. Wet, wintry weekends always meant the mixing bowl was brought out. So time in the galley creating yummy things to eat now has such good associations .

SWL

[LostBiker]

Your welcome! Cooking was very simple back then. Some of the terminology is baffling/different, so yay for the internet.



Yes, it will be like shortbread. To make it easy for some, 4oz of butter is a full stick and 1/2lb of flour is about 1 3/4 cups (and a little bit more). The butter has to be the right temperature - soft enough to bend a stick, but not so soft that you can poke your finger thru it easily. A little cooler than room temp - 60* (was told this by a little old lady who gifted me with cookies once for fixing a leak for her).

I beat the butter by hand till slightly whipped looking and added the sugar and beat it till it doubled in size and lightened in color. Then I got a electric mixer after that, which is a snap then.


Its a lot of fun and for me, educational. I used to break things for a living and now I love cooking at this older stage of my life.


John