Following Dutch Oven Recipes Not Overly Confusing
Having a cast iron cooking pot with a fitted lid can offer some of the most unique cooking experiences, such as those experienced by your ancestors, but thinking about cooking all different types of food, as well as baking bread may be a little troubling for some to comprehend. With the use of some tried and true dutch oven recipes, the magic of using hot coals to cook an entire meal can be a reality.
Consider that all dutch oven recipes are based on using water to help the cooking process, the use of other liquids such as oil is somewhat limited. Imagine the pot hanging over an open fire with hot coals resting on the lid, providing surrounding heat to the interior. It becomes almost an open-flame oven and anything that can be made in a traditional oven can be made using traditional dutch oven recipes, from beef roast to baked bread. Cornbread, pizza and strawberry pie can all be made in a dutch oven.
One of the favorite breakfast dutch oven recipes is actually quite simple, creating a breakfast pizza. For this, a 10 or 12-inch pot can be used with the appropriate number of coals for the size of the pot. Line the bottom of the pot with raw dough, the kind you can buy in rolls in the store and bake in the oven at home. Drop in sausage pieces, peppers, onions, hash brown potatoes and cheese. Then, using a whisk, combine eggs, milk, and spices like salt and pepper and pour over the top of the raw pizza. This will bake in the dutch oven in 20 to 30 minutes.
Recipes Requires Specific Instruction On Coals
Similar to cooking in a traditional oven, dutch oven recipes will also include temperature and time for proper cooking. When using a dutch oven, typically there is a plus and minus rule that explains the number of coals required. For example, using a 12-inch diameter pot, the dutch oven recipes may call for 12 and two. This translates into having 10 coals evenly spread under the pot and 14 spaced on the lid.
In most cases, unless otherwise noted on the dutch oven recipes being used at the time, the diameter of the pot is listed first and the second number, the plus or minus number, is second. It is always showing the number of coals to subtract from the diameter for under the pot and the number of coals to add to the diameter of the pot to place on the lid.
