I love baking homemade bread! The only downside about using the sun oven is: my house doesn't smell like fresh bread baking. But if I have time for some rest-n-relaxation, I pull up a chair, grab a book, and sit with the sun oven while the bread bakes! There's nothing better than the smell of fresh bread. 🙂
Baking bread in a sun oven is so easy — it yields bread with a nicely browned crust and a moist, soft inside, plus keeps your house from getting too warm in the summer and saves electricity.
Trayer Wilderness Whole Wheat Bread
- 2-1/4 cups warm water (or 4-1/2 cups warm water for a gluten-free version)
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/3 cup of organic sugar or sucanat
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
- 6 cups whole wheat flour (or same amount of Better Batter Gluten Free Flour or your own gluten-free flour blend for a gluten-free version)
Combine thoroughly water, yeast, sugar, salt, and oil and allow 15 minutes for them to sponge. Add your flour. Mix well and then leave set to rise for roughly 20 minutes. Once risen, pound it down and split dough in half to place in two loaf pans. Preheat the sun oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 20 minutes.
Gluten-free variation: use the larger amount of water and your gluten-free flour blend. You may need to allow dough in pans to have a 2nd rise — either by letting them sit out for another 20 minutes or putting them in the sun oven while it preheats. If you put it in the cool sun oven prior to preheating, the dough will require 30 to 40 minutes of baking time and won't be as tall since it started to bake immediately.
Want sourdough? Use Wardee's sourdough bread recipe (spelt or wheat), then bake your loves in the sun oven!
Save $50 to $80 on your own sun oven by going here (it's an exclusive offer just for our readers). Free shipping in the continental US.
Have you baked bread in the sun oven? Or any other favorite dishes? We'd love to hear about your sun oven cooking!
More info on sun oven cooking: Solar Cooking Benefits and Basics. Plus, more sun oven cooking led by Tammy in Traditional Cooking School's newest members-only class — the Cooking Outside eCourse. (Not many details on that page yet, but they are coming…)
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Does your sun oven give your food a plastic/chemical taste? I have “cured” the oven like they recommend twice (the second time even stronger as the customer service rep advised) and my food has an odd taste. I think it is from the gasket, but I don’t know. I scrubbed everything well with the hot vinegar. I really want to use my oven, but I don’t want my food tasting like chemicals.
Hi Christi,
I totally understand how you feel. I am not sure what to tell you on that. I have not experienced that. What you may wish to do is contact Sun Oven once again and let them know that you are still having problems. They have been absolutely amazing to work with. I would have to think they would do their best to help you out… These units are amazing and it would be a crime to have one and not be able to use it…. Best of luck there and blessings to you and yours. Tam
Thanks! I will try one more time to cure it and then contact them again if it doesn’t work.
That’s it – next project: sun oven!
😉
Russ – AWESOME!! You will not be disappointed!! I intend to use my this winter in the deep snow and in the negative temperatures to put it fully to the test. I am completely and totally impressed with mine and beyond thankful for it!! Good luck to you and be sure to report back… Be sure to check out the videos I have done this summer on our YouTube channel TrayerWilderness and also the posts on our website at http://www.TrayerWilderness.com. I also encourage you to take the e-course here at GNOWFGLINS that I am a part of for the Cooking Outside… Blessings to you and yours… Tam
My solar oven dient seem to go above 300. Don’t know why. It gets full sun on my deck. Everything else cooks up fine. How will the yeast bread do in lower temps?
Hi Cindy, I found when I have the seal clean and a good connection with the glass, the two locks down tight on the right side and keep it lined up with the sun, I can easily get to 350 degrees. The locks play a BIG roll in this and it is important to open the Sun Oven as little as possible. I hope this helps, but your breads will back nice even on the lower heats. I have done it both ways. Feel free to let me know if you have additional questions… Blessings Tam
Thanks for posting a great article. I have GOT to follow this thread! I have a sun oven and… would you believe… used it often and successfully last summer but not this? I know that’s almost sinful but things just got away from me. I am enrolled in the course and look forward to taking it when things slow down a bit. I’m also going to check out your website and videos. It’s great to have the support and encouragement to get back into it. 🙂
“2 Tablespoons” of Yeast?—Is that a typo, or is that the correct amount?
Hi Peggy,
We double checked with Tammy and it is 2 Tablespoons of yeast. 🙂