Anyone "bake" on their cooktop?

[MVA]

Looking for tips on baking on the cooktop in the trailer. I am looking mostly for bread, muffin, and cake ideas. Does anyone have experience doing this? A online search showed people using pot-in-pot method. This looks like a viable method.

We do not have an oven and do not want to haul a portable propane oven.

I am not looking to spark an indoor vs. outdoor cooking or grill vs. griddle debate.

[Donna D.]

I know Kathie (Dave&Kathie) has used the Omnia Oven. Hopefully she'll pop-in. Or someone else here that's uses it and likes it: https://www.omniasweden.com/us/

[2Travelers]

We recently purchased the Omnia Oven on the recommendation of another Escape couple but have yet to use it. (Not enough nights camping this year.) In addition to the base oven, we purchased the silicon baking ring and the rack inserts.

I'll be following this thread with interest.

[kstock11]

I also just got an Omnia oven. Plan to bake blueberry muffins this week. I’ll post how they do.

[C&G in FL]

Had an Omnia. Trashed it. It did not bake anything evenly over several attempts. IMO, overpriced and over-rated. Our experience, anyway.

On edit, I will say we do all of our baking in the Weber grill, although this thread specifically asks about stove top baking.

[hrewer]

I’ve made biscuits, bread, and cake in the Omnia. It takes a little figuring out but it is nice for cool weather camping when you don’t mind running the stove. It was perfect for one of the crescent roll appetizer ring recipes - I made that for a pot luck. They’re fun.

[MVA]

Originally Posted by hrewer

I’ve made biscuits, bread, and cake in the Omnia. It takes a little figuring out but it is nice for cool weather camping when you don’t mind running the stove. It was perfect for one of the crescent roll appetizer ring recipes - I made that for a pot luck. They’re fun.

Any tips/tricks and recipes that you can share? How long did it take to figure out how to use the Omnia?

[hrewer]

I got a barbeque thermometer to slip into one of the holes. I heat up the plate for a few minutes, then put on the oven and use a high flame for 5 minutes. Then I lower the flame and aim for the given temperature and time of the recipe. I have added the silicone liner and a metal rack.
If you want true inspiration, check out Il Forno Sul Fornello On facebook. These Italians are cooking amazing things in their stovetop ovens. It’s all in Italian and the recipes are hard to translate, but the photos are amazing.

[Brian B-P]

With a substantial pot (commonly called a Dutch oven, and in something like cast iron) there's no need for double pots, and many things can be baked... not that I've done it! You can even put a small baking pan inside a Dutch oven.

Baking (stuff like bread) in a Dutch oven is usually done over a campfire, but I don't see much difference between a gas stovetop and a campfire for this purpose.

I like cast iron cookware, although I only have a couple of pieces, and I always find the combination of lightweight travel trailers and cast iron cookware amusing.

[MVA]

Originally Posted by hrewer

I got a barbeque thermometer to slip into one of the holes. I heat up the plate for a few minutes, then put on the oven and use a high flame for 5 minutes. Then I lower the flame and aim for the given temperature and time of the recipe. I have added the silicone liner and a metal rack.
If you want true inspiration, check out Il Forno Sul Fornello On facebook. These Italians are cooking amazing things in their stovetop ovens. It’s all in Italian and the recipes are hard to translate, but the photos are amazing.

Thanks for the tips. I will check out Il Forno Sul Fornello to see what they are cooking. Maybe Google translate will be able to do the translation for me.

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

With a substantial pot (commonly called a Dutch oven, and in something like cast iron) there's no need for double pots, and many things can be baked... not that I've done it! You can even put a small baking pan inside a Dutch oven.

Baking (stuff like bread) in a Dutch oven is usually done over a campfire, but I don't see much difference between a gas stovetop and a campfire for this purpose.

I like cast iron cookware, although I only have a couple of pieces, and I always find the combination of lightweight travel trailers and cast iron cookware amusing.

Brian, a Dutch oven is one of the options that I am considering. Lodge makes a reasonably priced 5 qt. model that looks like it is good size for baking and travelling.
The reason for the double pots is it to turns the heat transfer from a conduction mode to a convection mode. Thus making the temperature profile of the cooking vessel more uniform and reducing the likelihood of burning the thing being baked. I have several enameled cast iron pieces that I use on my induction cooktop at home, and they cook like a dream. These cast iron pots are not going travelling any time soon.

[brroberts]

We do lots of outdoor Dutch oven cooking, but typically have coals on the bottom and top.

[Iowa Dave]

The Dutch ovens with the three stubby legs on the bottom and the machined faces
on the lid and the main pot along with the rim around the lid we always called a Dutch oven in Boy Scouts. Some call them camp ovens. We liked to use charcoal for heat but wood coals work well too. Just a little less accurate for temperature control in my opinion. Genuine though for sure. The flat bottomed pots with the curved lid we called bean pots. When we baked with them, we used three pieces of copper tubing about 1 1/2 inches in diameter to lift the pot high enough to get it over the charcoal and a steel ring about the diameter of the domed lid to hold the charcoal from falling off. We used the pots for cooking on the gas camp stoves especially scrambled eggs too, about 18 eggs
at a time. Gotta keep them moving.

Cast iron cookware is heavy though, and I don’t take it camping very often. My son who is an Eagle Scout baked his own birthday cake when we camped with him at the end of April this year. His wife and daughter slept in the Escape but Clay and his dog Sherlock opted for the tent. Each had their own bag.
Iowa Dave

The cake bakes in the 10 inch Lodge ( lower left) while Clay scans the landscape for a woodcock doing sonic booms. April 29, 2021. Turning 39 will make you philosophical.

[Mike G]

I am wondering if the same effect as the Omnia could be achieved by taking a normal stainless stock pot with lid (perhaps an 8 qt or 12 qt), putting some sort of round wire rack (or a trivet?) in the bottom, and setting the actual baking appliance (loaf pan, muffin pan, cake pan, pizza stone, smaller stock pot) on top of that. If steaming is desired, a bit of water could be added to the bottom. Has anyone ever experimented with a setup like that? I'm wondering if it would do the same as the Omnia, or if that center hole in the Omnia really makes a big difference.

[Upfisk]

We use a #10 cast iron skillet plus a small steel pan cut down to 1/2" high that is inverted into the skillet. That steel pan creates an air space and I bake biscuits on top of it. Place a tight fitting lid on top of the skillet (mine is stainless sterl) and you have created an oven like thing. I bake pizza, biscuits, crescent rolls, etc in it. My instant pot with 6" baking pans inside makes cakes, cornbread, muffins.

[Vermilye]

For a short time I used a Dutch oven to bake my blueberry pies, but getting them in & out was a PIA. I used it with a Volcano grill.

My solution was to trade the 17 for a 21 with an oven...

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

For a short time I used a Dutch oven to bake my blueberry pies, but getting them in & out was a PIA. I used it with a Volcano grill.

My solution was to trade the 17 for a 21 with an oven...

Those blueberry pies were a magnet to my attendance to a meet where Jon was in attendance!

[escape artist]

Hi: All... NO!!! My wife's favorite quote "That's what Bake Shops are for". Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Those blueberry pies were a magnet to my attendance to a meet where Jon was in attendance!

Resulting in this epicurean carnage

[Nindy]

I use a Dutch oven outside when I feel like I can take the extra weight. Outdoor Thanksgiving dinner at my property usually involves four Dutch ovens! Other times I take a small toaster oven and use small batch cookie and cake recipes. Works for pizza too.

[cpaharley2008]

Next time I'm going to camp closer to Nindy........