Making Bread Aboard

[cosmosmariner]

We bake bread aboard using our Coleman folding camp oven or in the Magma kettle style BBQ grill. The Admiral tells me that baking bread under way is not advisable because the motion of the boat will cause the bread to 'fall' and or the loaves to be sloped. Consequently we bake bread at anchor or the dock.

One exception is English muffins. These are fried on a griddle or heavy frying pan and don't seem to mind the motion of the boat while rising or cooking. The recepie follows, enjoy:

English Muffins

(Makes about 20 muffins)

Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Classic size is about 4” and always baked on a greased Griddle or heavy frying pan.

Combine in a mixing bowl:

1 cup water
½ cup scalded milk


Dissolve 1 package active dry yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water.
Let stand 3-5 minutes

Combine the two above mixtures.

Beat 2 cups of flour into the combined mixtures. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let rise about 1.5 hours or until it collapses back into the bowl first.

Knead in the remaining flour.

Divide the dough and shape each piece into a round ‘patty’. Let them stand until they double in size.

Transfer to a hot lightly buttered griddle or heavy frying pan using a pancake turner turning once until light brown on each side.

This form of bread can be made under way without concern for the dough ‘falling’ due to motion of the craft.

[Tellie]

The Admiral tells me that baking bread under way is not advisable because the motion of the boat will cause the bread to 'fall' and or the loaves to be sloped.

Yet another fine reason to sail a Cat! Now I know the reason the ends of bread loaves are called the heal.

[CapnTony]

What is the remaining flour amount?

[drew.ward]

There was a really good thread from a few years ago on baking bread on board. Could be worth searching for...

Despite the electric draw, I thing a good bread machine is a GREAT deal at home or on board. I use mine to make bread and (most importantly) to make pizza crust.

I use my own recipes and often use the regular oven for the baking. But to be able to put all the ingredients in and hit go, and all the stiring, mixing, kneading, and rising, etc are done for you with no mess and no trying to figure out where roll something out in your small galley. And there is NOTHING like making your own pizza with homemade dough. Plus on board you can easily store tomato sauce, spices, baking ingredients, cheese, and cured meats. But try storing frozen pizzas or premade crusts and you won't have much luck.

[Randy]

I think any way you can get fresh bread like these english muffins while on an extended crossing can make all the difference in the comfort level of the crew. thereby it's essential!

[cosmosmariner]

Flour amounts corrected. Thanks!

Originally Posted by cosmosmariner

We bake bread aboard using our Coleman folding camp oven or in the Magma kettle style BBQ grill. The Admiral tells me that baking bread under way is not advisable because the motion of the boat will cause the bread to 'fall' and or the loaves to be sloped. Consequently we bake bread at anchor or the dock.

One exception is English muffins. These are fried on a griddle or heavy frying pan and don't seem to mind the motion of the boat while rising or cooking. The recepie follows, enjoy:

English Muffins

(Makes about 20 muffins)

Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Classic size is about 4” and always baked on a greased Griddle or heavy frying pan.

Combine in a mixing bowl:

1 cup water
½ cup scalded milk


Dissolve 1 package active dry yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water.
Let stand 3-5 minutes

Combine the two above mixtures.

Beat 2 cups of flour into the combined mixtures. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let rise about 1.5 hours or until it collapses back into the bowl first.

Knead in 2 more cups of flour.

Divide the dough and shape each piece into a round ‘patty’. Let them stand until they double in size.

Transfer to a hot lightly buttered griddle or heavy frying pan using a pancake turner turning once until light brown on each side.

This form of bread can be made under way without concern for the dough ‘falling’ due to motion of the craft.

[cosmosmariner]

Originally Posted by drew.ward

Despite the electric draw, I thing a good bread machine is a GREAT deal at home or on board.

Good point. Everyone needs to go with what works for them. The Admiral and I live in the 21st Century too. We also believe in 'back-up' to everything aboard. If your bread machine develops a problem you can always fall back on something simple like these English muffins.

One consideration for us is that we have just about used up every cubic foot of space aboard our 25' boat so we have to make some choices about the technological devices we bring aboard. Consequently we forgo the bread machine and installed a water maker, opted out of the 'soda machine' in favor of 2 1qt seltzer bottles and several hundred CO2 cartridges (600 take up about 1/2 cu. ft.) etc. We do have an electric hand held mixer but haven't used it yet.

If you got the room go for it. And as I told all my clients during my 35 years in the Technology Industry, "What's your backup plan when the system quits? What's your backup when the backup quits?"