I was recently looking over recipes posted on the board in search of new ideas and new menu items for my next trip.  Two different posts refer to baking (cornbread and bread) using an oven roasting bag placed inside a pot with about 1 1/2 inches of water.  I guess the idea is to "steam bake" the item.

Anyone ever tried this?  What is your assessment?  The suggested cooking times seem very reasonable.  How accurate are they?

dd

Ditto on the bakepacker.  I baked Jiffy Cake brand cakes and cornbread many times.  Nice treat.

Experiment #2:  Cinnamon Raisin Bread (BTW: Both experiment #1 and #2 used Krusteaz mixes purchased at a local grocery store--more out of convenience than preference.)

Technique:  Since there was only one yeast packet, I produced the entire mixture according to directions. 

Setup:  2/3rds of the mixture.  Same as before ... not stick pan, this time coated with light oil, as per directions.  Then entire arrangement placed in a sealed roasting bag and placed inside a covered pot of boiling water.

1/3 of the mixture.  As a cross check, I placed a portion of the dough in a small loaf pan that was lightly coated with oil.

Cooking:  Directions called for placing the loaf pan in a preheated, 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.  I "baked" the roasting bag for an identical amount of time.

After 30 minutes, I checked the oven baked portion.  The top was brown, but cutting into the loaf indicated that it was still doughy internally.  I returned the loaf to the oven for another 10 minutes.  At the end of that time, the top crust was relatively hard and dark brown and the inside was more completely cooked, but still a bit doughy in spots.

After 30 minutes, the heat from the roasting bag loaf was turned off and the apparatus was allowed to cool for 10 minutes.  After that time, the roasting bag was removed and the loaf was checked.  Although slightly brown on the exterior, the outside still had a doughy texture.  At this point, I placed this loaf in a conventional oven for 20 minutes.  After that time, the crust had a light brown color and the interior of the loaf was completely done throughout.

Conclusion:  While the combination of initial "roasting" followed by a conventional oven turned out the much superior loaf, it is probably too much trouble to accomplish in the backcountry.  I believe this arrangement would work fine with bread sticks or rolls.  Still, some form of browning would be desirable on smaller portions.   Complete loaves that are 3-4 inches thick and twice that long are probably not a good option.

On to Experiment #3:  Cornbread.

dd

Experiment #3:  Cornbread.

Mixed (Martha White) package according to instructions, except substituted buttermilk powder and water for milk.

Roasting bag and pot arrangement was the same as before.

Cooking time called for 20-25 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  I cooked in a roasting bag for 30 minutes at medium high heat.

Result:  Perfection.  Of course the top wasn't browned, but otherwise the cornbread was done completely through and was moist.

Alternations:  On my next trial with cornbread, I'd probably reduce the water by maybe 1/8th cup because no water gets baked off in the roasting bag.  It should produced a consistency nearly identical to that produced in an oven.

dd