October 27, 2022, 3:08 pm | Read time: 5 minutes

Baking bread is not rocket science: knead the dough and put it in the oven. In 2014, the German bread culture was even added to the nationwide list of intangible cultural heritage by the national UNESCO Commission. But what if the oven breaks down? Unfortunately, bread doesn’t last forever and can’t be bought in advance. However, there are several ways to bake it without electricity. myHOMEBOOK explains three methods and shows in a video how to bake bread with tea lights.

Baking Bread in a Pot

It may look strange, but you can bake bread in a pot. This works both over an open fire and on the stove.

What do you need?

• You definitely need a large pot.
• Parchment paper to line the pot.

How do you bake bread in a pot if you want to work without an oven?

• First, grease the pot thoroughly.
• Next, place the dough in the pot and cover it with the lid.
• Let the bread cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
• After the cooking time, turn the dough and grease the pot again.
• Wait another 10 to 15 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, you can turn off the stove and use the residual heat.
• Now you can remove the bread from the pot and enjoy it.

Also interesting: Dutch Oven–what’s behind the outdoor cooking trend?

Baking Bread with Tea Lights

In an emergency, when there’s no electricity to operate the stove, you can also use simple candles according to the website krisenvorsorge-ratgeber.de. Baking bread with tea lights is a possible alternative if you have to do without an oven. myHOMEBOOK tried it out:

Also interesting: Can a tea light oven really heat an entire room?

What you need:

• A fireproof base is very important, such as a baking sheet.
• An oven rack is also essential.
• Four stones of equal height should be ready, or you can use bowls as an alternative.
• A large pot with a lid should also be available.
• A bowl for the dough is also needed.
• Some nails and screws should be on hand, or you can use stones as an alternative.

Also interesting: How to easily make sourdough yourself

How do you bake bread with tea lights?

• First, place the dough in a bowl, which can be lined with parchment paper for safety.
• Line the pot with nails and screws up to a quarter. These help the hot air circulate better and prevent the dough from burning.
• Place the stones in the corners of the fireproof base.
• Now place the oven rack on the stones of equal height.
• Place the tea lights in the center of the fireproof base under the rack and light them.
• Then place the covered pot over the tea lights.
• Now it’s time to wait, but you should always stay near the baking area, as it involves an open flame.
• After about four hours, the bread should be done. If you don’t have a clock, use the tea lights as a guide. When they burn out, the bread should be ready. You can test if it’s baked through by inserting a skewer into the bread.
• The bread now needs to rest and cool down.
• When everything is lukewarm, you can carefully take the bread off the setup and enjoy it.

More on the topic

Back Guide 3 Tips to Successfully Freeze Yeast Dough

MyBakery The Easiest Recipe for Grandma-Style Cookies

Baking Bread Without an Oven, but with a Pan

Although without an oven, pan bread is not entirely unknown.

What you need:

• A frying pan is absolutely necessary for this recipe.
• A rolling pin is advantageous but not strictly necessary.

How do you bake bread with a frying pan?

• First, divide the dough into six parts.
• Shape each piece into a ball.
• Now roll out the first ball with the rolling pin. The dough should have a diameter of about 20 centimeters.
• Before placing the dough in the pan, it should be well greased and already warm.
• The rolled-out dough should be fried for about 30 seconds over medium to high heat.
• Now flip the dough and fry for one and a half minutes.
• After flipping again, fry the dough for another one and a half minutes.
• The bread is ready when it has small brown spots.
• Finally, remove the bread from the pan and wrap it in a paper towel to absorb excess fat.

Basic Bread Recipe

There are various ways to prepare bread and even more recipes. myHOMEBOOK presents a simple basic recipe that doesn’t require many ingredients and is easy to implement.

What you need:

• 500 grams of flour
• 7 grams of dry yeast
• A pinch of sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 300 milliliters of lukewarm water

How do you prepare bread dough?

• First, activate the yeast by mixing sugar, yeast, and lukewarm water.
• Next, add the flour and salt. Stir until a uniform dough is formed.
• This dough now needs to rest for about an hour in a warm place.
• After the resting period, knead the dough again.
• After kneading, let it rest for another one to two hours.