Focaccia Bread

Have made this, but have not yet cooked it. Was wondering if anyone has cooked this in their log fire. If so how do you go about it. Have had the fire going all day, and presume you would need embers. What do you put the bread on to? TIA

It needs to be cooked like a pizza - with very high heat.

300 to 400 degrees C for a short time is ideal if you have that.

Otherwise 240 is the absolute minimum.

Get an oven thermometer to put into the oven to check the actual temp.

Hi Susie :-)

I've baked bread inside a log-fire. . I waited till the wood had burned down till there were large (egg size) and strongly glowing hot embers - when the fire is still very hot.

While the fire was reaching that stage, I had the bread dough proving, so it was ready to be baked. I used tin foil and placed several layers around the bottom and sides of the loaf pan. I folded more tinfoil to place over the top of the pan when I put it in the oven.

I had a steel grill from an old pot belly stove, and set that on top of the embers, then the metal loaf pan with the dough inside on that grill.

I baked the bread till about 15 minutes less than the amount of time I would bake it in my oven, then checked it - returned it to the oven with the foil off the top, so the top would brown a little more and baking was complete.

The bread was delicious. .

I haven't baked bread in my log-fire here - was looking at it glowing a few days ago and thinking mmm. . must bake bread in there :-)

Things I'd change?
The bottom of the loaf was slightly burnt - as it was sitting only a centimetre or so from the embers, so got too hot.
I'd use No. 8 wire or something else that's thin steel (so it doesn't burn) to make a frame for the loaf pan to sit on, so that the tin was in the middle of the height between the top of the embers and the inside top of the firebox. . in the same way bread would be baked in the centre of an oven.

The bread I baked was around 12-15cm high - something that's lower like Foccaccia would work better I think, as it would cook quickly right through, so less time for the outside of the bread to have any chance of burning.

Give it a go. . and let us know how you get on. . good luck. .