Solar recipe: soft bread

Surprising as it may seem, it’s possible to bake bread using the sun’s energy! The advantage of tubular solar ovens is that they can be baked “en cocotte”, thanks to their very hot and humid environment, perfect for obtaining a beautiful crust. Here’s a recipe for soft, round sliced bread. Don’t forget to line the tubes with parchment paper to facilitate unmolding.

Recipe suggested by :
Linda Louis
– SunChef / SunGood XL solar tube oven – Preparation time: 50 mn – Fermentation: 1h30 + 1h30 – Cooking time: 30mn

Ingredients for 2 soft breads (500 g each)

600 g T55 flour at room temperature
50 g light cane sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
300 ml warm milk
150 g soft butter
8 g salt
12 g fresh baker’s yeast
2 egg yolks + 30 ml milk for gilding

Preparing soft bread

Early in the morning (8 a.m.), make the dough. Pour the flour, sugar, salt and crumbled yeast into the food processor. Add the eggs and milk to the center. Leave to knead for 10 minutes on medium speed, until the dough becomes soft and elastic. Then increase the speed so that it comes away easily from the sides of the bowl. Add the soft butter and continue kneading until the dough pulls away easily from the sides of the bowl.
Cover with a cloth or plate and leave to rise in a warm room (min. 23°C), away from draughts, for 1h30 until the dough doubles in volume.
Flour the work surface. Pour the dough over it and divide it in two (about 600 g per dough piece). Divide each dough into 3 and shape into 200g balls (6 in total).
Oil both tubes. Line with greaseproof paper. Place 3 balls in each.
Leave to rise a second time in a warm room (min. 23°C), away from draughts, for around 1h30 until the dough has doubled in volume.
30 minutes beforehand, preheat the solar oven. Gently brown the two slices of bread. Place the tubes in the oven and bake for 20/25 minutes from the time the thermometer reads 180°C.

Enjoy your meal!

Cooking without gas or electricity

This recipe is taken from the book “Cooking without gas or electricity” by Linda Louis: from the wood stove to the solar oven via the fireplace or even the campfire, the rocket stove, the wood oven, the solar dehydrator , the smoker, the barbecue, the Norwegian pot…Explore alternative cooking techniques without gas or electricity for economical and ecological recipes. Linda Louis is the author of several books that are references in organic, local and wild cuisine. She also explores the themes of food autonomy in the great outdoors and zero waste. She regularly collaborates with the culinary, gardening or ecological press and since 2006 has contributed a blog, Cuisine Campagne (www.cuisine-campagne.com), a portfolio (www.linda-louis.com) and an Instagram account (lindalouisberry) in which she advocates authentic, generous cuisine close to nature and know-how.