Bake delicious cake, bread, pizza — on your boat’s stovetop in a skillet or pressure cooker
Issue 11 : Mar/Apr 2000
No oven! Now what do I do? When my husband, Dan, came back to our boat, Catherine L, with a two-burner kerosene stovetop to replace the original, but inefficient, alcohol stove/oven, I had to experiment with baking things we love to eat on top of the stove.
Kerosene burns hotter than alcohol, is harder to regulate, and requires the use of a heat diffuser. This flat metal utensil spreads the heat over the bottom of a pan or skillet and allows for slower, more even heat. Cakes, breads, and pizza can be made in a skillet with a lid. The heat diffuser is sold in kitchen-supply stores and will be needed on propane stovetops also. (We had never heard of this device but were able to get one at the first kitchen supply store we tried. It appears to be just the thing for simmering on a gas stove in the home also. -eds.)
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
A family favorite is a Pineapple Upside Down Cake that I cook in a deep nine-inch skillet, because it rises so high. I also use this heavy skillet for baking bread. A pressure cooker could be substituted.
- 1 8-ounce can pineapple slices, halved
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 maraschino cherries, halved
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Drain pineapple slices and reserve liquid. Melt butter in the skillet. Stir in brown sugar and 1 tablespoon pineapple liquid. Add water to remaining juice to make 2/3 cup; set aside. Arrange pineapple and cherries in skillet. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat shortening about 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar; beat until well combined. Add egg and vanilla; beat 1 minute. Add dry ingredients and the 2/3 cup liquid alternately to the mixture, beating after each addition. Spread in pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, using heat diffuser and a cover on the skillet. Cool 5 minutes; invert onto a plate or serve in the skillet without turning. Serve warm. Serves 8.
Pressure Cooker Bread
Many Caribbean islands — such as Georgetown, Bahamas; Salinas, Puerto Rico; Dewey, Culebra; and Cruz Bay, St. John’s, U.S. Virgins — have wonderful bakeries, but for times when we are not near a bakery or store, I make Pressure Cooker Bread. No kneading is necessary.
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm, non-chlorinated water (or one cup fresh water and 1/2 cup clean sea water)
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt (only if using all fresh water)
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
In a bowl, combine water, yeast, salt, and sugar. Let stand 15 minutes. Stir in flour and let rise in a warm place for 90 minutes or until double in bulk. Stir down and let rise again. Grease the pressure cooker thoroughly; add the corn meal and shake to coat the sides and bottom evenly. Place dough in pressure cooker and let rise again. Cook over low heat for 45 minutes using the heat diffuser. Lock on the lid, but don’t use the regulator valve. Steam will escape through the vent. Do not remove the lid during cooking. Remove from heat and let sit a few minutes. The bread will be white on top, but the sides and bottom will be a rich, crusty brown because of the cornmeal. So, serve upside down.
Yeastless Pizza Dough
Our daughter, nine-year-old Mara, loves to prepare this Yeastless Pizza Dough. It makes two 9-inch skillet pizzas.
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (or 1 3/4 cup white flour)
- 3/4 cup white flour in addition to above flour
- 3/4 tablespoons baking powder
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup oil
Sift and stir dry ingredients together and add the liquids. Stir with a fork. Knead 10 times in the bowl without adding additional flour. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Pat the dough out and up about an inch in the skillet bottoms. Top each with (as desired):
- 2 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- onions, finely chopped
- green peppers, finely chopped
- mushrooms
- pepperoni
- cheese
Cover and bake, using the heat diffuser, for 20 minutes. We bake one pizza and eat it as the second one bakes.
Chewy Brownies
For chocolate addicts, these Chewy Brownies bake well in a skillet:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons melted margarine
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons baking cocoa
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- (optional: 1/4 cup chopped nuts)
In a large bowl, stir sugar, melted margarine, and water together. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and stir into the sugar mixture. Spread in a greased skillet and cover. Bake, using a heat diffuser, for 18 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan. Makes about one dozen.
Cornbread
This moist Cornbread was a hit at a potluck supper in Salinas, Puerto Rico. But it may have had something to do with the number of liveaboards from Texas!
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
Grease the skillet. Put cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine. Beat egg, milk, and oil together. Pour all at once into cornmeal mixture and stir vigorously until thoroughly combined. Spread evenly in skillet. Cover and bake on the stovetop, using a heat diffuser, for 20 minutes or until the top springs back lightly when touched. Serves 8.
Carrot Cake
Without refrigeration, we tend to stay well stocked with fresh produce. Occasionally the carrots get limp, but they are great in this delicious Carrot Cake I’ve adapted for stovetop baking.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup cooking oil
- 2 eggs
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix eggs and oil together. Add carrots, eggs, and oil to the dry ingredients. Beat for two minutes. Pour into a skillet that has been greased and floured. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes using a heat diffuser. The cake can be sprinkled with powdered sugar or frosted when cool. Serves 6.
Cathy Haupert started sailing with her husband, Dan, on Lake Superior. Before long, they bought an Ericson 35 and took it to the Caribbean, where they sail during the winter months. Cathy is pictured here with daughter, Mara, because Mara’s just too cute to cut out of the shot.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
