Gwen McCausland enjoys using a Dutch oven to bake outside. An endless number of savory and sweet recipes are available to prepare in the cast iron ware. McCausland, who is the director of South Dakota’s Agricultural Heritage Museum, enjoys demonstration how to use the cookwar, often at Fort Sisseton during the summer. Her favorite item to prepare is pie. “It's one thing I find fascinating that not many people bake pies today,” says McCausland. “They marvel that you can bake a pie inside a Dutch oven. They often think it's some mythical beast that is very hard and temperamental.”
Baking pie offers a certain amount of pizazz. “I find when you can pull out a really beautiful pie, it just has that wow factor,” says McCausland. “I also like to do a lot of breads. You have to do a more of a round loaf because you can't get too high, otherwise it burns and it hits the top of your lid.”
Any favored pie recipe can be prepared in a Dutch oven. Success depends on technique. McCausland says that beginners often neglect to create space between the pan and the bottom of the Dutch oven. “You need to have something to create that space so that you don't burn the bottom of whatever you're baking. You can use anything from a horseshoe to an S hook. I've even seen canning rings.”
Heat is generated by wood embers or coals. Typically a few are placed underneath with more put on top. Any Dutch oven recipe will offer specific quantities. Like a conventional oven, cast iron must be preheated before placing the pie inside. McCausland bakes often enough using this method that she can closely gauge the baking temperature just by feel. “You can check to see a little bit of the temperature, just by feel of your hand, placed just a few inches above. You’re trying to get to a 400 degree oven.”
It is important to not have any embers actively burning. Open flame will create an uneven temperature. After 30 minutes, check for doneness, but be careful to not get ash in the dish. If longer is needed, it may be necessary to add coals on top. When your pie is bubbling and golden brown, it should be ready to remove from heat – not much different from a pie fresh from a conventional oven.