When we first moved
up to our ranch in the mountains of southern Colorado, at an elevation of
nearly 10,000 feet, I burned a lot of bread. Now, starting my eighth year
of living - and baking - up here full-time, fortunately I’ve learned a few
things. I’d like to share some of them with you. Although I don’t know a
lot of folks who live this high up, perhaps my experiences and hearing
what’s worked for me may help you, even if your “high-altitude” is a
little bit lower.
I don’t know the
science behind why what I do works; I can only tell you what I have
learned from experience to work well, and work regularly for me up in this
high country. Owning a guest ranch here, and spending time in all the
different cabins during the various construction phases of our own cabin,
I’ve baked in several different ovens, which I think has helped to teach
me as well.
My favorite oven is
my old wood cook stove. This beauty is in my kitchen at the heart of our
cabin, and is fired up every morning, all year long. In this high
country, one rarely gets too warm. Baking in, or cooking on, the old
stove is almost always a comfort. Each wood stove is just a little bit
different, and all I can say here is give it a try. Learn how your
cook-stove works. Different types of wood, different quantities of wood,
different drafts and air flows – all will have an impact on the heat
produced in your stove. I don’t believe there is one right method that
will work for all stoves, all the time. This is really a personal
matter. Just fire your stove up and get to know it. And hopefully you’ll
have a patient family who will forgive you for your mistakes in the
beginning.
Here are a few tips I
can share with you about baking, in general, at high altitude:
1. Double pan. I
double-up every pan when baking anything – rolls, cookies, bread, you name
it. Either I find two of the same kind of pan and keep them stacked
together while I bake, or I place whatever pan I am baking in on top of a
cookie sheet. No more burnt bottoms, which was something I did daily
before I figured this trick out.
2. Reduce your heat
by about 25 degrees. The insides of my breads and cakes were not cooking
through, and tops were getting over-done. With the slightly lower
temperatures, things tend to cook through more regularly.
3. Everything takes
longer up here. I am sure there is a scientific reason behind this, but I
can’t tell you what it is. May have a little to do with the reduced
cooking temperatures I recommend, but it’s more than that. All I know is,
if a recipe for cake says 25 minutes, it will probably take 30. If a
recipe for cookies says 8 minutes, it will probably take 10. Other things
can take even longer. Try baking a potato. It will take 2-3 hours to get
soft. Beans, rice, and pasta all take nearly twice as long to cook up
here. You learn to plan ahead.
4. Reduce your
leavening agent by 25%. For each recipe that calls for baking soda and/or
baking powder, just use less than recommended.
5. Things are
quicker to rise… and quicker to fall up here. That means a rising for a
loaf of bread may only take an hour here, when, down at sea level it may
take you a couple hours. But my cakes, if not cooked absolutely perfectly
through, will fall within seconds if I remove them from the oven before
their time.
Hmmm… there are other
tips I should share, I’m sure I’ll think of them later, but this is a good
start. I’d say these are the basics that get me by. I have made more
than a few mistakes. There are some things I have not yet figured out.
I’m baking almost daily, and always looking to learn new things. If you
have any ideas, let me know! I’ll be glad to share more in the future as
I come up with new, helpful insight into the art of high altitude baking.
