Nobody likes to be without their normal oven, but it is sometimes inevitable. There are many of methods to bake pastry dough even if you are in the midst of a kitchen renovation or haven’t had time to unpack after relocating.
Here are six other techniques for making your favorite pastries even if your oven is broken.
Contents
- 1 Is it Possible to Make Pastries Without an Oven?
- 2 6 Greatest Oven-Free Pastry Baking Methods
- 3 1. A Cooktop
- 4 2. A deep fryer
- 5 3. The Dutch Oven
- 6 A Toaster Oven
- 7 A Tandoor Oven
- 8 6. A Brick Oven
- 9 Is it possible to cook pastry in the microwave?
- 10 How Long Does It Take To Bake Pastry Dough On A Stovetop?
- 11 What Is the Best Method for Baking Pastry Dough?
- 12 In conclusion
Is it Possible to Make Pastries Without an Oven?
In general, you can bake pastry dough without using an oven. An air fryer is the finest technique to bake pastry dough without an oven. Yet, there are also additional methods to bake pastry dough to get the same crispy quality as a normal oven.
Although these techniques are not as precise as using a conventional oven, they will suffice. Thus, if you’re in a pinch and need to bake anything, these ways will come in handy!
6 Greatest Oven-Free Pastry Baking Methods
These are the finest non-oven options for baking pastry dough:
- A Stovetop
- An Airfryer
- A Dutch Oven
- A Ceramic Pot
- A Tandoor Oven
- An Earthen Oven
Although pastry dough is a delicate and delicate form of dough, it may also be quite durable when cooked with care. To utilize these choices appropriately, you must be cautious at all times.
Baking and preparing pastry dough in some of these alternatives will be more difficult than it seems. Yet, with little experience, you may be able to make the best-tasting pastry dough you’ve ever tasted!
*Side Note: If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between a cake and a pastry is. I just published an essay comparing their parallels and differences. This article may be found here!
1. A Cooktop
You can bake pastries on a cooktop if you have one. This is an excellent choice if you do not have an oven or if your oven is presently broken. The trick is to have a good seal on the pot’s top to keep heat from escaping.
A hefty metal pan or pot is required for stovetop baking. The pan should be large enough to accommodate the baked pastry.
Before adding the pastry, preheat the pan over medium-high heat. Check that the pastry is in a single layer and not touching. Cover the pot’s opening with aluminum foil and then with the lid. This guarantees that no condensation forms and that heat does not escape.
Cook the pot over medium heat for around 15-20 minutes.
*By the way, if you’re wanting to replace your baking pans, I just discovered a Set of 2 Nonstick Heavy-Duty Forged AluminumFry Pans that are perfect for practically any of my cooking requirements. This set includes two pans, 8 and 11, that are oven and dishwasher safe. This collection is available on Amazon!
2. A deep fryer
If you don’t have a cooktop or an oven, an air fryer is an excellent substitute. It is lightweight, affordable, and takes up little room. The temperature may be controlled and cooked evenly all the way through.
To use this gadget, preheat the air fryer to 350°F (176°C) before inserting your pastry. Cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
I sometimes prefer this to the oven since the oven takes longer to warm! It’s particularly inconvenient while I’m baking in the summer since the extra heat from the oven might be uncomfortable. Instead, I use my air fryer, which produces excellent results.
I just published an article in which I discuss the four best air fryers on the market right now. If you want a detailed breakdown of these four air fryers, go to this page.
I own and recommend the COSORI Smart Wifi Air Fryer. This air fryer has served me well for many years and is ideal for warming up your tasty cookies. This air fryer even comes with an app that notifies me when my baked items are ready and connects to my Alexa or Google Assistant. Check out this Amazon Air Fryer!
3. The Dutch Oven
If you don’t have a cooktop, you can use your outdoor oven. Since it is designed to handle high heat, a Dutch oven is ideal for this. This technique uses an open flame and is not to be confused with a dutch oven pot.
When you think of a dutch oven, you may think of the standard dutch oven pot that is used on the stovetop or in the oven. This cast iron saucepan is an excellent cooking item for the home.
An outdoor dutch oven, on the other hand, is quite different.
The outdoor dutch oven is designed to be used over an open fire. This pot is totally composed of heavy-duty cast iron, with modest support legs and a flat cover. You sprinkle hot coals on top of the pot as you set it over a flame to produce an oven effect with heat coming from both the top and bottom.
To bake pastries in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot, warm the pan over medium-high heat before adding the pastry dough; do not cram the pan as this will cause the dough to steam.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Make sure the Dutch oven is very hot before adding the pastry to ensure uniform cooking.
I use an Amazon-purchased Enameled Cast Iron Covered Dutch Oven for this purpose. This dutch oven is ideal for cooking pastry dough and may also be used for frying chicken or preparing soup. This Dutch Oven is available on Amazon!
A Toaster Oven
You’re all set if you have a toaster oven. A toaster oven is essentially a little version of a standard oven. Toaster ovens are an excellent choice if you don’t have access to your oven or cooktop since they are fast and simple to set up and operate.
I normally warm the oven for a longer period of time to ensure that my toaster oven is at the right temperature. I set it to the temperature specified in the recipe and let it warm for at least 15 minutes.
Line your baking sheet or pan with parchment paper and arrange the pastry on it, just as you would in a regular oven. Bake according to your original recipe for a perfectly cooked pastry!
I’m lucky to have a nice toaster oven at home, so I can bake things like pastry dough without using a real oven.
The Oster French Convection Countertop and Toaster Oven is what I use. Although this is the greatest toaster I’ve ever seen, it does need some countertop space to be placed on.
This toaster oven features a single door pull and digital controls, making it ideal for nearly any baking task. There’s even a full turkey! This toaster is available on Amazon!
A Tandoor Oven
This oven is often seen in Indian eateries and imparts a wonderful, smokey taste to meals. Tandoor ovens, like Earthen ovens, are simply clay ovens that contain fire. The sole distinction between the two is that a Tandoor oven has a top opening.
Place the pastry dough on the sides of the Tandoor oven to utilize it. When the sides become heated, this is a nice spot to put the dough. If you’re preparing anything that requires greater air circulation, you may choose to skip this approach in favor of another.
If you want your pastry to be more crispy on the exterior, use this approach.
A tandoor oven is distinguished by the fact that food is cooked on the sides rather than the bottom. The dough might adhere to the walls of the oven because the sides are thick and the temperature inside is quite high (about 700 degrees Fahrenheit).
Although a tandoor oven is not common, my father-in-law has one in his garden and uses it practically weekly! The greatest item I can suggest that is similar to this is this fantastic Portable Pizza Grill Oven that I just discovered. A tandoor oven or this pizza oven, if you have one, would work excellent for baking pastry dough!
6. A Brick Oven
Make stuff. If you’re fortunate enough to own an earthen oven, it’s time to put it to good use. An earthen oven is essentially a pit in your garden that has been purpose-built to bake.
The beautiful thing about this oven is that it can be used for so much more than simply pastries. Make sure the ground is level before using an earthen oven. Put your dough on a sheet pan and place it in the oven, say, on a metal rack.
You may also set the dough on a tray to prevent it from burning or sticking to your oven.
It should be noted that an earthen oven may grow quite hot. As a result, your pastries may be ready before the 20-minute timer goes off. As a result, you must use caution while removing them.
My family members advised this strategy to me. This style of oven is no longer common, but it will still work well for this!
Is it possible to cook pastry in the microwave?
In general, pastry dough cannot be baked in a microwave. You can heat it up, but you won’t be able to bake pastries or doughs since microwaves lack air circulation. The ultimate result would be a soft, mushy pastry.
Also, a microwave will not always provide the same texture as an oven. Therefore it’s not really advised, particularly if you’re making wonderful pastry dough for family or friends.
Ovens or other processes (such as those described above) enable the pastry to crisp up. A microwave would produce a terrible, mushy mess.
How Long Does It Take To Bake Pastry Dough On A Stovetop?
On a stovetop, bake the pastry dough for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Preheat your saucepan and add the pastry dough. Wrap the top with aluminum foil and secure with a lid.
If you open the lid often, the temperature within the pot will drop quickly. Flip the dough halfway through and properly close the pot if you want a crisp, golden exterior on both sides.
No oil should be added to the pot since it will be absorbed by the dough and cause it to become greasy.
Fry it! This is a different way that still needs a cooktop. I like doing this regardless of whether or not I have an oven.
In a pan, I heat a tiny bit of oil (not too much since were not deep-frying the dough). I fried the dough in a skillet over medium heat until the bottom is golden and crispy. Then I turn it over and finish cooking the other side.
What Is the Best Method for Baking Pastry Dough?
Overall, the best approach to prepare great pastry dough at home is to utilize an oven. If you don’t have an oven, the next best option is to use a toaster oven. It is smaller and warms up significantly quicker than a standard oven.
It is critical that you follow the instructions above in order to bake pastries precisely every time. And who doesn’t like a tasty pastry? It works well as a snack or as part of an appetizer dish.
In conclusion
I always have to bring something delicious to a friend’s place. There was a period when I didn’t have access to my oven since I was in the process of moving into a new house. I learned so much by improvising and experimenting with various approaches!
If you do not have an oven or do not have access to one, you may bake your pastry dough. You’ll be creating delectable pastry doughs in no time if you use one of the ways listed above!