Baking
Baking? From now on, just light the charcoal in your Big Green Egg. Because whatever cooking technique you use with the EGG, the results are always incredibly moreish. Wondering how to use your kamado for baking? We’ll explain everything here.
Your kamado as an oven
As you may know, it’s easy to turn your Big Green Egg into a convection oven by inserting the convEGGtor before placing the stainless steel grid inside your kamado. This creates a charcoal-fired oven that ensures even cooking as well as extra flavour. That’s what makes the Big Green Egg so versatile. It’s the ideal setup for baking bread, quiches, pies, desserts, pizzas and flammkuchen at temperatures between 180°C and 300°C. Because the convEGGtor acts as a heat shield, there’s no direct radiant heat from the charcoal. That’s why we call it an indirect cooking technique. The heat reflected by the ceramic and the airflow inside your kamado ensure your ingredients or dishes are cooked evenly.
Installing the heat shield
It’s important that the ceramic of your Big Green Egg is thoroughly heated before you begin baking. Only then can you fully benefit from the heat reflected by the kamado’s ceramic interior. So, wait until the Big Green Egg has reached the right temperature after lighting, then insert the convEGGtor and place the stainless steel grid. Bear in mind that adding the convEGGtor will cause the temperature to drop by around 50°C. So, want to bake at 180°C? First bring the temperature up to around 230°C, then insert the convEGGtor and stainless steel grid. The temperature will then drop to approximately 180°C. The exception is baking at higher temperatures. In this case, you can insert the convEGGtor and grid once the EGG has reached 200°C. By then, the ceramic will be sufficiently heated. After inserting them, simply adjust your kamado to reach the desired temperature.
Using the pizza stone
You can also use the Baking Stone, also known as the pizza stone, to create a stone oven or as an additional heat shield. To create a stone oven, use a hot Baking Stone. To use it as an extra heat shield, start with a cold stone. We’ll explain the difference below.
Baking with a hot pizza stone
For short, high-temperature bakes like pizza and flammkuchen, or for stone-baked bread, the Baking Stone must be preheated. This turns your EGG into a proper stone oven and gives your pizzas, flammkuchen or bread a deliciously crispy base or crust. Place the stone directly on the grid immediately after installing the convEGGtor and stainless steel grid. Let the stone heat up for at least 20 minutes before baking.This ensures the Baking Stone is hot enough.
Baking with a cold pizza stone
For longer bakes at around 200°C, such as cakes, pies, oven desserts and quiches, the Baking Stone acts as an extra heat shield to prevent the bottom of your bake from burning. For these kinds of bakes, once your kamado (with convEGGtor and stainless steel grid in place) has reached the correct temperature, place a cold Baking Stone into the Big Green Egg. Then place your cake, pie or baking tin directly on the stone. This allows the Baking Stone to heat up gradually, offering extra protection and ensuring the bottom of your bake cooks gently without burning.
Let’s get started!
Curious to discover what the Big Green Egg can bring to your baking? Give it a go! Pick one of your favourite oven recipes, try it in your kamado and taste the difference.
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