Bread in the solar oven

by BC
(St. Louis, MO)

Solar cooking has been going well, but I’m still struggling with cooking times. I made beer bread in the solar cooker, but I left it in too long, and it turned dry. I was surprised that happened because everyone seems to leave feedback saying it is difficult to ruin anything in the solar cooker! I have not necessarily found this to be true. I have left foods in for a long time, and they never burned, but they have gone dry, sometimes nearly unpalatable so (as with the bread).

Next, I have a new recipe for gluten-free chocolate zucchini bread, and I’d like to try that tomorrow—if the weather cooperates—in a double batch. I figure I’ll leave one in for about 85 minutes, and then take it out and test it. Hopefully, that will be enough time. At any rate, I have plenty of zucchini for mistakes! I have made this recipe in the oven, and it was moist and very good, so I have high hopes for it turning out well in the Sun Oven, now that I know not to leave it in for 3 hours!

My main concern is that I will take something out too soon, and then all the heat will escape when I open the door to check. If I have to put it back in, the cooking will be arrested because it will need to come back up to temperature. Has anyone done this?
Is it bad for baking bread items? Or desserts?

This is a whole new learning paradigm for me, and I’d like to have a better handle on it before the cold weather moves in!

Thanks for any tips!