Breads

[volleypc]

I go through alot of bread and I am looking for some easy alternatives on the trail. I am going to have a small fry pan so I know cornbread is an option. Do you have any EASY recipes or ideas you would like to share?

Thanks

[budforester]

Pancakes from a just- add- water mix is very easy and quick. Lots of variations possible. Use the mix for other flat- bread varieties, by combining mix with an equal measure of flour, oats, cornmeal.

[Tinker]

That's what I do for variety at home. I make pancakes with a little oatmeal thrown in. I've never made bread on the trail unless you count brownies.

[TD55]

Bisquick. Empty contents of box into zipock bags. About 3/4 cup per bag. Roll the bags up tight and rubberband them. When ready to use, just add water to the bag and squesh the bag with yer fingers. Add water or a bit more Bisquick to get the dough the way you want. You will figure out the way you prefer the dough pretty quickly. Drop the dollups of dough into a hot fry pan that has a little olive oil or whatever in it. I like to carry a small, maybe 1 inch thick hunk of bacon slab and just cut off little chunks for greasing my pan. Just be careful not to burn them. Let them cook on one side till they are brown and flip them over to do the other side. I get about six biscuits from each bag. When ever I have a chance to cook on a wood fire I like to do three or four bags of them for carryover into the next day or two. You can experiment with mixing other flours, corneal and such into the Bisquick for vaiety and flavor.

[Hikes in Rain]

TD beat me to it, so I'll just add that the big skillet biscuits are called Bannock. And traditionally, instead of flipping (which is actually what I do), the pan is propped up almost vertically in front of the fire so the heat can cook the top side.

Can't do that with a stove!

You can also make your own Bisquick clone with various flours, salt sugar, fat of some kind (like butter or bacon) and baking powder. Lots of variety that way.

[budforester]

Yeah, my bannock scorches on the stove... much prefer campfire coals. I add milk powder to the mix.

[mkmangold]

Or try Indian Fry Bread:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/NavajoFryBread.htm

[BigBlue]

a bag of pita bread from town always works for me.

[TD55]

Well, this takes a little more skill, but well worth it. Steam the above mentioned doughs. Make your normal Knorrs, Lipton, packaged gravy mix or whatever a little looser than normal. When it gets hot and steaming, plop your dough onto the top of it and put on the lid. You end up with fluffy dumplings.

[budforester]

Or try Indian Fry Bread:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/NavajoFryBread.htm


I would be interested in how you do fry bread; I've wanted to try it. Do you discard the cooking oil or keep it for re- use?

[budforester]

Well, this takes a little more skill, but well worth it. Steam the above mentioned doughs. Make your normal Knorrs, Lipton, packaged gravy mix or whatever a little looser than normal. When it gets hot and steaming, plop your dough onto the top of it and put on the lid. You end up with fluffy dumplings.

Good suggestion. I float biscuits on my beast stew. And Sarbar recently had a video of her chicken 'n dumplin's prepared as you say.

[WritinginCT]

Bisquick has some pouch mixes in the baking aisle. Also Betty Crocker has some mixes that only need water - the blueberry muffin mix is awesome!

My baking setup is easy. I drop a metal cookie cutter into my cookpot that then holds a Wilton mini angel food pan (http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=2B3C7A5F-802D-F658-00BE108623FDFCB5&fid=2B3C7A9D-802D-F658-0AA3D6B74520211D). You can bake dry (though this may warp your cookpot depending) or add water and steam. The tube in the center of the angel food pan distributes the heat better through the dough and you don't end up with raw middles (it also works great for scrambled eggs). One pan will hold half of a Betty Crocker mix and they are non-stick so cleanup is a simple wipe down.

[fehchet]

Two eggs and a little rice milk or water mixed with spelt flour makes a nice tortilla to fill with your favorite mix.

[sarbar]

Good suggestion. I float biscuits on my beast stew. And Sarbar recently had a video of her chicken 'n dumplin's prepared as you say.

http://trails.blip.tv/#1099967 - it was one of our first videos :)

[sarbar]

Doing pan fried biscuits is pretty easy - Bisquick is a good start till you are used to it. Cook on low with lots of oil and a lid. Steam baking is very easy as well!

[Desert Reprobate]

When I was little, my mother would fry bread dough. You could get a frozen bread dough at the market and it would last for a couple of days. A little cinnamon and sugar really tops it off. Honey is good too.

[4eyedbuzzard]

You can take the bisquick or other dough mix and knead it into a firm dough and then roll it out thin between your palms like a rope, then wrap it on a green stick and roast it over a fire till it rises and browns(keep turning it slowly). Coat with a little butter and garlic, butter and cinnamon/sugar, or whatever you have. Makes a nice trail breadstick or trail churro without frying. You can also do similar stuff with premade Pillsbury crescent rolls the first day/night out.

[Yahtzee]

Rubschlager cocktail bread. Small, packable, easy to store, perfect for meats and cheese. Can be found in many stores in the deli section. There is another similar brand but Rubsclager is the most common.

http://www.rubschlagerbaking.com/

[mkmangold]

I would be interested in how you do fry bread; I've wanted to try it. Do you discard the cooking oil or keep it for re- use?

I have a little secret: I carry tallow which I render from beef suet. It does not need refrigeration and if I crave "butter" I just mix Butter Buds into it. So, back to your question: if I am moving on, I discard the fat. If staying one more night, I re-use it.

[TD55]

I would be interested in how you do fry bread; I've wanted to try it. Do you discard the cooking oil or keep it for re- use?
Disgard an edible WHILE HIKING???? Sop it up with the bread you just made. You only need a thin film of oil or whatever in the pan to keep the dough from sticking. If you use olive oil it's healthy and delicious. If you use bacon fat it ain't so healthy, but even more deeeeelicious.

[TD55]

BTW, while biscuits and such are good, Bagels are #1. They pack a ton of calories and have a shelf life of just a few days short of forever. You can cram them into your pack and beat the heck out of them and they don't seem to mind it. When broken or cut into pieces they make the perfect dipping tool for a peanut butter jar.

[Hikes in Rain]

You can take the bisquick or other dough mix and knead it into a firm dough and then roll it out thin between your palms like a rope, then wrap it on a green stick and roast it over a fire till it rises and browns(keep turning it slowly). Coat with a little butter and garlic, butter and cinnamon/sugar, or whatever you have. Makes a nice trail breadstick or trail churro without frying. You can also do similar stuff with premade Pillsbury crescent rolls the first day/night out.

That's a pretty cool trick, too. More than once, though, I didn's seal the ends tight enough, and my bread ended up in the fire. After brushing off the ashes, though, and discarding the black parts, it still wasn't too bad.

[happy_trails_01]

I drop a metal cookie cutter into my cookpot that then holds a Wilton mini angel food pan (http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=2B3C7A5F-802D-F658-00BE108623FDFCB5&fid=2B3C7A9D-802D-F658-0AA3D6B74520211D).

Any idea what this weighs?

[Farr Away]

Any idea what this weighs?

I have a mini bundt pan - not the mini angelfood pan, but it weighs 2 1/2 ounces. The angelfood pan has more metal in the center, but the bundt pan has fluted edges, so it should be about a wash. Or the angelfood pan may weigh a little less.

[happy_trails_01]

Thanks. Where did you get the bundt pan?

[Farr Away]

Walmart? Either that or it was a gift. It's been a while, sorry.

[WritinginCT]

the mini pans (both the angel food and/or the bundt) can be ordered direct from Wilton (or a gazillion other places online). If you have a craft store like Joanns/Michaels/AC Moore nearby you can check out their cake decorating section.

I recently found a couple of mini silicone bundt pans at the dollar store. They are lighter but I think the all metal angel food pan is still better. The tube in the center not only goes the entire way through the dough but it acts as a chimney to allow the air being heated at the bottom to reach the top of the dough as well. And the non-stick surface rocks- you can eat right out of the pan (w/plastic utensil) and cleanup is a simple wipe down. No muss no fuss.

I have two new mini angel food pans on order from Wilton- I'll try to get an exact weight for you when they arrive.

[happy_trails_01]

Thank you. This is great! I'm taking the kiddos on their first "big" hiking trip and want to spoil them a little (even if it means I pay a little in added weight).

[Jim Adams]

If you cover the bundt pan, make sure the center column is not closed off with the cover. If it is, then cut the column a little shorter...the central rising heat not only cooks from the column outward but also fills the inside of the pan at the top to bake from above. I've used one of these canoe camping for years and it works great. Try to get the thickest aluminum possible or the pan won't last long...some are just too thin.
Bisquik makes great bread, bisquits and dumplings.
It is hard to find (I don't know why) but Jiffy makes 2 types of corn bread mix in white and yellow but they also have one that requires 1 egg and 1 that just requires water...the water one is the hard to find.
If you are just going over night or for a short weekend and really need "bread" but don't feel like baking then go to the store, buy a loaf of bread in the type that you like and put it (bag and all) into a round oatmeal box. It is secure, won't crush and you can either use the box as a garbage can when empty or for fire starter.

geek

[happy_trails_01]

If you cover the bundt pan, make sure the center column is not closed off with the cover.

If I understand what you're saying, the center column should have a hole in it period? And this is so heat circulates through the column... This would imply I need to either drill a hole in the center column or cut it off? If I'm interpreting wrong, please correct... If I'm right, can you post a picture of your set-up?

Thanks!

[WritinginCT]

This is a traditional "bundt" pan - it does have a hole in the middle. It is also called a fluted pan. (Note this picture is a full sized pan not a mini) (http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30D5E2-475A-BAC0-5585F91D6947964E&killnav=1)


This is what most places call a mini-bundt pan- no hole in the middle. (http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=2B381A7F-802D-F658-0909787E81B711F8&fid=2B381AAE-802D-F658-099B160AE7B4FD4A)


This is an angel food pan (same for both full and mini sized). (http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=2B3C7A5F-802D-F658-00BE108623FDFCB5&fid=2B3C7A9D-802D-F658-0AA3D6B74520211D)

Typically bundt/fluted pans are one solid piece. Angel food pans are two piece (including the minis I linked too) this allows the sticky angel food cake to be successfully removed from the pan in one piece.

With either pan the idea behind the tube in the center is to cook the center of the cake at the same time as the rest. For traditional heavy cakes, you do not have to bake it as long and the end product will be a much moister cake. For angel food (which is primarily egg white and sugar), the shorter bake time keeps a thicker "crust" from forming around the outside edge of the cake (as the sugar caramelizes).

You can get the same effect by using a Pyrex shot glass or one of those little metal condiment cups (think lobster butter) turned upside down in the center of whatever flat pan you want to use- just carefully pour the dough/batter around it and bake as normal. I've done this with really heavy batters I was afraid were going to get too dry with an extended baking time.

[happy_trails_01]

Thanks for the explanation... I'll try this out this weekend.

[TrippinBTM]

Disgard an edible WHILE HIKING???? Sop it up with the bread you just made. You only need a thin film of oil or whatever in the pan to keep the dough from sticking. If you use olive oil it's healthy and delicious. If you use bacon fat it ain't so healthy, but even more deeeeelicious.

In that link it says you need an inch deep of oil to fry it. Or are you talking bout just "baking" it in the pan?


That's a pretty cool trick, too. More than once, though, I didn's seal the ends tight enough, and my bread ended up in the fire. After brushing off the ashes, though, and discarding the black parts, it still wasn't too bad.

What do you mean seal the ends? Do you mean to kinda stick the end back to the coil just below it? (I'm picturing a long coil going round and round the stick). Or are you basically making little bagels?

[Farr Away]

...
What do you mean seal the ends? Do you mean to kinda stick the end back to the coil just below it? (I'm picturing a long coil going round and round the stick). Or are you basically making little bagels?

Your first picture is correct. Then you try to make sure the coil seals to itself. What you end up with is sort of a skinny edible glass shape. Really good with a little butter &/or cinnamon sugar in the hole, or jam, or honey, or ... Hmm, I'm hungry now, lol.

[TD55]

[quote=TrippinBTM;771117]In that link it says you need an inch deep of oil to fry it. Or are you talking bout just "baking" it in the pan?



I don't if it's baking or frying. I just use enough oil or grease in the pan to keep the biscut from sticking to the pan. Cook on one side, flip it over and do the other side. Add oil or grease as needed.

[Hikes in Rain]

In that link it says you need an inch deep of oil to fry it. Or are you talking bout just "baking" it in the pan?



What do you mean seal the ends? Do you mean to kinda stick the end back to the coil just below it? (I'm picturing a long coil going round and round the stick). Or are you basically making little bagels?

I meant pinching each end onto itself to hold the coil in place. Used to call it "twist" bread. After my clumsy attempts fell into the fire, we called it "ash cake". :D I have on occasion just stuck a "lump" of dough on the end of the stick and baked that. Need a pretty stiff dough, but it does leave a hole to fill up with butter and jam. Coils did tend to work better for me, though.

A quick toast over the fire allows the dough to rise and the crust to develop, which helps a lot to hold it on the stick. Then, slower baking to finish. (Dropping it in the fire, however, often results in a blackened crust and raw center. As a kid, though, I didn't care so much)

[JAK]

You can make your own recipe and method up on the fly. Alot of the potential ingredients you might already be bringing, and some you can find in the woods also. Some sort of flour is the only thing that's really essential, and even that might be had from cat-tails or something like that. Baking powder can be made on the fly also. I might do something along the lines of scones, oatcakes, or bannock. I would call it a scone or oatcake if I made it at home, and bannock if I made it in the field. Whatever I do I like to do from scratch ingredients though. Bisquick is ok, but doesn't really save any time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farl

[JAK]

Good article on bannock...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bannock_(food)

I think the best time to make bannock is when you need or want a small campfire for other things, like drying clothes, or getting warm, or keeping bugs away. It gives you something to do and something to eat while sitting my and minding the small fire. Here are some nice videos...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AXYqy5zFLE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9nfJoJaM0k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq7NHvjlYwM

[JAK]

Second to a woodfire, a small vegetable oil wick type stove might be logical. For solo, it might even make more sense than using wood, as it would provide a small and efficient and easily controlled and contained fire. Natural fibre twine makes and excellent wick, but just about anything, cloth or mossy bit, will make a fine wick if you dry it first. Snare wire, or a few small rocks, can be used to help support the wick. Its best to have no more than 1/2 oz of hot oil in play at once, as it gets EXTREMELY hot.

You could use the same vegetable oil or bacon fat for fuel that you use in the bannock. If using bacon fat, you may need to render it first, which I think means simple boiling the moisture out of it. Not sure.

Here is a great video on the making of a primitive oil lamp...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6WAtx9iBq4

A clam shell might work also, or a tealight tin, or a shoe polish sized tin. You might fashion something out of clay also. If you went about it right, you could have a small oil lamp that could be used for reading, and making tea, and making bannock in small ammounts. Not a fast process, but if you are reading at night you need not hurry.

It's a good idea to wear a wool sweater when playing with fire.

[Hikes in Rain]

Older Boy Scout manuals have lots of good instructions for cooking stuff, including breads, without utensils. One of my favorite books on the subject, however, is Jack Knife Cookery (http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Knife-Cookery-Austin-Wilder/dp/0936226951). It's out of print, but comes up on eBay from time to time. Kids book, intended for the either just forming or newly formed Scouting organization, but I found it vastly entertaining and informative. It stresses up front that it's not a Young Huntsman book, but a cooking book that assumes you have access to good food but not the utensils in which to cook it. Well worth hunting up.

[JAK]

Hey, what about homemade donuts?
I used to make these with my mum.

They would be awesome in the woods, especially winter.
One donut at a time in a mug maybe?

Recipe???

2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. skim milk powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. bacon fat
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg

[Surplusman]

When I used to be in a stationary camp setting with a campfire, I used to make Australian Drover's Damper bread and cook it right on the coals. I'm not so sure that it could be adapted to backpacking, but maybe there's a way. There are different versions of Damper on the net.

Of course you could make the Civil War soldier's favorite; "Coosh." Take a pan with some liquid bacon grease in it, mix in cornmeal, cook it for a couple of minutes, and then drink it. Bon Appetit.