Making Bread by Campfire
Making bread on a campfire is not as
difficult as you might suppose. All you need is a simple bread
recipe, and nothing comes simpler than twists or damper. All
you need is a cup of flour, a good pinch of salt and a little
clean water. Self-raising flour is best, or you can add a
little baking soda to plain flour to help it rise a bit.
You can be making bread on a campfire in almost no time. Just
make sure you have a good bed of hot coals that will cook the
bread real slow. No flames, or it will get burned.
To make twists, you'll need a medium-thick length of green wood
about three feet long. You need to peel the bark off first with
a pocket knife. Just make sure the type of tree is not
poisonous (i.e. Sumac or Poison Ivy in the US), and touch the
tip with your tongue to be sure it isn't bitter. Discard it if
it burns or tastes bitter.
And for damper, you'll need a Dutch oven (best) or a griddle
(second best) or a frying pan.
Pour the dry flour into a bowl and add the salt. Stir the dry
ingredients a couple of times with a fork. Then start adding
water very slowly. Do it a little bit at a time, because you
don't want the mixture to become too sloppy. When the dough
binds into a ball, add a few more drops (teaspoons) of water
and mix it in.
For twists, roll the thick dough into a snake shape and wind it
like a corkscrew round and round one end of the stick. You then
just hold it over the hot coals of your wood fire until the
outside is brown and a knife pushed into the dough comes away
clean. Your twist is ready to eat!
For damper, shape the thick dough into a ball and place it the
greased Dutch oven. Place the whole thing on the hot coals,
with 2/3 of them on top and 1/3 below. It should take about 20
minutes at a slow heat. Test by pricking with a skewer or a
knife. The blade should come out clean.
The other way of doing damper is to fry it on a griddle, a
hot-plate or in a fry pan. This is like cooking pikelets or
flapjacks, but without any eggs. Cook one side until the
bubbles stop forming on the top, then flip it over and do side
two. You'll need to add a little more oil or fat for the second
side.
Eat it while it's still hot, and add treacle, golden syrup, jam
or jelly for taste. For variety, some people add a little sugar
or raisins to the mix first.
And here's a boy scout tip for making damper. If you're
traveling light and don't have a bowl, you can mix it in your
mug or even on the corner of your groundsheet (or tarp) or the
corner of your rain coat!
|
|
|