G’DAY MATES! For this blog post, I decided to hangout in my backyard and attempt an Australian backcountry simulation. I’m imagining being with an Aboriginal tribe learning the outdoor baking method of this bake, a traditional Aboriginal Bush Bread, ideal for backpacking and camping.
The weather is beautiful! Why would I spend the day indoors baking when I can bake outside?
Whether on a picnic, camping trip with your loved ones, or on a multi-day backpacking trip alone or with friends, you can bake homemade bread. All you really need are a few simple ingredients and a heat source, be that a campfire or what I used, a small butane/propane canister with a backpacking stove. The rest can be improvised!
The most common bread in STRAYA (as the Aussie’s call it) is the Bush Tucker ( “food from nature”) or also known as Damper Bread ( “something that suppresses the appetite”). For more information on this bread, see my previous blog post “Australian Damper to Fairy Bread” with a traditional oven-baked version and more cultural information.
Bush bread, also called Australian cowboy or backpacker bread, is a simple, yeast-free, quick bread similar to the Irish Soda Bread. The difference being the leavening agent. Baking powder is used in place of the baking soda and traditionally baked outdoors over hot coals. For you southern Americans, this is an Australian version of a biscuit.
Baking in the outdoors requires a little prep work.
You should measure out and combine your dry ingredients before heading in the outdoors, so you can just mix them with water and bake when you’re ready. A zip-top bag is PERFECT for storing, mixing, and kneading the ingredients. WHAT!!! Yes, super simple and all contained! I like to write what’s in the bag on the outside along with the approximate amount of water I need for the dough. Talk about easy! Save your brainpower for navigation!
What you see in the quart-size bag above is half of the recipe below. Since I’m on a solo backpacking trip, I decided to cut the recipe so you could see what that looks like. The whole recipe could still be contained in a zip-top bag. The amount you see makes 3 bush rolls. If you were baking these for dinner and only wanted to eat two of them, you could save the third for breakfast the next morning.
That’s not all!! This backpacking bush bread is so versatile, too!
You can add any additional flavorings to the flour mix. Try adding in sugar, shortening or butter, dried herbs, dried fruit, or some CHOKKIE (Aussie for chocolate). Ooh! DEFO (definitely) 😊! This is just a blank canvas recipe. Have fun and get your kiddos in on the preparation using their favorite mix-ins. In fact, you can have a separate flour mix bag for each kid or family member with their favorite add-ins. Then, when you reach your campsite or backpacking destination for the afternoon or evening everyone can sit around a campfire and bake their own bread. Simply add water, knead the bag, shape the dough, and bake in pot/skillet or on sticks over a fire like roasting a marshmallow. Kids will LOVE this! How easy is that! Now that’s ACE (excellent)! Excuse my Aussie slang… I’m just having fun!
Backpacking Bush Bread Visual Steps
Turn this into a family FUN activity!
If you have a campfire and a stick for each person, everyone can participate and bake their own Bush Bread. With each person having his or her own bag of flour mix with personal add-ins, simply add ~1/4 cup water to each bag and have each person knead their own dough. They should make 2-3 rolls from their dough (using half of the recipe, like I did) and shape each into an oval around one end of the stick. Then, hold the dough on the stick over a campfire and bake the dough for 10-15 minutes rotating it occasionally. Enjoy the BUSH TELLY in the meantime (campfire-outdoor entertainment). Be sure to rotate the stick regularly until the bread is golden brown on all sides. Finally, wait a few minutes before removing the bread from the stick to enjoy!
How to eat the Backpacking Bush Bread
I think this has a pretty straight forward answer. Just split the bread and top with butter, jam, Nutella, or nut butter. It would be great with eggs! Why not make the kid favorite Australian “Fairy bread”. Now that’s BONZER (great!) for the kiddos! If that piques your interest, see my previous video on “Australian Damper to Fairy Bread”.
Regardless, it’s just a simple bake to be used as a vehicle to go with your dehydrated meals or whatever else you’re eating in the WOOP WOOP (outdoors). 😉
Final Thoughts…
The Baker’s Perspective
It’s a very easy, no fail (unless you burn it) bake. Granted, I needed to use my hands a little to ensure a good knead and to divide the dough into 3 rolls. However, I was able to rely on the plastic bag for most of the dirty work. Overall, it is a feasible bread to make when you have very little resources. If you bake this bread in a skillet or pot over an open flame (like a butane canister), careful to keep your flame on a low setting or the dough exterior sitting on the bottom will burn. Just keep an eye on it. If your bread is browning too quickly, turn down the flame. I love the versatility of this bread in terms of adding ingredients. It’s a great family activity when everyone can participate… meaning… the baker in the family can take a little breather. Ha!
The Taster’s Perspective
Scott compared this bread to the American biscuit. It is certainly a simple bread and a bit dense (denser than a biscuit). Overall, he liked it because it is a blank canvas for eating with many other ingredients and toppings. While he enjoyed the simplicity, I think his interest was primarily in the novelty of eating freshly baked bread in the outdoors. Who wouldn’t like that!
Check out my video on the details of making this bread and using backpacking tools, “How to Bake FRESH Bread while Backpacking or Camping: FUN for the whole family!“.
Backpacking Bush Bread: Simple Fresh Bread while Camping
Ingredients
Basic Dough Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup water
Optional Mix-in Ingredients (select based on preferred flavor combinations):
- 2½ tbsp butter or shortening
- 2 tsp sugar granulated
- 1 tsp dried herbs rosemary, chives, Italian seasoning, thyme, basil, marjoram, oregano, parsley, etc.
- ¼ cup shredded cheese
- ¼ cup chopped dried fruit raisins, cranberries, blueberries, etc.
- ¼ cup chopped nuts macadamia
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Full Recipe Directions:
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl including any preferred mix-ins. If adding butter or shortening, use your fingers to break it up into the flour. Add enough water to moisten all the ingredients so they hold together. Divide the dough into 6 separate dough portions (balls).
- If using a large skillet or pot, flatten each dough portion out into a biscuit. Dust each flattened dough with flour so they don't stick to the skillet or pot. Place each into the skillet allowing a little space in between each as the dough will swell but not much. Place the skillet or pot over a heat source like hot campfire ashes, portable camping stove, or backpacking butane canister flame. Cover the skillet or pot with a lid or piece of foil. Bake for 5 minutes. Flip each dough round and bake for another 5 minutes. Adjust the flame as needed trying to keep it on a low setting. Bread is baked completely when each sounds hollow after tapping in the center.
Half Recipe Directions (for individual servings):
- Place HALF of all the dry ingredients in a zip-top bag. Make as many bags as individuals present. Allow each person to add in their favorite mix-ins. Consider writing the ingredients on the bag and/or the name of the bag's owner.
- Once at your outdoor destination, give individuals their personalized flour bag. Pour ~¼ cup water into each bag (consider a little less to start so you don't add too much). Instruct each person to knead their bags until the water is well combined with the dry ingredients. Add more water if necessary.
- You can bake these individually in small camp stoves or in large skillets over a campfire as directed in the Full Recipe Directions.
- For individual baking using a stick over a campfire, provide each person with a stick for baking/roasting. Instruct each person to divide their dough into 2-3 balls and skewer the dough balls (1-2 at a time or whatever will fit on the stick) onto one end of the stick. Form each dough ball into a tight oval around the stick to keep it from falling off onto the ground. Hold the stick with the dough balls over the campfire and bake the bread like roasting a marshmallow. Be sure to rotate the bread occasionally so all sides are baked evenly. The bread will be done in 10-15 minutes when it sounds hollow when tapped. Wait 5 minutes before removing the bread from the sticks. Eat with favorite toppings and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Interested in some other simple breads? Check out these recipes.
Australian Damper to Fairy Bread
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