Camp Stove Pancakes
One dry bag, one bottle of water, one pan. Breakfast before the first climb.
- calories
- 530
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 118
- protein
- 14 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 250 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Backpacking
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Plain flour | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Baking powder | 2 tsp | check the date, old powder gives you flat discs |
| Golden caster sugar | 2 tbsp | any fine sugar works |
| Sea salt | a pinch | |
| Powdered whole milk | 3 tbsp | replaces the fresh milk, no cooler needed |
| Powdered whole egg | 1 1/2 tbsp | stands in for one large egg |
| Vegetable oil | 2 tbsp | one for the batter, one for the pan |
Method
- Pour 250 ml of cold water into the bag or bottle holding the dry mix. Add 1 tbsp of the oil.
- Seal it and shake for twenty seconds. Lumps are fine. Let it sit two minutes while the pan heats.
- Set the pan over a low flame with the rest of the oil. Low is the whole trick here.
- Pour in rounds about the width of your palm. Wait for bubbles to open across the surface and stay open, then flip once.
- Second side takes about a minute. Stack them and keep going until the batter is gone.
Pancakes are usually a fridge recipe: fresh milk, a whole egg, a mixing bowl. All three come out on the trail. Powdered milk and powdered egg rehydrate in the same water the batter needs anyway, so the mix travels dry and shelf-stable, and shaking it in the bag means there is no bowl and no whisk to wash out with drinking water.
Heat control matters more than technique. A camp burner runs hot and narrow, so a high flame scorches the center of each pancake before the middle sets. Keep it low, wait for the bubbles to hold their shape, and flip once. The oil in the batter is not optional either — it keeps them from sticking to a thin backpacking pan and adds calories where you want them.
Packing
Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, milk powder, and egg powder at home and seal it in one bag. Oil rides in a small screw-top bottle. Shake the batter in the bag itself and you have nothing to wash but the pan.
Variations
- Honey or a sliced banana on top if you are carrying either.
- Swap 2 tbsp of the flour for cocoa powder and add a handful of chocolate chips.
- A spoonful of dried blueberries stirred in after the shake.
https://www.baldhiker.com/a-simple-quick-and-delicious-pancake-recipe