Camp Wheat Flatbread
Yeasted whole wheat dough kneaded in the bag and cooked flat in a skillet over a fire.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 91
- protein
- 10 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 180 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.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| White whole wheat flour | 2 cups | |
|---|---|---|
| Vital wheat gluten | 2 tbsp | the difference between bread and a hockey puck |
| Instant yeast | 1 1/2 tsp | instant, not active dry; no proofing step |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Honey or brown sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Powdered whole milk | 2 tbsp | stands in for the yogurt |
| Olive oil or ghee | 2 tbsp | plus more for the pan |
| Warm water | 3/4 cup |
Method
- Dump the dry premix into a gallon freezer bag. Add the oil and about 3/4 cup of warm water, close to body temperature.
- Seal out the air and squeeze the bag until no dry flour is left. Add water a splash at a time if it will not come together. The dough should be tacky, not wet.
- Knead it in the bag for five minutes. Push, fold, turn. It gets smooth and stretchy when it is ready.
- Leave the bag somewhere warm for 45 minutes to an hour. Inside a jacket or in the sun works. It should roughly double.
- Pull off six pieces and flatten each one to about a quarter inch with your palms or a water bottle.
- Set a lightly oiled skillet over the coals or a low flame. Cook each round two to three minutes a side, until it puffs and shows brown spots. Keep the heat moderate or the outside burns before the middle sets.
The original is a two-loaf oven bread with Greek yogurt in it, which is two things you do not have in camp: an oven and a fridge. Flatbreads solve the oven problem, since a skillet over coals heats one thin round all the way through in a few minutes. Powdered whole milk covers the yogurt, adding the fat and milk solids that keep a whole wheat crumb from going dense and crumbly.
The vital wheat gluten is not optional. Whole wheat flour carries bran that cuts the gluten strands as they form, and the added gluten gives the dough enough structure to trap gas and stay soft. Instant yeast goes straight into the dry mix, so the only wet step at camp is pouring water into a bag.
Packing
Combine flour, gluten, yeast, salt, sugar, and milk powder at home in one bag. Oil rides in a leakproof bottle. If you are carrying honey instead of sugar, keep it out of the dry mix.
Variations
- Skip the milk powder and use water alone for a dairy-free version. The crumb is drier but it still works.
- Press garlic powder and dried herbs into the dry mix.
- Wrap the dough around a peeled stick and bake it over coals instead of using a pan.
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/honey-whole-wheat-bread