Cast Iron Dutch Baby at the Trailhead
A puffed skillet pancake made from shelf-stable powders, cooked over coals in a lidded cast iron pan.
- calories
- 390
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 111
- protein
- 11 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 300 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
- Campfire coals
- Dutch oven
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| All-purpose flour | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered whole milk | 1/2 cup | reconstitutes to about 1 cup of milk |
| Powdered whole egg | 6 tbsp | stands in for 4 eggs; no cooler needed |
| Granulated sugar | 2 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp | a small dropper bottle is enough for a week |
| Butter | 3 tbsp | ghee holds up better in heat |
| Water | 300 ml | cold or cool |
Method
- Burn a fire down to coals. You want a bed you can hold a hand over for three seconds, not flames.
- Whisk the flour, milk powder, egg powder, sugar, and salt together dry so the powders break up before they meet water.
- Add the water and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Let it sit 15 minutes while the pan heats.
- Set the cast iron skillet on a grate over the coals with the lid on, empty, for about 10 minutes. It should be hot enough that a drop of water skitters.
- Drop in the butter, swirl it up the sides, and pour the batter in all at once.
- Cover and shovel a shallow layer of coals onto the lid. Most of the heat should come from above or the pancake sets on the bottom and stays flat.
- Cook 20 to 25 minutes without lifting the lid. It is done when the edges are climbing the pan and set to the touch.
- Serve it out of the pan. It deflates within a minute and there is nothing to be done about that.
A Dutch baby rises on steam, not leavening, which is why the pan has to be screaming hot before the batter lands. That part translates to a fire fine. What does not translate is the oven, so the lid plus coals on top does the job an oven ceiling normally does — without that top heat you get a thick crepe.
The original wants fresh milk and eggs. Powdered whole milk and powdered egg get you close and remove the cooler from the equation entirely. Resting the batter still matters: the flour needs those 15 minutes to take on the water, and a thin batter climbs the pan better than a lumpy one.
Packing
Combine flour, milk powder, egg powder, sugar, and salt in one zip bag at home and label the water amount on it. Butter and vanilla ride in the cooler bin or a hard case.
Variations
- Cut the sugar and add black pepper and hard cheese for a savory version.
- A handful of dried berries scattered over the batter before the lid goes on works; fresh fruit adds water and slows the rise.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/lodge-skillet-dutch-baby-pancakes-recipe