Dutch Oven Corn and Smoked Gouda Bread
Cornbread with creamed corn and smoked gouda baked in a dutch oven over coals.
- calories
- 270
- weight
- 3 oz
- cal / oz
- 90
- protein
- 11 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 18 min
- total time
- 28 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
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Self-rising cornmeal mix | 1 1/4 cups | already has leavening; plain cornmeal will not rise |
|---|---|---|
| Whole milk powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for 3/4 cup fresh milk |
| Sour cream powder | 3 tbsp | buttermilk powder works too |
| Powdered whole egg | 2 tbsp | equals one egg |
| Sea salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Smoked gouda | 5 oz | shredded at home, about 1 1/2 cups |
| Canned creamed corn | 1/2 cup | a small can, drained of nothing |
| Oil or shortening | 1 tbsp | for the pot |
Method
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals. You want a bed you can shovel from, not flames.
- Grease the dutch oven and set it near the coals to warm while you mix.
- In a bowl or a gallon bag, stir the cornmeal mix, milk powder, sour cream powder, egg powder, and salt with 180 ml of cold water until it is a thick batter. Let it sit two minutes so the powders hydrate.
- Fold in the creamed corn and the gouda. Do not overwork it.
- Scrape the batter into the hot pot, lid on. Set the oven on a ring of coals and pile more on the lid, roughly twice as many on top as underneath.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes. It is done when the edges pull from the pot and a knife comes out clean. Rotate the pot and the lid a quarter turn every five minutes so it does not scorch on one side.
This started as an oven recipe with fresh milk, a real egg, and sour cream, none of which survive a weekend in a car. Milk powder, egg powder, and sour cream powder rehydrate into the same batter and weigh a fraction as much. The creamed corn stays canned because it is the only thing here supplying moisture and sweetness, and there is no dried version worth carrying.
Heat management is the whole job. A dutch oven with coals only underneath burns the bottom before the middle sets, so most of them go on the lid. Smoked gouda is the right cheese because it is firm enough to travel unrefrigerated for a couple of days and it does not turn the crumb greasy the way a soft cheese would.
Packing
Combine the cornmeal, all three powders, and the salt in one bag at home. Cheese goes in its own bag and keeps for days out of the sun; the creamed corn rides in its can and the empty can comes home with you.
Variations
- A diced jalapeno or a spoonful of pickled peppers cuts the richness.
- No dutch oven: spread the batter thin in a covered skillet over low coals and expect a flatter, crustier bread.
- Sharp cheddar with a pinch of smoked paprika gets close if you cannot find smoked gouda.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/creamed-corn-and-smoked-gouda-cornsticks