Herb and Parmesan Stick Bread
Yeasted dough wrapped on a green stick and turned over coals until it sounds hollow.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 4 oz
- cal / oz
- 83
- protein
- 12 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 150 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
- Snack
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| All-purpose flour | 180 g | plus a little extra for hands and sticky dough |
|---|---|---|
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Sugar | 1 tsp | feeds the yeast |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | |
| Instant dry yeast | 1 tsp | |
| Dried thyme | 1/2 tsp | |
| Grated parmesan | 50 g | the hard dry kind, not the refrigerated tub |
| Water | 150 ml |
Method
- Dump the dry mix into a freezer bag or pot and pour in 150 ml of cold water.
- Work it until there are no dry pockets left. If it sticks to everything, add flour a spoonful at a time until it holds a ball.
- Let it sit while you build the fire. An hour in a warm pack is fine and it will rise on the walk in.
- Burn the fire down to coals. Flames scorch the outside before the middle sets.
- Split the dough into thumb-thick pieces and roll each one 15 to 20 cm long. Spiral it around a peeled green stick and pinch both ends so it does not slide off.
- Hold it over the coals and turn it steadily for 10 to 15 minutes. It is done when the crust is browned and it knocks hollow.
- Twist it off the stick and eat it out of hand.
Stick bread is the one camp bread that needs no pot, no oven, and no lid. The dough is stiff enough to cling to a stick, which is the whole design constraint: too wet and it drips into the coals, too dry and it cracks off in pieces. Keep the spare flour handy and adjust in camp rather than trying to get it perfect at home.
Both baking powder and yeast are in the mix on purpose. The yeast does slow work while the dough rides in your pack; the baking powder covers you if it is cold and the yeast never really wakes up. Hard grated parmesan is shelf-stable and salty enough to season the bread on its own, so no butter or fresh dairy is needed. Cook over coals, not flame, or you get a black shell around raw dough.
Packing
Combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, yeast, thyme, and parmesan in one bag at home. Carry an extra half cup of flour in a second small bag. Water goes in at camp, not before.
Variations
- Swap the thyme for rosemary or an Italian herb blend.
- Leave out the parmesan and brush the baked bread with olive oil and garlic powder instead.
- Wrap the dough around a foil-covered stick if you cannot find clean green wood.
https://petromax.de/blogs/its-all-about-food-1/riitas-krauter-parmesan-stockbrot-halipuu