Orange Pistachio Camp Loaf
A dutch oven loaf built on shelf-stable dry milk, oil, and powdered eggs. Orange and pistachio do the work.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 7 g
- serves
- 10
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 55 min
- total time
- 70 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.
- Dessert
- Snack
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| All-purpose flour | 2 1/4 cups | |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 1/4 cups | |
| Whole egg powder | 1/2 cup | stands in for 4 eggs |
| Powdered whole milk | 1/4 cup | |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | |
| Baking soda | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Roasted pistachios, chopped | 1 cup | reserve 2 tbsp for the top |
| Neutral oil | 1 cup | replaces the butter, no cooler needed |
| Orange extract | 1 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried orange peel | 1 tbsp | stands in for fresh zest |
| Water | 3/4 cup | |
| Powdered sugar | 1 cup | for the glaze, packed separately |
| Orange drink powder | 1 tsp | glaze flavor, no juice to carry |
Method
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals. You want steady heat, not flame.
- Pour the dry mix into the dutch oven liner or a bowl. Add the oil, extract, and 3/4 cup water. Stir until no dry flour remains, then fold in the pistachios. Do not beat it.
- Oil the dutch oven well and scrape the batter in. Level the top and scatter the reserved pistachios over it.
- Lid on. Set the oven on about 8 coals and put 16 on the lid. Rotate the oven a quarter turn every 10 minutes, and the lid the opposite way, or one side burns.
- Bake 50 to 60 minutes. A twig pushed into the center comes out clean when it is done.
- Let it cool with the lid off. Stir the powdered sugar and drink powder with a tablespoon of water until it pours, then spoon it over.
This started as an oven pound cake with a pound of butter, four eggs, and fresh orange juice. None of that survives a weekend in a car. Oil replaces the butter and behaves better warm, egg powder and milk powder replace the fridge items, and extract plus dried peel carry the orange without a piece of fruit going soft in the food bin.
The dutch oven is the whole method. Most coals go on the lid so the heat comes from above and the bottom does not scorch before the middle sets. Rotating both oven and lid is not optional over a real fire, where one side always runs hotter than the other.
Packing
Combine flour, sugar, egg powder, milk powder, leaveners, salt, and orange peel in one bag at home. Pistachios in a second bag so they stay whole. Powdered sugar and drink powder in a small third bag. Oil in a leakproof bottle.
Variations
- Skip the glaze and eat it as a breakfast bread with coffee.
- Dried cranberries in place of half the pistachios if someone in camp cannot have nuts, but then the pistachios have to leave entirely.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/orange-pistachio-pound-cake