Reflector Fire Bannock
Flour, fat, and a hot bed of coals. Bread without an oven.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 123
- protein
- 8 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 25 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.
- Breakfast
- Dinner
- Snack
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Backpacking
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| All-purpose flour | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Baking powder | 2 tsp | double-acting, or it quits before the crumb sets |
| Powdered whole milk | 2 tbsp | |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Shortening or olive oil | 2 tbsp | shelf-stable shortening sticks travel without leaking |
| Cold water | about 150 ml | added a splash at a time |
Method
- Burn the fire down to coals. Flames scorch the crust before the middle cooks.
- Dump the dry premix into your pot. Work in the shortening with a spoon until it looks like coarse sand.
- Add water in splashes, stirring, until it pulls together into a shaggy ball. Stop early. Overworked dough goes tough.
- Press the dough into a greased pan or flatten it into a disc about an inch thick.
- Prop the pan at an angle facing the coals, or set it on a grate over the edge of the bed. Cook 10 minutes.
- Flip or turn the pan and give it another 8 to 10 minutes. It is done when a twig comes out of the center dry.
Bannock is bread stripped down to what a fire can actually do. There is no yeast and no proofing, so nothing waits on temperature or time. Baking powder does the lift the moment water hits it, which is why the dough goes to the coals immediately rather than sitting while you find your gloves.
The fat matters more than it looks. It coats the flour and keeps the gluten short, so the result is a tender crumb instead of a hot brick. Powdered milk replaces the fresh milk a home recipe would use and adds a little sugar for browning. Angled heat from a coal bed, rather than direct flame, is what gets the middle done before the outside turns to charcoal.
Packing
Premix flour, baking powder, milk powder, sugar, and salt at home in one bag. Shortening rides in a small screw-top jar. In camp you add water and nothing else.
Variations
- Stir a handful of raisins and cinnamon into the dry mix for a breakfast version.
- Drop spoonfuls into a pot of soup and lid it. They steam into dumplings in about 12 minutes.
- Skip the milk powder and use oil for a vegan loaf. The crumb is drier but it still works.
https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/diy-canvas-baker-tent.17772