Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes, Camp Version
Fall spices and pumpkin in a skillet, mixed from a bag you filled at home.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 96
- protein
- 12 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 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
- Liquid fuel
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Whole wheat pastry flour | 2 cups | pastry flour, not bread flour, or they turn to hockey pucks |
|---|---|---|
| Baking powder | 2 tsp | |
| Baking soda | 1/2 tsp | |
| Brown sugar | 3 tbsp | |
| Cinnamon | 1 1/2 tsp | |
| Nutmeg | 1/4 tsp | |
| Ground ginger | 1/4 tsp | |
| Sea salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Powdered whole milk | 1/3 cup | reconstitutes to about 1 cup |
| Powdered eggs | 3 tbsp | stands in for 2 eggs |
| Freeze-dried pumpkin powder | 1/2 cup | or carry one 15 oz can of puree and skip the rehydrating |
| Ghee or oil | 4 tbsp | 2 for the batter, 2 for the pan |
Method
- Put the pumpkin powder in your pot with 2 cups of water. Let it sit 30 minutes while you get the fire going. It needs the full time to stop being gritty.
- Add the milk powder, egg powder, 2 tbsp of the fat, and about 1 cup more water. Stir until smooth.
- Dump in the dry bag. Stir until the flour is wet and stop. Lumps are fine. Overmixing is what makes whole wheat tough.
- Grease a skillet and set it over medium coals or a low stove flame. Too hot and the outside burns before the middle sets.
- Pour rounds about 4 inches across. Flip when the edges look dry and bubbles hold their shape, roughly 3 minutes. Another 2 on the second side.
Pancakes are a car-camp breakfast because they need a flat pan, a controlled flame, and a spatula. This version moves the whole thing into powders so nothing has to ride in a cooler. Milk, eggs, and pumpkin all come back from dry with water and time.
The pumpkin soak is the only part that takes patience. Half an hour with warm water turns the powder into real puree; rush it and you get sandy batter. Whole wheat pastry flour matters for the same reason it does at home. It has less gluten, so the pancakes stay soft even when a camp cook stirs too long.
Packing
Flour, leaveners, sugar, spices, and salt go in one bag at home. Milk powder, egg powder, and pumpkin powder in a second bag so you can start the pumpkin soaking first. Fat in a leakproof jar.
Variations
- Canned pumpkin puree instead of powder: one 15 oz can, skip the soak, cut the added water to about 1 cup.
- Swap oil for the ghee and use a nondairy milk powder to take the dairy out.
- Stir in a handful of chopped dried apple for something to chew on.
https://www.theseasonalhomestead.com/old-fashioned-whole-wheat-pumpkin-pancakes