Campfire Bread

Fun Kids' Camping Activity

Tired of s'mores over the open fire? Since we've been doing more campfires, I kept feeling like I wanted something equally festive, but healthier for us all.  So we took a note from Forest Schools and Dutch Adventure Playgrounds and started making bread over the open fire. Campfire bread is a great way to engage kids in cooking, teach fire safety, and keep them excited about camping and spending time outdoors.

Here's our technique:

Make a basic pizza dough. I love this recipe from Vegan on Board (but I modify it a bit):
1 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp honey
2 1/2 cups (300 g) flour (feel free to sub in about a 1/2 c of whole wheat flour. More than that and it'll feel too heavy.)
7/8 cup (200 ml) warm water
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 tsp salt

Combine the water, honey and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until it bubbles. Add the flour, olive oil and salt and combine until fully mixed. Knead for about 5 minutes (the kids can help with this!) Let rise for an hour and then punch it down.

At the campfire, divide into sections. With well-floured hands roll each section into a snake and wrap around a stick about a 1/2 inch in diameter (it needs to be thicker than a marshmallow stick in order to withstand the weight of the dough and the heat of the fire. 

Cook over the hot embers. You don't want the fire to be too blazing, as it is in this picture. (The kids were rather eager to get started!) A fire this hot will burn the outside and leave the inside raw. You want hot embers for a nice even cook. Enjoy with your favorite jam or butter (apple, pumpkin, nut butter, or regular butter, if it is your thing!)

Quick tips

1. Prep the dough in advance. This can be done the morning before you cook or even a day ahead. Just make sure to pull it out about an hour before you want to cook it. 

2. Let the fire burn down to the embers. Let the flames die down before cooking the bread.

3. Bring tasty jams or serve with chili.  Either way is great for a delicious snack or meal!