Bread in camp oven

Yep paCket bread's a goer. All packet bread is, is flour and yeast. PS. a can beer can equal the yeast.

My daughter and I made a packet mix, "Death by chocolate - mudcake" in the camp oven. Not bad!!

A camp oven is just the same as any other. It's just that the heat comes from coals through the cast iron. Conducted rather than convection and radiation. Royce www.funshow.com.au

BJ,

I can't cook bread, though my wife can, and I've had a couple of camp cooks, in the Kimberley! who could knock up a decent loaf.

As much of the success is in cooking, a good wood to use in the gulf, and other parts, is BAUHINIA, or BEAN TREE. If you can find some of that, nice and dry, then it's tops. Burns down to beautiful, hot glowing coals.

Bark is dark grey and rough, and leaves are roughly circular, in pairs like butterfly wings. There's a fair few growing round Burke & Wills roadhouse on way to Normanton. Think you know where I mean. Hooroo...

3 good cook books for camp ovens
1 viv moon available this site book shop
2 jack absolom camp cooking (or something like that )our books are in van
3 hillbilly cook book they make camp ovens and camp cooking gear.
we have all 3 books and a few others mostly good my wife makes a damper bread in the oven usually costs me half acan of beer but its worth it .you can make all sorts of bread ,fruit bread garlic ,herb check out viv moons book from here has some good basic recipes in it or send me an email address and i will try and get my wife to explain some of her cooking tips for oven most foods come out great but as every one will say bleep e happens and you can get a very small black thing left in the bottom while you are learning to use it .
some of the new ones can be used over gas etc but personally i reckon the flavour comes from the fire .(my email sdann@relax.com.au)
nice peice of beef or lamb beeeutiful
maybe try it out at home over the gas stove89 nissan looking foward to august and more travelling

Hi BJ,

Packet bread is definitely the way to go! Makes the whole bread making thing much easier. Agree with comments above, good coals are essential for bread and pre-heat your campoven. Just follow the directions on the packet, place dough in a bread tin (I use a round ckae tin) and place on a trivet in the CO. Don't get hung up on it being a campoven...with good coals the heat will remain relatively constant and even around your bread so it will cook like in your oven at home. Don't keep lifting the lid off to check the bread, it will ruin it. Use the cooking times supplied in the directions as a guide. To check if its cooked, either tap it...should sound hollow if cooked, or test it with a skewer...should come out clean.

It may take a few tries to get it down pat but stick at it and soon you'll wonder what the fuss was about.

Damper is also very easy to make. For our medium size camp oven I use the following method:

4 cups plain flour, 4 tspns bi-carb soda, pinch of salt, swig of beer and enough water to make a moist dough that is tacky but not sticking to your fingers. Place on a trivet in a cake tin (stops the crust getting burnt), in your pre-heated camp oven. Make sure you've got a good coals, cooking time about 25 minutes. Tastes great with honey or golden syrup.

Once you've mastered the basics you can start experimenting. For a sweet damper toss in some sultana's, chopped dried fruit, cinnamon, and even a bit of honey or golden syrup (but not too much of these or the mixture gets heavy). For a savoury damper add dried chives or herbs, chopped bacon, onion or sundried tomato, and a bit of parmesan cheese (the powdered type).

Enjoy!

:o) MelissaPetrol 4.5L GU Patrol &
Camprite TL8 offroad camper

Yep - the packet bread is the way to go. For our 3 week CSR/Carnarvon Ra trip in 2001 we brought the pkts in a 'box' which had a few different types, cant remember the brand but it is available from Woolies etc. Only problem was getting dough to rise on cooler days while on the move. Sitting it on the dash seemed to work!
Fresh bread, meat and veges for the whole trip - Yum. Wrap fruit and veg individually in paper and store in banana boxes, and get the meat, chicken and fish vacumn packed at the butcher.Colin - Subaru Forester
- size isn't everything ! -

Look up the recipies on the net for Turkish and Indian style breads. They are quick to make and tasty. Many can be cooked in a frypan and make great pocket bread for putting in all types of fillings. We bake these every week on bus trips and often more often at the demand of the passengers. We also demonstrate the making of these breads as the passengers are also impressed at how quickly and easily we serve them quality tasty meals.

Yes I go with the Indian etc. bread. I have kept a special heavy pan only for doing bread on, well seasoned. It takes little time to mix these breads and inexpensive. Take some seeds to add to the top. If you make extra and want to freshen the bread, just wrap in a damp cloth and pop into a warm camp oven for a few minutes.