Bread logs

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erehweslefox

Sous Chef
Joined
May 20, 2016
Messages
578
Location
Hatfield, PA
OK here is a good food for weekend backpack trips, or car camping, particularly if you are cooking for a group of people eating at different times. You do need a fire, this isn't a backpacking stove meal.

The concept is make a pizza dough in the usual fashion. I'll give my version below.

I let it rise twice, and knock it down, want it a little over-risen so I don't get as much cooking rise.

Roll it out into rectangles, about what an individual portion would be for baking an individual pizza, but make it a rectangle, not a round, little trickier to roll out, but not too hard.

Top with anything. Tomato sauce, spinach, ground beef, cheese. Think of it as a subset of pizza or brochette.

Now the fun part, roll it into a log, wrap it double in heavy tin foil, and freeze.

In camp you can prick some fork holes (not too many) in the foil, throw directly into the coals, and just let bake. After it sits awhile, the bread should cook up, the toppings cook through (I do pre-cook the meats or any harder veges like squash), and you can just slice it like a cheese log, and make roundels.

They can be eaten with fingers, and the leftover foil can be used to wrap up any scraps and easily packed out.

If you start on a Friday night with this frozen, it will still be cold on Saturday, particularly if it is buried a little in the pack, and wrapped in a dishtowel, depending, of course, on temperature.

For car camping, you can make a bin of these, and people can pick one out, and chuck them into the fire, and retrieve them at their leisure. I suggest an indelible pen to mark the fillings, and initials, most of the time, you can still see it in the fire. Kids I find like to cook their own dinner, just of course, normal caution with kids and hot stuff/fires. A good solution for a campfire where people are coming and going, as they can make their own dinner.

I've also gone with One Big log, the size of a whole large pizza, but I prefer individual portions, as they seem to cook more evenly, and I don't have the same problems with baking rise I do with a large loaf.

You can store these in a freezer for a while, and after about half hour at 400 degrees from frozen, make a good emergency appetizer if out of town friends show up. I even throw them in while the oven is heating, let them thaw a bit, cut them into rounds, sprinkle on some oregano and grate some fresh parm cheese, and serve them on a tray.

Anyway, dough I use for this is my basic pizza, but the rising is modified, because I don't want that much oven (or campfire) rise.

NOTE: I do not have a mixer, so this is designed to be done by hand. If you have a mixer, consult your instructions for settings, I'd keep it on the low side, I've got a good grip from baking a lot and some light rock climbing, but I can't get close to a commercial or even household mixer. Hands aren't that strong. Generally as it is after I make a dough I have to shake it off a bit before writing in my journal, dough makes hands tired.

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Dough

1/4 cup light red or white wine
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 oz fresh yeast or 1 pkg instant
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil
3.5 cups all purpose flour (14.875 oz), plus extra to flour board

combine 1/2 cup warm water with yeast and syrup or honey to proof (unnecessary if using instant yeast) and let sit five minutes until frothy.

Add salt to flour and sift, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add yeast mixture, remaining water and wine (if using instant yeast, all water, wine, syrup and yeast can be added together). Mix until a dough is formed, incorporating all ingredients well.

Let sit five minutes to relax.

Vigorously knead on floured board at least 6 minutes, periodically stopping to stretch dough in two directions just until about to break. It will be kneaded when the dough is smooth, and stretches well in two directions.

Form into a round, coat with second tbsp olive oil (or a bit less), and let sit covered in warm place 40 minutes, or until doubled.

Knock the dough down, and give a brief knead to reincorporate everything. Let sit ten to fifteen minutes.

(making normal pizza I'd then roll it out, making this I'll do another step)

Knock down again, same, with a brief knead, form into a round. Let sit five minutes.

Divide and roll out into rectangles, top and roll into logs, wrap in double tin foil. Refrigerate or freeze immediately.

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OK I know the dough recipe sounds complex, but it really isn't. Any decent bread dough recipe you like I think will work. The idea is to work it a little more than you normally would, so it doesn't have as much oven rise when cooking. Given it is rolled and not flatbread, it end up doughy enough with a lower rise.

You do need to poke some fork holes in the foil before throwing in the fire, to let gas out, otherwise you get a nice campfire dough flour (If you even see it happen you know what I mean), but you don't want huge holes, want gas to get out, but fire not to get in.

Anyway, these are a favorite, hope you enjoy them, campers and home cooks.

TBS
 
Yeah, you could certainly use your iPhone. If you keep it relatively short you can upload it to youtube since they cap larger videos for newer users. Or you could try vimeo!

It may be easier for someone else to hold the phone for you while you do your thing :)
 
If you are doing it yourself, reverse your camera as if you are doing a selfie. This way you can see when you prop it up just where it is aimed without having to run behind and adjust.

looking forward to your 'movie debut' lol
 
Thanks for posting this idea - spectacular! Can you discuss why you use wine in the dough? It's an interesting idea..
 
Thanks for posting this idea - spectacular! Can you discuss why you use wine in the dough? It's an interesting idea..

Mainly because it adds a little bit of acid, and some flavor. Not really sure why I do it, it just is the way I've always made pizza dough... I don't generally use it when I make bread, though. Seems to fit well with pizza dough for some reason. I like the pizza dough to be as savory as possible.
 

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