Becoming an Outdoor Woman

Folk School Fairbanks June 2014 Campfire Dutch Oven Syllabus

Students will cook two or more items: Biscuits, cinnamon rolls or a loaf of breads. We will master heat control with the Dutch Oven, the main objective of the course. The various biscuits and breads will provide full confidence in the added fun a Dutch Oven brings to the outdoor experience.

1 st Item: Biscuits

2 nd Item: Choose one Cinnamon Rolls Basque Beer Bread Yeast bread

3rd Item (If time allows): Dutch Boy Pancakes

Course objectives: Students learn heat control for baking with a Dutch Oven using charcoal. They will be able to judge the amount of heat to place below the oven and on top of the oven. Students will gain confidence in their ability to cook outdoors with a Dutch Oven. Safety issues include awareness of fire, hot cast metal ovens and charcoal laden metal tables with attention to the use of hot pads, gloves and appropriate clothing. Instructor: Bruce Campbell, [email protected], Bruce’s cookbook at: www.russia-alaska.co m Bruce’s Dutch Oven Biscuits

2 cups flour 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ cup sugar 1/3-cup milk powder 1 ½ teaspoon salt 1/2-cup cold butter 3/4 cup water (approximate)

Thoroughly mix dry ingredients together. Shave butter into the flour with a knife, then mix well with a fork. (Package for camping) Slowly add about 3/4 cup water to the flour mixture. Stir minimally to moisten dry ingredients adding water if needed to make a damp dough, just too soft to knead. Drop by spoon full into Dutch oven. Bake in a hot oven (450 degrees) until golden, about 20 minutes. Nothing can compare with fresh hot biscuits on a campout. Simple, quick, and very much appreciated by everyone, they are also the best practice for your Dutch Oven skills. Don’t hesitate to add apricots, raisins, or shredded cheese. If you can find dried green apples, substitute brown sugar for the white sugar and add a dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg, plus a pinch of all spice, yielding a wonderful apple pie flavored biscuit. Add even more flavor with the zest of an orange or lemon. Biscuits are the most difficult recipe to put on paper, because I never measure the ingredients! My mother always rolled her biscuits out on a floured board, but after watching hundreds of students (all far better cooks than I) I now believe the dough should be almost too wet to handle – and should be spooned into the baking dish. And don’t hesitate to practice with store bought biscuits in a tube. Charlie River Cinnamon Rolls 10” Dutch Oven

3 cups flour 2 pkg. fast acting yeast About 1 cup warm water 3 teaspoons baking powder 2-tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp ginger 2 cups raisins, chopped apricots, cranberries & pecans 1 cup brown sugar 2-3 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. cinnamon 1 tbsp. ginger ½ freshly grated nutmeg 2-4 tbsp. oil Combine yeast, 2 tsp sugar, and 1-cup warm water in a mixing bowl, let sit 5 minutes. Mix in flour, yeast, baking powder, ginger, and just enough extra warm water to make a soft dough. Roll the dough out like a thick, rectangular pizza onto a floured surface. Spread the butter across the dough. Cover with a layer of raisins, cranberries, dried cherries, pecans and top with a generous layer of brown sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon and ginger over the raisins and sugar. Grate about ½ of a nutmeg over the top. Carefully lift the long edge of the rectangle and fold the dough and toppings into a roll. Weld the top edge together with moist fingers. Add oil to the Dutch oven and preheat it. Either slice the rolled up dough and place individual rolls into a warm oiled Dutch Oven, or place the entire roll into the oven and form a ring. Bake 30 to 40 minutes. The brown sugar will melt out of the rolls and into the oil and form a candy caramel on the bottom of the oven.

I first made these rolls on the Charlie River. The only large flat spot I could find to roll out the dough was the bottom of an overturned plastic canoe on . Just butter or flour the canoe, roll out the dough, ladle on the filling, and toss into your Dutch Oven! Sam’s Basque Beer Bread 10” Dutch Oven

3 cups flour 4 tsp baking powder ½ cup sugar 1 tablespoon oil 12 ounce bottle of beer (any flavor) dash salt

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, oil and salt. Pour in the beer and mix quickly with as few strokes as possible. Pour the soft sponge dough into a warm, buttered Dutch Oven. Bake 45 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees.

This recipe produces a quick yeast-flavored bread without the extra time required for rising and kneading a true yeast dough. It is perfect for the campfire. Yeast Bread

3 cups bread flour 2 packages Quick Yeast Dash salt 1 1/8 cup Warm water 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/8 teaspoon ginger (an old WWII trick to quicken yeast) Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water, let sit 5 min. Add remaining ingredients and stir into a shaggy mass (too sticky to knead). Scrape onto floured board and knead 8—10 min. adding more flour to get a smooth elastic dough. Transfer to lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Place into oiled Dutch Oven. Place three coals under the oven, four on top and let dough rise for 15 to 20 minutes. (Dough must not rise so much that it will touch the top of the oven and burn.) Add full heat (8 to 10 coals on the bottom and 18 to 20 coals on top and bake 30 to 40 minutes until deep golden brown and a tap on the loaf gives a light hollow sound.

For years I wanted to bring yeast bread to this class, but Alaska is usually too cold and waiting for dough to rise just takes too long. I had to find a faster and simpler way. Once again, the Perch Restaurant, Carlo Creek, Denali Alaska, came to the rescue! Over a wonderful diner, I noticed they sell bread “kits” along with their recipe, a recipe that calls for double the normal amount of yeast. There it was: the critical secret to cooking yeast bread outdoors in Alaska: Double the yeast for one quick rise! DUTCH BOY PANCAKES www.cookscountry.com/ 12-Inch Dutch Oven

Batter 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil 1 c. all-purpose flour ¼ cup cornstarch 2 teaspoons lemon zest ½ teaspoon salt

3 eggs 1 1/4 c. skim milk 1 tablespoon melted and cooled unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping: 2 teaspoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions: Coat sides and bottom of 12” Dutch Oven with 2 tablespoons olive oil Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Combine flour, cornstarch, lemon zest, and salt

Whisk 3 eggs until light and fluffy Whisk milk, butter, and vanilla into eggs Add 1/3 of milk mixture to flour mixture until no lumps remain, then slowly whisk in remaining milk mixture until smooth

Slowly pour batter into hot 12” oven Bake about 20 minutes until edges are deep golden brown and crisp Drizzle with lemon juice Sprinkle with powdered sugar