Ash Cake's

At the Wilderness Learning Center, we make "twist bread" on our trips out in the bush and dabble with a stone oven on the school property. Ash cakes aren't my cup of tea when the other two alternatives taste too damn good and are easy to make.

Here is a picture of the twist bread. Add some jelly or peanut butter and you have a great meal.

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Here are some pictures of the rock oven at the WLC. You would be amazed how quickly this baby cooks. The heat lasts and lasts and lasts!

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Remember too that wheat flour bread has gluten in it that helps it hold together (as above). Tater flakes and corn don't. That is just one reason I prefer to cook mine on a flat ash dusted rock in the coals. I put the rock in the firepit and build the fire over and around it, then clear it off before baking. I also use limestone/sandstone. Some types of rocks will explode when heated that way. Someone can jump in here and tell us which. But I think some cherts do.
 
Codger,

As a general rule, I don't use rocks nearby water sources for various heating tasks. I also won't use slate as I've had a bad experience a few years ago with the rocks popping when heated.

Kev
 
k_estela ,

Cool photos, thanks for sharing! I'm currently building a Wilderness database that anyone can edit. You can check it out at http://klippe.funditor.org/. It's only a couple of days old, but has some people dedicated to its growth. I'd like to ask for your permission to use a couple of the photos you just posted in an article planning to be written on camp-cooking and another on twist-bread. A picture is worth 1000 words, so we'd really appreciate it. In fact, if you would like to write an article, or just a simple recipe (what you mix and how long it's over the fire), feel free to do so!

Thank you,
CanDo
 
Cando,

The photos are mine but the chef behind the scenes is Marty Simon. He is on Bladeforums too and I'm pretty sure he'd be o.k. with showing these photos elsewhere. These pics were snapped on the WLC reunion trip this past summer and at the Advanced Survival Course in August. I'll have better pictures after the Pennsylvania trip in less than 2 weeks if you want to wait. The recipe is pretty simple for twistbread, it just requires bisquick mix made thick. I would be more than happy to help you write an article if you need me to. Just e-mail me.
 
For a treat, take some cheese, some (cooked) bacon pieces and crack an egg onto the dough, then fold it over and cook it. Best campfire breakfast you'll ever eat (next to fresh trout of course !):thumbup:

Haven't tried cooking it on ash though. Sounds like a good reason to make a fire ! As for recipes...it's pretty hard to mess up because it doesn't really matter, IME.
Then again, my cookbook would be called "cooking with power tools" or "caveman cuisine" or something, so YMMV.

Start with flour, water,pinch of salt, tsp or so baking powder and anything else you have to throw in. Sub the water with milk if you have it, add some sugar, honey or maple syrup, diced meat and cheese...whatever. One of my favorite things about backpacking is that you can eat loads of calories w/o filling up. It's really good with cinnamon and fresh blackberries and drizzled with brandy...

I imagine it would be great to do a pig-in-a-blanket thing with some landjaeger or smoked chorizo or something as well.

Good camp food makes even a miserable trip memorable.:D

EDIT: I noticed in the linked site it suggests a hardwood (only) plank. Anyone tried it on a wet cedar plank like doing a salmon fillet ?
 
Codger_64 said:
Some types of rocks will explode when heated that way. Someone can jump in here and tell us which. But I think some cherts do.
Click to expand...

I have had that very thing happen to me using rocks beside a stream in the Western Carolina mountains. I had heard of it hapenning but never experienced it till then, I will tell you those rocks don't just pop or split they explode.

Rocks taken from water are the worst culprits, they have small cavities filled with water, when heated it turns to steam and expands until the rock finally lets go. The violence of the explosion really surprised me and at the very least it would be possible to lose an eye. Everyone be careful and never take rocks from the water or even close to it for your fire. Chris
 
runningboar said:
I have had that very thing happen to me using rocks beside a stream in the Western Carolina mountains. I had heard of it hapenning but never experienced it till then, I will tell you those rocks don't just pop or split they explode.

Rocks taken from water are the worst culprits, they have small cavities filled with water, when heated it turns to steam and expands until the rock finally lets go. The violence of the explosion really surprised me and at the very least it would be possible to lose an eye. Everyone be careful and never take rocks from the water or even close to it for your fire. Chris
Click to expand...

ya its like a little grenade going off in the fire
 
By the way, if the wilderness training center has a website, feel free to link to it at the end of the article.
 
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