Simple and Delicious Stick Bread Recipe
Required Items
While you can eyeball the measurements in the field for this recipe, we’ll walk through a more precise example so you can practice in your kitchen. You will need a large mixing bowl, a kitchen scale, measuring cup and measuring spoons in addition to the following ingredients:
1 tablespoon of dry yeast
1 tablespoon of salt
3 cups of water
2 cups of flour
Measure the flour and sift most of it into a bowl if desired, however you can pour the flour directly as well. Add the salt on top of the flour, then cover the salt with a little more flour. Add the yeast on top of the layer of flour. It is important that you do not allow the yeast to come into contact with the salt, so make sure that the layer of flour is thick enough to act as a barrier between the two ingredients.
Slowly add the water and start mixing the dough. Pick it up from the bottom and fold it over the top and continue until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Don’t vigorously stir the mixture, rather start out with a kitchen spoon and then knead it with your hands gently but firmly. This will allow air into the dough and help the yeast to do its thing. It is ready once it is firm enough to retain its shape and not stick to your hands or the side of the bowl.
Give the dough between 30-45 minutes to set and rise. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of flour on the dough and knead it for a minute or two right before cooking.
Cooking the Bread
Start the fire, find a stick that’s about ½ inch thick and clean off about 6-9 inches from the end, depending on how big you want your bread. Wait until the fire burns and produces glowing red embers on the bottom. Break the dough into individual portions that are about the size of a fist, and use some flour to coat your hands to prevent it from sticking. Gently pull the bread so it forms a strip that’s at least two inches wide and less than ¼ inch thick. You will be surprised how long the strip will get, so feel free to use less dough per stick if necessary. Be careful not to let the dough tear or get paper-thin in certain spots. Aim for consistency throughout.
Place one end of the dough strip on the stick and twist so the dough winds down around the upper portion of the stick. Once the strip is attached, place above the embers and start to roast the bread. It will puff up and brown as it cooks, and make sure that you find the sweet spot that will brown the bread without burning it. Twist the stick to provide even coverage and keep roasting until the bread is cooked all the way through. You can break off a small piece to check.
Feel free to add some different seasonings or coat the outside of the dough with additional ingredients to enhance the flavor of the bread. You can also use a barbecue grill and charcoal if you are not camping and get the same results. This simple recipe is a great way to get your carbs without spending a lot of time kneading and baking bread, and the whole process can take less than an hour from start to finish.