• Baked bread. Kate Remmer/Unsplash
    Baked bread. Kate Remmer/Unsplash
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Mid-way through a multi-day walk, there's nothing to match a warm fresh loaf of proper bread.

Damper is OK when you have no yeast to make bread, BUT when you compare real leavened bread with damper, there's no comparison and there is no reason bar preparation time not to enjoy fresh bread in the bush. Buy a small lump of fresh yeast from the deli and on a rest day in a basecamp you can make a leavened delight.

The perfect receptacle for your dough is an aluminium Trangia or similar saucepan-type pot. It will turn out out a nice round cobb-like loaf. It will also be good to evenly transfer heat from coals, not direct flame – stainless steel pots get hot spots and char bread; not ideal. Don't bake in direct flames, rather build a fire early and generate a bed of coals. Put your pot in a few coals, but pile some around the side and put a good scoop on top of the pot lid or a folded sheet of foil. Lubricate the pot interior with a good dollop of olive oil when about to bake.

Ingredients:

20gm fresh yeast, ¼ teaspoon sugar, 350ml warm water, 1 tbsp honey or brown sugar, 2-tsp salt, 350g white flour, 350g wholemeal flour, some olive oil.

Method:

Mash yeast and sugar with 2 tbsp water and leave 15 minutes in a warm place. Mix honey, salt and warm water together. Put mixed together flour in aluminium pot, make well in the centre and pour in yeast mix and honey-water mix and mash it all together getting a big ball of dough and flour a flat surface (doubled foil is good on a flat rock eg) and knead the dough ball for 10 minutes. Clean the pot and smear it with oil and put the kneaded dough back in the pot, cover with a wet tea towel and leave in a warm spot for one hour, by which time the dough will have doubled in size (this is called “proving”).

Turn dough out on floured foil again, punch the dough twice and knead a further few minutes. Return to the oiled pot and prove for a further half hour and then bake for 30-40 minutes.

Retrieve baked loaf and allow to cool a little before slicing. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, honey or Golden Syrup and you will feel you dined like the King of Siam.

 

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