Baking Bread and Camp Cooking

mikerezny

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We need a drool icon for these posts................................
Hi,
the big test is tomorrow morning: bacon and egg muffins.

When we are camping, we are mostly self-sufficient now: making either bread rolls or damper. But it shouldn't be hard to make these muffins when we are camping. The challenge will be to cook them on a public gas / electric BBQ or the cast iron plate on my chippie.

Come to think of it. The original chippie is on its last legs. Not bad almost 6 years on at a cost of $9.95 from Bunnings. Its replacement is waiting at home ready to take over. On our camping trip last week to Glenlyon, it cooked damper number 73. As well as the many breads, pastas, hamburgers, bacon and eggs, boiled vegetables and the endless kettles and billies of hot water for tea, coffee, washing, and washing up.

take care
Mike
 
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Crusty181

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Hi,
fresh from the oven of Mike this afternoon: English muffins.
Some time ago, I tried a few times to make them from a recipe on the Bread Kitchen but with limited success so I lost interest.

I got interested again this week and hunted through the internet and found a recipe I was more comfortable with:
www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-english-muffins/#recipe-video

This recipe takes from 12-18 hours and I am really happy with the result. Did a taste test and got the thumbs up from all four of us.

take care
Mike
View attachment 68605
They certainly look like theyre supposed to. Well done
 

Drover

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Hi,
the big test is tomorrow morning: bacon and egg muffins. 25SEPT2022
Okay, 04OCT2022 no pics of the bacon and egg Muffins, I can only drool for so long.................................................. the chippy would have drowned on my last trip..
 

mikerezny

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Okay, 04OCT2022 no pics of the bacon and egg Muffins, I can only drool for so long.................................................. the chippy would have drowned on my last trip..
Hi,
sorry, they were so good that they didn't last long enough to take any photos!

I am baking another batch today so I will try to take a photo of them tomorrow.

We are going on a 19-day camping trip on Sunday: Melville Caves, Lake Wooroonook, Pink Lakes, Hopetoun, Donald, and Teddington Reservoir.
Going to start using my new chippie. Might try to make English muffins on it.

take care
Mike
 
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Drover

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I hope the weather stays good for you......................... I am cheating with a loaf getting banged about in my bread machine, allowed a slice for toast with my breakfast googies....................... life is so sad at times.
 
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mikerezny

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I hope the weather stays good for you......................... I am cheating with a loaf getting banged about in my bread machine, allowed a slice for toast with my breakfast googies....................... life is so sad at times.
Hi,
nothing wrong with using a bread machine. I borrowed one from a friend to get started. I have been given one which I want to use to eventually mix and knead the very wet doughs that are used in focaccia and ciabatta. My mate in the UK has been baking bread in a bread machine for many years. He makes really nice wholewheat bread. Puts in the ingredients before they go to bed and wake up in the morning with the smell of bread baking. Yummo.

The best is that home-baked bread will not have all the additives: anti-fungals, raising agents, preservatives that are commonly used in mass produced bread.

take care
Mike
 
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1DayIll

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Hi,
nothing wrong with using a bread machine. I borrowed one from a friend to get started. I have been given one which I want to use to eventually mix and knead the very wet doughs that are used in focaccia and ciabatta. My mate in the UK has been baking bread in a bread machine for many years. He makes really nice wholewheat bread. Puts in the ingredients before they go to bed and wake up in the morning with the smell of bread baking. Yummo.

The best is that home-baked bread will not have all the additives: anti-fungals, raising agents, preservatives that are commonly used in mass produced bread.

take care
Mike
So Mike,
if it has no "additives: anti-fungals, raising agents, preservatives that are commonly used in mass produced bread." How will it taste like bread?
:D:abnormal::oops::biggrin1:
 

mikerezny

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So Mike,
if it has no "additives: anti-fungals, raising agents, preservatives that are commonly used in mass produced bread." How will it taste like bread?
:D:abnormal::oops::biggrin1:
Hi,
that is a really good question!

One of the issues I had when I started baking was comparing what I was making to what I was used to, being disappointed that it wasn't the same, and trying to find out what I was doing wrong in an attempt to "get it right".

It took a while to understand that the bread one makes at home will rarely ever taste like mass-produced bread.

Eventually, it sunk in and I started to taste the bread I baked and decide whether we actually liked it or not. After a couple of years of getting more experience, learning from others to improve what I do, the answer is a resounding: yes, we like the bread we make at home. We still occasionally buy bread and it is also nice. But I don't compare them with what we make.

Mike
 

MDS69

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The best is that home-baked bread will not have all the additives: anti-fungals, raising agents, preservatives that are commonly used in mass produced bread.

take care
Mike

My daughter is allergic to maize and soy. Do you know how many food products have these ingredients. Anyway we were making bread in the bread maker for her as mass produced bread has the maize and soy. Discovered Woolworths baked in store bread is free from maize and soy so we buy that now. The problem is because it is missing all the good stuff mass produced bread contains it only lasts around 2-3 days before it goes stale then mouldy.
We still also purchase mass produced bread as my teenage son won’t eat the Woolworths bread. Have to admit I prefer the mass produced to Woolworths baked in store bread as well.
 
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mikerezny

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My daughter is allergic to maize and soy. Do you know how many food products have these ingredients. Anyway we were making bread in the bread maker for her as mass produced bread has the maize and soy. Discovered Woolworths baked in store bread is free from maize and soy so we buy that now. The problem is because it is missing all the good stuff mass produced bread contains it only lasts around 2-3 days before it goes stale then mouldy.
We still also purchase mass produced bread as my teenage son won’t eat the Woolworths bread. Have to admit I prefer the mass produced to Woolworths baked in store bread as well.
Hi,
if you don't already do it, adding some oil to the dough can increase the shelf life a little.
Mike
 
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Drover

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So Mike,
if it has no "additives: anti-fungals, raising agents, preservatives that are commonly used in mass produced bread." How will it taste like bread?
:D:abnormal::oops::biggrin1:

Because when its just cooled down you slice off the end crust, add some proper butter and a smear of Vegemite, your suddenly transported to a time when i was a kid in Mums kitchen.................. the taste of heaven.
 

Drover

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The problem is because it is missing all the good stuff mass produced bread contains it only lasts around 2-3 days before it goes stale then mouldy.

When we could get those baked in store we would freeze half of it till we needed it, didn't seem to loose any quality, still quite nice... Up here in summer bread can go mouldy fairly quickly at times.............
 

mikerezny

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Because when its just cooled down you slice off the end crust, add some proper butter and a smear of Vegemite, your suddenly transported to a time when i was a kid in Mums kitchen.................. the taste of heaven.
Hi,
ahh, the memories...

When I was at school in Maryborough, Queensland, in the sixties, I delivered papers and Maryborough had quite a lot of bakeries with wood-fired ovens. No gas or electric ovens in the town.
On my way home after the morning run, I would go around to the back of the bakery (too early for the front of the bakery to be open) and wait for the first loaves to come out of the oven. They were white loaves that would break into two halves.
They were so hot I had to juggle the loaf on my handlebars till they cooled down enough so I could break the loaf in half and start picking the dough from the middle.
When I got home, I had just enough time to get dressed for school, cut off two large slices of bread, cover them in butter and vegemite and eat the sandwich (breakfast) as I rode to school.

Mike
 

mikerezny

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Hi,
from the oven of Mike, here is my first attempt at making Cinnamon Rolls. Very happy with the result and they were actually quite easy to make. Also got a big thumbs up from my dedicated taster!

I used the recipe and video from:
https://merryboosters.com/homemade-cinnamon-rolls-quick-and-easy-recipe/
But used less butter (50g) each for the dough and the filling. I also put a strip of stewed apple along the start of the roll up.

The icing is a simple three ingredient from:
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/vanilla-icing/
with only a dash of vanilla.

cheers
Mike
IMG_5644.JPG
 

Boots in Action

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Hi,
from the oven of Mike, here is my first attempt at making Cinnamon Rolls. Very happy with the result and they were actually quite easy to make. Also got a big thumbs up from my dedicated taster!

I used the recipe and video from:
https://merryboosters.com/homemade-cinnamon-rolls-quick-and-easy-recipe/
But used less butter (50g) each for the dough and the filling. I also put a strip of stewed apple along the start of the roll up.

The icing is a simple three ingredient from:
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/vanilla-icing/
with only a dash of vanilla.

cheers
Mike
View attachment 68671
Hi Mike @mikerezny , congratulations. You are becoming the professional chef for members on this forum. Look (and taste?) delicious. Wish I could be so good at cooking. I think I will stay with my electrics and solar generation.
 
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mikerezny

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Hi,
we got held up in Woomelang on a camping trip during the last deluge in Victoria.

Anyway, whilst there for four nights waiting to see if we could get to Pink Lakes, I had to figure out how to make bread or damper when it was mostly wet or raining, so no chance or inclination to unpack the chippie.

But since we had power and a portable two burner electric hotplate, me thinks could I use the hotplate instead of the chippie to make bread or damper.

Turns out it worked great. Made 6 pitta / pocket breads that were most acceptable. Two for lunch, two as bacon and egg burgers for breakfast, and the last two made a couple of great hamburgers for dinner.

Then, flushed with success, I ventured into making my traditional damper in the large frying pan. Turned out really well.

Sorry, no pictures, so you will have to take my word for it!

cheers
Mike
 
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Drover

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I have a box of Spelt dough, so sometime when the stars are aligned I will chuck it n my Bread Machine to get mashed about then I will make some litttle Spelt Buns for the bride, tossing up in oven or under the lid on the webber !!!!! too steamy for oven so Webber may get a try..... old timers kicks in and I only remember it just before beer o'clock, note on fridge needed................

Just looking at those Cinnamon Rolls sends Mrs D looking for her blood sugar thingy............ so sad........... I just drool.............
 

Drover

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I got to make the Spelt rolls over the break, amazingly they turned out okay, due to all sorts of can't have this and can't have that they were just plain unadorned rolls, but G kids ate them, oh for a cream bun with real cream and homemade jam...............
 

mikerezny

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Hi,
first bake of the year. My partner has been prompting me for ages to bake a French Fougasse.
I finally got to give it a try this morning. 90% plain flour, 10% wholemeal and added some chopped olives, rosemary, and a little garlic.
They turned out quite well and have a nice taste.

take care
Mike
IMG_5743.JPG