I’m not a fan of oatmeal, which makes breakfasts in the backcountry a little tricky. In fact I’m not really a breakfast person: sometimes I’ll just make do with coffee and trail mix.
Recently I went on a kayak camping trip with some friends, and after multiple trips where I didn’t really eat breakfast, I was itching to try something different. This trip seemed like the perfect opportunity: we weren’t backpacking, so we weren’t as limited by weight or space. We also had some free time for breakfasts, so something a little elaborate would not hurt.
With a little research, I found a pancake recipe by Tasty which was easy to adapt for the backcountry. As it turns out, it wasn’t very heavy or bulky, so if you have the time, this would be great for a little treat in the wild.
Recipe
Serves: 2
Ideal for: Long backcountry trip
Type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
½ cup (60 g) flour
½ tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 cup water*
2 tablespoons coconut oil**
Put all the dry ingredients together in a container. Keep the coconut oil in a separate tight-lidded container. The water doesn’t need to be carried in if you have access to water at camp.
At Camp- First things first, let’s make the pancake batter. To do this, you’ll add water slowly to the dry ingredients. Make sure you mix as you go, as you may not need all of the water. Stop when you get a slurry-like consistency.
- If you have a small pan, it works best, but it can also work if all you have is a camping pot. Put whatever you have, on the stove and add just a bit of coconut oil. It should melt to cover the entire surface.
- Once the oil is hot, pour in some of the batter, making sure to leave a little gap between that and the pot/pan walls.
- When the pancake starts bubbling, flip and cook the other side. Remove when golden.
- *If space and weight is not an issue, you can use ½ cup soy/oat/almond milk instead, adding some water if that doesn’t get the right batter consistency.
- **Coconut oil is great for backpacking; unless it’s very hot, it stays solid and minimises chances of spillage.
- Finally, you can switch it up a bit with mix-ins or toppings such as maple syrup, peanut butter, nuts from your trail mix, chocolate chips, and berries, especially if there are wild bushes near your camp!
Hehe! I was certainly not expecting a pancake recipe. Very nice!
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