Done poorly, campfire pizza will have uncooked toppings and half-melted cheese on a burnt bottom and black crust. Instead, follow these simple steps and bite into a takeout-quality slice of backcountry heaven.
How to bake a backcountry pizza
Ingredients
- 1 package (2 ¼ tsp) dry active yeast
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Preparation
- Build a hot fire first for this recipe—you’ll need it to get started with a warm cup of water for making dough, and a hot bed of coals will be ready by the time the pizza is ready to bake.
- Stir the yeast, sugar and salt into warm water until dissolved. Dunk your hands in the flour and pour it into the water mixture. Blend the mixture with your powdered fingers until a firm lump of dough forms.
- Pour a generous dollop of oil into your Dutch oven or fry-bake and spread it using a finger, coating the bottom of the pan and an inch up the sides. Once baking begins, the pizza’s success depends on a well-oiled pan—better to overdo it here than to risk not having enough.
Toppings
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 500g block mozzarella cheese, grated.
- Pre-shredded cheese has more surface area and will melt much faster than a block of cheese. If you don’t want to pack a grater, thinly slice the cheese to layer over the sauce.
- Peppers, mushrooms, olives, onions, garlic, summer sausage (or other cured meat not requiring refrigeration).
- Flatten the dough into a small circle and plop it in the oiled oven, stretching to fill the entire bottom and half an inch up the pan’s wall to help hold the toppings in place.
- Spread sauce, then cheese over the dough, and add desired toppings.
- Put the lid on the pan and place it directly on the fire, scooping coals alongside to create a nest for your oven. Bake the pizza for 20 minutes, periodically checking the coals for consistent heat and rotating the pan to ensure an evenly crisp crust.
- Keep the lid on while baking to melt the cheese and cook the toppings. Once the time is up, slide a fork down the inside of your oven to lift the pizza and check the bottom—if the crust isn’t golden brown, take an additional five and try again.
- Remove the lid from the pan and let the pizza sit for five minutes before bringing it out to slice and enjoy. This recipe feeds three hungry campers.
This article was first published in Issue 73 of Paddling Magazine. It’s not delivery, it’s delicious! | Feature photo: Paddling Mag Staff
