Deliciously aromatic crusty bread and cakes can be cooked on your tramping stove, the embers of a glowing fire, or a hut’s wood stove. By Adam Thomas 

Freshly baked bread smells amazing in normal circumstances, but multiply that tenfold when baking hot bread at the end of a hard day’s tramp. This backcountry bread will sweeten a rest day or rain-lashed hut-bound day. It requires more equipment than a solo tramper would normally bring, so it’s best made when tramping in a group.

The oven

To create your backcountry oven, you will need:

• A large billy with lid
• A smaller bowl or billy that fits completely inside
• A few stones to rest the small billy on
• Baking paper.

Place stones in the large billy and sit the small billy on these (the idea being to create separation from the heat source – the greater the better).

Line the bowl or small billy with baking paper to reduce the chance of burning. 

Cooking tip

Don’t let the oven get too hot – pop the lid regularly to assess progress.

Ingredients

• 120ml water
• 3 tsp Surebake yeast
• ½ tbsp cooking oil
• ½ tsp salt
• 260g high grade flour

Method

In the morning before starting the day’s walk, heat water to lukewarm in the small billy.

Sprinkle in the yeast, stir and leave for a few minutes to hydrate. Add the oil, salt and flour. Mix with a strong spoon until combined.

Knead the dough for around five minutes, put it into the billy and pack it snugly in your pack.

A few times throughout the day, knead the dough for a minute or two. When the final destination is reached, give the dough one last kneading.

Line the small billy with baking paper and pop the dough in.

Cover and place somewhere warm to rise for about an hour.

Bake in your billy oven for 30–40min over a low heat.