Easy Stick Bread Recipe for Camping

Are you looking for an easy stick bread recipe for camping? I have one to share with you!

My family and I love making stick bread for camping snacks or to compliment any fireside meal – even when we’re just enjoying the outdoors in our own backyard!

I really dig the rustic charm of the whole process: mixing up a simple dough, wrapping it around a whittled wooden stick, and roasting it over a crackling campfire. It’s like creating edible magic —kids, especially, LOVE this process and the tasty result.

So, I am here to show you the art of crafting the perfect spiraled crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside unleavened bread that’s tailor-made for each person, every bite is bliss!

Campfire Stick Bread and Bannock Bread

Bannock is a versatile simple bread loved for its simplicity and adaptability for adventurers across the Americas dating back to the 18th century. It can be cooked as a flat round or on a simple 3/4″ to 1″ thick green wood stick!

Its popularity is due to its basic bread dough ingredients (flour, water, fat, and a leavening agent) making it the perfect choice for campfire cooking when refrigeration, a Dutch oven, pans, and home kitchens are nowhere in sight.

From the indigenous peoples of Alaska to the Native Americans of Canadian frontiers, these simple breads have fed generations and speak volumes about resourcefulness in the great outdoors. Indian fry bread, which you may have heard of, is cooked in a skillet and is a variation of bannock.

This tradition also found its way into Scouting activities; I remember learning how to make campfire bread on a stick myself at sleepaway camp. It’s so easy to make, this will become a family favorite!

Stick Bread Recipe for Camping

Below I provide two variations for a stick bread recipe for camping. One version is sweet and one is savory. My family loves both kinds and I encourage you to try each variety as well!

All you need to do is mix the dry ingredients at home and place them in a reusable or Ziploc bag for camp. Then get ready to grab some wooden sticks, gather around the campfire, and dig into the world of easy campfire bread on a stick.

While there are recipes for bread on a stick that utilize dry instant yeast, I prefer to keep the ingredients for my stick bread very simple. This keeps the process less fussy without the added step of having to let the dough rise.

After all, using a basic leavening agent is the age-old traditional way of campfire stick bread. This means all you need to do is mix your dry ingredients at home and be sure to have some water and a clean surface for shaping your dough at camp.

The recipe below makes enough for a total of four stick breads. If you would like to make two savory stick breads and two sweet stick breads, split the recipe in half (for example, one cup of flour per bowl).

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus an extra 1/4 cup set aside)
• 2 tablespoon sugar (for sweet bread) OR 1/2 teaspoon salt (for savory bread)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons mild olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 tsp butter powder (optional)
• 1 tsp milk powder (optional)

💡 ALSO pack for camp, a small baggie with 1/4 cup of flour in it. This is for both adding to your dough if it is too sticky and for rolling out your dough so it doesn’t stick to the board or your hands.

Equipment:

• Ziplock bags or reusable silicone bags
• Pocket knife or other small sharp knife for whittling
• Green stick (fresh) from the woods or a dowel whittled to about 3/4″ inch in diameter
• Campfire with embers
• Clean board or surface to kneed dough. This can be as basic as a flat rock that you clean off.

Instructions:

✔️ Whittle the end of the green cooking sticks and fully remove the bark to about 10″ from the tip.

1. Prepare the Dough Recipe:

🥣 In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar (for sweet bread) OR salt (for savory bread), baking powder, and optional butter and milk powders.

If you are making the bread at a later time put the dry ingredients into a zip-top baggie now. Also, add the extra 1/4 cup flour to a separate baggie for later use at camp.

🔥 Start a campfire. It will take about thirty minutes for the fire to settle down and create embers perfect for cooking the stick bread.

Then, when you are ready to make the stick bread add water and oil, mixing until a dough forms that is similar to play dough. You can always add a sprinkle of more flour, up to a teaspoon, if the dough is too wet.

👉 Knead the dough for a few minutes until it’s smooth and elastic. If it’s too sticky, you can add a bit of flour, up to a teaspoon more.

2. Add Mix-Ins:

For the sweet version, knead in your choice of sweet mix-ins like mini chocolate chips, cinnamon, chopped raisins, or chopped nuts.

For the savory version, knead in your choice of savory mix-ins like shredded cheese, chopped herbs, cooked and crumbled bacon, or diced dried olives.

3. Form Stick Bread:

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll one piece of dough at a time into a long thin rope about 1″ thick.

Heat the sticks over the fire for about 1 minute each so they are hot to the touch. This helps cook the inside of the bread evenly.

Wrap the dough rope around the end of the stick, pinching it at the top so it stays. Make sure it’s secure but not too tight as you keep rolling around the stick. Pinch again to secure it at the bottom.

4. Cook Over the Campfire:

Hold your stick with the dough over the embers of the fire, rotating it slowly to cook the dough evenly.

Don’t hold the dough too close to the flames or it will burn and cook unevenly. The heat of the fire near the red embers is the sweet spot.

It should take about 5-10 minutes for the dough to cook and turn golden brown. Be patient and keep an eye on it to prevent burning. I liken this to roasting marshmallows to a golden hue!

When you tap on the cooked bread it should create a hollow sound. If not cook it for another couple of minutes.

Your warm twisty bread is now ready carefully remove from the stick in one whole piece or bit by bit!

5. Fill the Cavity (Optional):

For an extra special treat, once the stick bread is cooked, carefully slide it off the stick and stuff it!

Fill the cavity with your chosen sweet or savory ingredients, allowing them to melt or meld with the bread’s warmth.

Drop in tasty bits like shredded or tiny cubed cheese, mini marshmallows, and chocolate bits, or stuff the hole with strawberry jam!

What to Serve with Campfire Bread on a Stick

You can pair your warm and yummy stick bread with a medley of delicious options – think classic campfire chili or a variety of dipping sauces and spreads.

• Scrambled eggs
• Your favorite camping soups and chilis.
• Whipped cream cheese (SO good with savory bread that has everything bagel seasoning in it!)
• Spread cilantro lime hummus on it for a deconstructed backpacking “sandwich”
• Homemade blueberry lime jam for dipping
• Chocolate Sauce
• Melted garlic butter for dipping
• Roll in melted butter and dip in cinnamon and brown sugar
• Maple syrup

The Wrap Up on Stick Bread Recipe for Camping

Stick bread is incredibly versatile, fun, easy, and delicious to make on a camping trip! It’s also a great budget camping food idea.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth you’ll enjoy a gooey, chocolate chip-studded version or if you’re a savory fan you’ll like the cheesiest, herb-infused version.

Play around with endless flavor ideas and mix-ins for this fun recipe! Don’t be afraid to experiment! Your whole family will enjoy this stick bread recipe for camping for years to come.