Backcountry cooking is a passion of mine. I not only love the time on the trails and in wild places, but when you get an opportunity to eat a gourmet dish with an epic view, it always makes the food and the experience that much better! But, backcountry baking can be a bit hit or miss. This pizza recipe is sure to dazzle your senses and be the best slice of “pie” that you’ve ever had!
Ingredients:
- 2 c baking mix
- water
- tomato powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- cheese, and other pizza toppings desired sliced and diced!
Directions:
The first big thing is to get your stove set up just right. We at SROM use a one burner MSR Whisperlite in the field. So we take the wind screen for the stove and make it tight around the burner so that the flat skillet is not on direct heat. Then, find a rock or use another pot to be able to set the skillet on both the wind screen and the rock or pot.
Once you have your stove system set up, take some water and mix it with your baking mix. You want a soft, pliable dough that is not too dry nor too sticky. Add little bits of water at a time in a u-line or ziplock bag to keep contained. Once dough is correct consistency, take the lid of the skillet and roll out dough to the size of the skillet.
Light the stove and put a little olive oil in the skillet and allow to heat up. Once pan is warm, place dough in the skillet and put the lid on to bake. Every few minutes, rotate the pan to keep with even heating of the pan so that the dough will rise and bake. No twiggy fire needed!
While the dough is baking, take 1/4 c of tomato powder, spices, garlic powder, olive oil, brown sugar, and mix in a small cup or bowl. Add water to mix to get the consistency of tomato sauce desired. Slice and dice pizza toppings. Check up on the dough and keep rotating it. Once dough is mostly cooked through, remove the lid and add sauce, pizza toppings, and cheese. Replace lid and continue the rotating baking system until the cheese is melted on the top.
Once the cheese is melted, remove skillet from stove and turn the stove off. Allow pizza to cool and then cut into even pieces for your cook group. Sit back with your pizza pie and your cup of tea and enjoy the food, the company, and the view!