Pancakes and bush donuts - real camping food!

Ever since I mentioned that I make up pancake mixes for when we go camping, I've been asked for the instructions.

They are really easy - as is everything I do, no point in making life over-complicated or it's no fun - and carry really well.

Pancake Mix

To make your pancake mix you need:
1 cup SR flour
1/4 cup powdered milk
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp No Egg OR 1 tsp gluten flour OR 1 tsp soy flour

Combine everything together and package in ziplock bags.

To make your pancakes open the ziplock bag and pour in 1 cup cold water. Close the bag and massage it gently to combine the ingredients (this way you don't need a mixing bowl or a fork) until there are no lumps.  Heat your griddle or fry pan, give it a swipe with some butter and pour in the batter. I use around 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, but you can make them as big or as small as you like.

Cook them as you do any pancake - when the bubbles start bursting on the surface turn them and cook for another minute or so. 

Make sure your pan isn't too hot or the bottoms will cook too quickly and burn, you want them to be a nice golden brown colour.

Now this recipe doubles, triples and quadruples nicely. 

When I know we have a camping trip or two coming up I will make up a dozen bags and store them in the freezer. Then when I'm packing our tucker box I just take out the number I need. Sometimes we have pancakes for breakfast, other times lunch or even supper with hot chocolate around the campfire before we go to bed.

There's no rubbish to worry about with this mix. Once you've used it, zip the bag shut and put it back in the tuckerbox. When you get home you can wash and re-use it.

Rubbish on camping trips is a real problem, especially in State and National Parks where there are no bins and we (and everyone else thank you, I get very cross when I see other people's rubbish in the parks) need to take our rubbish out with us. I like to use things that can be re-used or taken home to be re-used so ziplock bags are ideal for this purpose. They are light to pack and when weight is an issue, as it is when backpacking and camping, they are worth the expense.

I've always camped. My parents camped with us when we were little, then with youth group, even our honeymoon was a High Country camping trip. And one of the joys of camping is bush donuts. I don't know who invented them, my Dad would make them for us in the bush and at home and we loved them.

I make them for my kids and they appear at least once every camping trip as a surprise treat.

Bush Donuts
Ingredients:
1 loaf white bread, cut thick (toast slices)
1 jar raspberry jam
1 packet of batter mix (make your own or use a packet)
1 cup cold water
Oil for frying
White sugar for coating

Method:
Spread the jam on one side of each slice of bread.
Cut each slice into four.
Add water to batter mix and stir with a fork until there are no more lumps.
Heat the oil in a shallow frypan. It needs to be deep enough for the bread to float.
Dip each piece of bread in the batter then drop into the hot oil. Fry until golden, turning with a fork.
Drain on a paper towel or bag or a clean dishcloth.
Roll in the sugar.
Eat while hot!  Yummo!