Campfire Cooking with Martin’s Potato Rolls & Bread

Hello, camping season! There’s no other experience quite like that of spending your day and night in the middle of the wilderness—and having to learn alternate techniques for cooking, cleaning, entertainment, and even your nightly bedtime routine. In fact, camping is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the U.S. (And one we think should be on everyone’s bucket list!)

Whether you love the idea of “roughing it” in a tent with minimal amenities or you’re more of a “glamper” with some added creature comforts, every style of camping involves some strategic ingenuity when it comes to preparing meals.

If you’re new to the whole camping scene (or could just use some extra inspiration), here are some great campfire cooking recipe ideas for every meal of the day!

Sample Menu: 

• Breakfast: Peachy Dutch Oven French Toast (with Martin’s Potato Bread)
• Lunch: Hot Dogs (on Martin’s Long Potato Rolls)
• Dinner: Campfire Sandwiches (on Martin’s Sandwich and 12-Sliced Potato Rolls)
• Dessert (2 Ways): Stick Bread (on Martin’s Old-Fashioned Real Butter Bread) AND Apple Pie Mountain Pies (on Martin’s Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl Potato Bread)

Learn more about each of these recipes below, including step by step photos and instructions!
 

Breakfast: Peachy Dutch Oven French Toast

A tried-and-true fan favorite! This decadent French toast bake is made in a trusty Dutch oven (make sure you bring one you don’t mind getting a little smoky and charred) which makes for a seamless multi-step baking process, with an added rustic twist. The highlights: juicy ripe peaches slow-cooked in a butter and brown sugar caramel sauce, plus cinnamony French toast cubes, combine into a warm and comforting first meal of the day!

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Milk
• Vanilla Extract
• Cinnamon
• Potato Bread, cut into cubes
• Butter
• Brown Sugar
• Fresh Peaches
• Special Equipment: 14-Inch Cast Iron Dutch Oven; Medium Sized Mixing Bowl; Long Wooden Spoon

Recipe Overview:

Step 1: Combine butter and brown sugar in a preheated Dutch oven set over the hot coals of your campfire. Continue cooking until caramelized.

Step 2:

Add in the peeled and sliced peaches and stir to coat.

Step 3:

Beat together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. (Tip: You can also prepare this in advance and store in a sealed jar or bowl until ready to serve.) Dunk the bread pieces into the egg mixture to coat, then add to the peaches.

Step 4:

Cover Dutch oven with lid and bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating often.

Step 5:

Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

View the full recipe at: https://potatorolls.com/recipes/peachy-dutch-oven-french-toast.

Lunch: Campfire Hot Dogs

Hot dogs roasted over the open fire is a quintessential camping meal! The best part is: there’s no recipe required and minimal cleanup. Just place your hot dogs on skewers and heat over the campfire until they reach your desired char level. Then serve up in Martin’s Long Potato Rolls topped with your favorite condiments. Simple and delicious!

Dinner: Campfire Sandwiches

For dinner: another simple solution goes a long way to a delicious meal. (After all, it’s difficult to get too fancy while roughing it outdoors.) These customizable campfire sandwiches on Martin’s Potato Rolls are prepared individually, then glazed in a savory butter mixture, wrapped in foil, and baked over hot coals until warm and melty! Choose your favorite meat-and-cheese combos—we did ham and provolone on Martin’s Sandwich Potato Rolls and turkey and Swiss on Martin’s 12-Sliced (Slider) Potato Rolls.

Bonus: for more foil pack meal ideas, check out https://potatorolls.com/blog/campfire-recipes-foil-pack-meals.  

Ingredients:

• Martin’s 12-Sliced (Slider) Potato Rolls OR Martin’s Sandwich Potato Rolls
• Deli-Style Sliced Ham or Turkey
• Provolone or Swiss Cheese
• Melted Butter
• Dijon Mustard
• Dried Onion
• Brown Sugar
• Cooking Spray

Recipe Overview:

Step 1:

Build your sandwiches with your favorite deli meat and cheese pairings, on the Martin’s Potato Roll of your choice. Place each sandwich on a separate piece of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray.

Step 2:

Mix together melted butter, Dijon, dried onion, and brown sugar; stir to combine. (Tip: This can be prepared in advance and stored in a sealed container until ready to use.) Pour or brush the glaze over the tops of the sandwiches.

Step 3:

Wrap up each individual foil packet and fold the edges to seal. Place on warm campfire coals and cook, turning frequently, until the cheese is melted and the rolls are lightly toasted, 10-15 minutes.

Step 4:

Remove foil packs from fire, allow to cool slightly, and enjoy warm!

Get the full recipe at: https://potatorolls.com/recipes/hot-campfire-sandwiches.

Dessert #1: Stick Bread

If you’ve never heard of “stick bread,” it’s exactly what it sounds like: bread made with a stick. Traditionally, it involves wrapping raw bread dough around a stick (or similar utensil) and baking it over a fire to make bread. However, in our case, we repurposed the technique to utilize already baked bread, making for a quick and easy no-prep camping trick. This is done by moistening a few bread slices with milk, wrapping them into a cylinder shape around a stick and lightly toasting over the campfire. Then we filled them with vanilla pudding and prepared fruit pie filling for a simply delicious handheld dessert!

Ingredients:

• Martin’s Butter Bread
• Milk
• Prepared Fruit Pie Filling (we used Blueberry and Cherry)
• Vanilla Pudding Cups
• Melted Butter
• Special Equipment: a stick or similar utensil, cleaned and sanitized
  (We suggest using a wooden rod or dowel such as the end of a broom handle.)

Recipe Overview:

Step 1:

Butter the end of the stick (about the length of a single bread slice).

Step 2:

Flatten each bread slice slightly by gently pressing between hands. Pour the milk into a shallow dish and dip just the edges of the bread into the milk to moisten slightly.

Step 3:

Shape one slice of bread around the prepared stick, compressing gently to adhere. Shape a second slice of bread around the stick from the opposite side to cover the seam and form a “pocket.” Be sure to overlap the top of the stick with both slices of bread so the “pocket” is sealed.  Brush the outside of the bread with butter.

Step 4:

Toast the stick bread over the campfire until golden brown and crispy.

Step 5:

Remove the bread pockets from the stick/handle. Fill each stick bread pocket with vanilla pudding and fruit pie filling.

Step 6:

Serve as handheld desserts like you would an ice cream cone or hand pie. Enjoy!

Dessert #2: Apple Pie Mountain Pies

First off—If you’ve never heard of mountain pies, we suggest you check out our previous blog post for more great info. Mountain pies are toasted sandwiches made using a special cast iron “pie iron” tool where the sandwich and fillings are pressed between two plates and heated over the campfire until golden-brown. This method is great for everything from breakfast sandwiches to grilled cheese, pizzas, s’mores, and dessert pies…like the ones we’re about to share with you!

These Apple Pie Mountain Pies only require a few ingredients and are quick and easy to prepare, but they are oh-so-delicious. We suggest using Martin’s Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl Potato Bread—it already has the perfect amount of cinnamon to make it taste like apple pie, so all you need to add is some canned apple pie filling. Then, butter the outside of the sandwich, close it up in your pie iron, and roast until golden-brown over the campfire!

Ingredients:

• Martin’s Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl Potato Bread
• Prepared Apple Pie Filling
• Melted Butter
• Special Equipment: Pie Iron

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Camping Resources

To further prepare and inspire you for your next camping adventure, here are two helpful resources: our Camp Cooking Checklist—which includes a list of supplies, food ingredients, and recipe ideas to be sure to pack for your trip, and our Camping Checkoff Activity Page—a BINGO-style game to complete together as a family/group.

Martin’s Summer Fun Season

P.S.—Head on over to our Summer Fun Season landing page for the chance to win our current prize of a Deluxe Camping Set (complete with two pie irons, two hot dog sticks, an adjustable grill, two folding chairs, a folding table, and a Martin’s camping kit), or our upcoming prize of a Fire Pit/Bowl. These are two great ways to have an outdoor camping experience this summer, whether at home or at another destination, so you don’t want to miss this chance!

Go to https://www.martinssummerfun.com to enter the sweepstakes and view more seasonal content including recipes, fun resources like the ones above, and more!