How To Bake Over A Campfire: Everything You Need To Know In 2024

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If you have ever wondered how to bake over a campfire, you have come to the right place!

Baking over a campfire is really quite simple once you get the basics down.

Although you won’t have all of the luxuries that you have while baking at home in your kitchen such as timers, a thermometer that tells you the exact temperature of the oven, and so on.

Knowing how to bake over a campfire is a game changer and can really up your camping experience and meals!

As people who camp quite often all-year round, we have learned the ins and outs to baking over a campfire.

Continue reading below as we guide you with how to bake over a campfire!

Have you ever wondered how to bake over a campfire? Using a cast iron is one of the best ways to do so!

So let’s dive right in by answering… How do you bake on a campfire?

Step #1: Starting a Consistent Fire

The first step you will need to take is building a great fire.

You will want to keep in mind that the best fire for baking over a campfire is a bit different than the best fire to keep you warm and toasty.

The key is to build a fire that stays consistently hot so that the temperature does not fluctuate too much because you are baking after all and therefore you will want your baked goods to be evenly cooked throughout.

A fire that’s temperature fluctuates greatly will cause your baked goods to be unevenly cooked and you will more than likely deal with some raw and some over cooked portions if you do not maintain your fire at an even temperature.

In order to keep your fire at a steady temperature, we recommend beginning your fire in advance and having a consistent, well established burn going before plopping your baked goods onto the fire right away.

A good way to tell if your fire is well established is if the large flames have died down and you have a good base of coals beneath your fire with a constant heat.

Step #2: Preparing Your Cookware

Once you have a consistent routine down and it seems like the fire is putting out an even heat.

This is a great time to finish assembling your items and preparing them to be baked.

We highly recommend that you proportion and prepare your items in advance prior to camping so that you can simply mix the items together and do not have to worry about all of the measuring, whisking, and chopping, while in the outdoors.

Once your mixture is ready to be baked, make sure to grease your favorite piece of camping cookware for open fires and pour the mixture in.

We recommend using a cast iron skillet or a dutch oven for the best results.

A cast iron pan will be best for dishes that just need to be heated through or cooked a little bit. Such as, an apple crisp or berry cobbler.

Since the majority of the heat will be coming from the bottom if you try to bake bread or other food items that need time to rise and bake through, they will most likely burn on the bottom before being able to bake all of the way.

In comparison, a dutch oven typically has a lid that hot coals from the fire can be added on top of.

This allows heat to come from the top and bottom of your dish to cook it more like a standard oven would.

This style of cooking would be much better for bread, cinnamon rolls, or anything else you could imagine baking!

Step #3: Baking Your Dish

Place your cast iron skillet or your dutch oven over top of the campfire by placing it on top of a foldable grill or hanging it from a cooking tripod, do not place your baked dish directly on top of the fire.

From there, you will let your dish bake over the campfire and monitor the fire to make sure it is evenly putting out heat by adding coals and wood when you think it is necessary.

We recommend periodically checking on your baked dish to make sure that it is cooking evenly throughout.

Step #4: Cooling

Use fire resistant pot holders to remove your baked dish from over the campfire and set aside for it to cool.

Step #5: Serving and Enjoying

Once your baked item has cooled down, you can choose whether you plan to enjoy your goods straight from the cast iron or dutch oven or whether you would rather serve it on a separate dish that has not been over the campfire.

Once you have decided, grab some utensils, your favorite camping and hiking flashlight, sit around the campfire and enjoy your dessert as you tell some campfire stories!

One example of how to bake over a campfire is by using a dutch oven to retain heat and cook the baked goods evenly!

Can you bake a cake over a campfire?

You can definitely bake a cake over a campfire.

Be sure to bring the cake ingredients already proportioned and measured out.

Once you are ready to begin baking, start a fire and make sure that it is evenly putting out heat.

From there, mix and blend your cake ingredients and pour them into a greased cast iron skillet or dutch oven.

Lastly, place your baking dish over the campfire on a foldable grill or cooking tripod and let your cake bake over the open campfire!

Since this will need some time over the fire, we recommend using the dutch oven so that your cake has time to cook through and does not burn on the bottom.

A campfire burning as someone roasts marshmallows above it.

How do you heat food over a campfire?

There are several ways to heat food over a campfire! It truly depends on what type of food you are trying to heat up.

For items such as hot dogs and marshmallows, you can simply grab a stick or your favorite roasting sticks to heat them up over the open fire.

For foods like pre-made pizza or veggies, you can simply wrap them in foil and place them on top of your foldable grill over your campfire and let them heat up in the foil.

If you are trying to heat up more complex items like pre-made steak, pastas, and so on, you can place them in stainless steel or cast iron pots and pans on top of your foldable grill that is place over your campfire and let these items heat up in their designated pots or pans!

One of the best ways to heat food up over a campfire is by placing the food inside of foil and placing it on top of a foldable grill.

How do you bake a dutch oven over a campfire?

Simply start a fire and make sure that it is burning evenly throughout.

From there, place your foldable grill or cooking tripod over the campfire.

Once you have all of your ingredients mixed together and you are ready to bake, grease the bottom of your dutch oven and pour your mixture in!

Afterwards, cover your dish and place your dutch oven on your foldable grill or camping tripod and let it cook while you continue to stoke and monitor the fire to make sure that it is evenly cooking.

If it is a more delicate dish like bread that will need to rise, add hot coals from your fire to the top of your dutch oven to produce heat from the top and bottom.

This will better replicate a standard oven and allow your bread to rise and cook through without burning the bottom.

A pie being cooked in a dutch oven in the great outdoors.

Can you put foil pans on a campfire?

You can place foil pans on a campfire but be sure to put them on top of a foldable grill rather than on the open fire directly.

It is important to note that although the foil pan should not catch on fire, it can burn so be sure to monitor it while you are cooking or heating items up.

A stainless steel pot cooking on a foldable grill over top of a campfire.

How to Bake Over a Campfire: Essentials Items You Will Need

There are quite a few items that you will need when it comes to baking over a campfire!

Below you will find our list of top favorites and recommendations so that you can have the most optimal experience baking over a campfire.

Cast Iron Skillet – This cast iron skillet is one of the best frying pans for camping and is our go-to camping essential for most any meals including baking, cooking steak, and so much more. Cast iron does a great job at evenly heating and cooking food. Plus, the cast iron material does an excellent job over a campfire and at retaining heat!
Dutch Oven – These are great for baking goods and it does a fantastic job at replicating an oven.
Foldable Grill or Cooking Tripod – Both of these are great tools to use over a campfire. We tend to like foldable grills more but they are both excellent at cooking and baking items over an open fire.
Heat Resistant Pot Holders – These are essential when baking over a campfire so that you can grab your baking dish off of the foldable grill or cooking tripod without having to worry about burning your hands. Plus, they are great to set down on a table so that the hot pan does not burn the surface of the table.
Cooking Utensils – You will need utensils to serve and enjoy your baking dish. We highly recommend avoiding plastic utensils because they can easily melt.
Fire Starters – These are fabulous for starting a fire and can really get the base going on your fire. We highly recommend brining fire starters because it is an easy way to quick start a fire without all the hassle.
Fire Poker – Another essential item that you will need for baking over a campfire is a fire poker! This way you can add sticks and logs and poke the fire without having to use your hands and getting too close to the open flame.
Coal Shovel – This allows you to easily move around coals and ashes and also can be a great tool to stack coals on top of the dutch oven as you are baking.

A hot cup of water sitting by a campfire.

What can you bake over a campfire?

You can bake so many different things over a campfire! Some of which include breads, cakes, muffins, calzones, and even pies.

For those looking to bake pies, we recommend using a pie iron for the best experience and as an easy way to gain a great crust on all sides!

Food being cooked over top of a campfire in the wilderness.

We hope you enjoyed this article on how to bake over a campfire!

For similar posts, be sure to check out our articles on the best tents for desert camping and the best camping fans. Happy Camping!