Outback Oven
by Richard Furman

We are taught that when the Israelites fled Egypt they were forced to make unleavened bread because rising takes too long. But I suspect there may be another reason: Leavened breads consume a lot of space and travel poorly and the Israelites needed a bread that would travel well and not take much space. And although when today’s backpackers flee civilization they do not have the Pharaoh’s army nipping at their heels, they face the same problems of storage and travelability. So, while modern matzo travels poorly, today’s flatbreads— pita, tortillas, even lefse (a Scandinavian potato tortilla)—are all mainstays of the camper’s pantry. But what if you want a nice soft roll, biscuits, or pizza on the trail? Although leavened breads do not travel well, their ingredients do. So the answer is to make bread on the trip, and the Outback Oven from Backpacker’s Pantry makes this possible.

Of all the contrivances I have seen for baking in the outdoors, the Outback Oven most closely resembles a home oven. The basic principle of the home oven is that a burner heats a flame spreader which radiates heat throughout an enclosed chamber. The Outback Oven operates on exactly these principles and includes everything you need to turn a one burner stove into a small baking oven: A flame spreader, which they call a "Scorch Buster," a riser bar (sort of a small rack), a covered non-stick baking vessel with thermometer, and a folding reflective tent made of woven fabric, which forms the baking chamber. They also include stock for making a reflector, in the event your stove does not come with one. The impressiveness of this arrangement combined with the desire for good breadstuffs afield, prompted me to purchase one of these with my REI Dividend check.

I didn’t go very far afield to test this gizmo, but rather, heeding the instructions to "practice at home first" took it and my MSR Dragonfly together with a bowl of biscuit dough into the backyard. I arranged the biscuit dough into bannock-sized globs in the baking pan, screwed the thermometer onto the cover and covered it. I then set up the Dragonfly with its reflector and got a fast simmer flame going on it (the folks at Backpackers Pantry caution against the use of a high flame, and open full bore the Dragonfly burns quite hot). I then put the "scorchbuster" with riser bar attached atop my little stove, set the baking pan on it and covered it all with the "baking dome" which contains a vent hole through which one can observe the thermometer.

I spent the next 20 minutes watching the thermometer, regulating the flame, re-reading the manual to pass the time, and most of all eagerly awaiting this little device’s output which would comprise my breakfast. Then I turned off the stove, removed the dome and lifted the cover and there were my three bannock loaves. They were rather light on top, but had the hollow sound of full baked loaves. The bottom crusts were beautiful, and they were very nicely leavened. They released easily from the pan, and, together with some cheese and jerky, gave me a solid breakfast. If I want browned tops, the manual tells me I can leave the cover off the baking dish although I might have to clean food off the baking dome afterwards.

The Outback Oven got its first field use on the shores of Lake Superior. The challenges this presented, in the form of a high wind off the lake, reveal a few interesting points. In a high wind it becomes necessary to use a wind screen with the Dragonfly. Thermometer readings become unreliable as the wind snatches hot air out of the baking chamber. In situations such as these, it is useful to remember the adage "the nose knows." When a well baked aroma is detectable, it is good to check on the morsels within. The biscuits I was baking came out beautifully.

My overall impression of this device is positive, and I feel certain that it will serve me well in future canoe and camping trips. It may even turn me into one of those tortured souls that wanders the trails and portages nursing a sourdough starter. There are a few minor dislikes, little improvements that could be made, although certainly nothing I would call a regret. For example, the baking pan lid does not stow well with its knob/thermometer attached. This makes for two small parts to lose: the thermometer/knob and the wingbolt that holds it in place. However, a Zip-Loc bag is thoughtfully provided for the storage of these items. Also, the folding of the baking dome is a minor geometric puzzle, but probably something that comes with practice. The instruction manual says that the baking dish can double as a fry pan, but I intend to refrain from this because science has yet to invent the non-stick coating that can withstand my use of a fry pan. But I’d bake fish in it in a heartbeat. It’s a little heavy, but its overall usefulness pays for its weight.

If the ancient Israelites had had a few of these, they probably would still have had to flee Egypt on matzo, but they could have had good Jewish rye at the foot of Mount Sinai, and such a good time kibitzing that they would not have bothered with the golden calf. It would have shaved 40 years from their trip.