A tasty breakfast on the trail

We’re always on the lookout for tasty and easy backpacking and camping meal ideas, so when we discovered that pancakes are a simple and energy packed breakfast for hikers and backpackers, we were beside ourselves with excitement! 

This pancake recipe tells you everything you need to cook a delicious pancake stack on the go. Whether you choose to make batter at home or on the trail, this recipe is an easy and delicious camping meal for your next adventure!

Pancakes with Berries & Maple Syrup - Best Backpacking Food Recipe 

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cups (192g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 cups (192g) milk
• Oil of your choice
• Maple syrup 
• Berries of your choice

Method 

We recommend preparing your dry pancake mix at home so all you have to do is add your wet ingredients when you’re ready to eat.

1. Making the dry mix at home: 

To make your easy backpacking pancakes, simply add the flour, baking powder, sugar & salt into a bowl and mix together. Then you can put this dry mix in a Ziploc bag or some tupperware and pack it in your backpack.  

Pack up your wet ingredients in leak proof containers/tubs. For sauces and oils the gourmet camp kitchen set has great compact and lightweight leak-proof containers. For the egg, we find this oval tub is the perfect size and shape to keep your eggs safe and sound on the trail.

2. When you’re hungry:

Once you’re peckish it’s time to whip up your backpacking pancake recipe and have a tasty, luxurious meal on the trail. 

1. Add your egg, butter (melted on the skillet) & milk to the dry ingredients and mix well - ideally with a whisk of some description!
2. Add oil to the skillet and heat up on your camp stove/fire
3. Add some mix to the pan and wait until you see small bubbles forming and the pancake moves when you give the pan a shake 
4. Flip the pancake, either the the fancy way or simply by using a spatula to turn it over 
5. Once cooked add maple syrup and toppings of your choice - we love strawberries, blueberries and bananas. 

3. Make the batter at home:

An alternative option to making the batter just before you eat, is to prepare it completely at home and pack the liquid mixture in a container.

Then simply pour the batter into your hot pan on the camp stove and follow the steps above to cook!

If you’re vegan or dairy free you can easily leave out the egg & swap the milk and butter for your favorite plant based alternatives - and voila easy vegan backpacking pancakes to fill you up when you’re on the trail. A great energy source before a long day of hiking. 

Equipment

What camping cookware will I need? 

While you could pack your regular kitchen utensils on your camp trip, it’s much more enjoyable if you invest in some lightweight and compact gear. Here is our camping cookware kit list: 

• Camp stove - MSR Pocket Rocket 2
• Skillet - MSR Skillet
• Tupperware - Oval Snapbox
• Utensils Set - Bamboo utensils
• Flask - ( to keep batter in) Klean Kanteen Flask
• Gourmet Utensils set complete with Spatula and whisk  

All these options are great lightweight solutions to heavier cooking equipment, however, if you’re car camping it's not necessary to invest in lightweight solutions.

Time to take on the trail!

Now you're all set with a tasty breakfast recipe, it's time to get packing and hit the trail. Just don't forget the maple syrup - it's essential to add on pancakes in our opinion! For other backpacking recipes we suggest this article, Trial food ideas, Easy Banana Pancake.

Please do let us know if you tried out this recipe, and if you have any more questions, feel free to drop us a mail at info@basecamp.ie 

We'd love to hear about your go to recipes as well!

Until next time - Happy hiking folks. 

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