How to Make Toast While Camping? [Methods You Need To Try]

Let’s be honest – when camping, you have limited options on what you can cook without carrying a ton of things. If you are walking on foot to your campsite, you will have limited space in your backpack and will have to bring only essentials. If you are car camping, you can carry more weight, but the food you can prepare on the campsite will still be somewhat limited.

This is where toast comes in. Camping toast is an excellent option because you can cook it in many different ways. You can also pair it with anything you like and turn it into breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. Still, you will need to take something with which you can cook the toast.

Whether it is some special tool, an oven, a pan, or a regular campfire, there are a few options you need to consider. Toast is easy to prepare but only when you know how to prepare it. To show you how to make toast when camping, I have prepared a list of five methods you need to try. So, let’s get right into the list and check out my favorite toast-making ways!

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toast making while camping

How Do You Make Toast When Camping? - 5 Methods

Making toast should not be a problem even when you are camping. But many people complain that they do not know how to make toast when camping. They worry about the tools they need to take and do not want to risk burning their toast. You do not have to worry about these things – you need to enjoy cooking toast.

You can certainly do that if you read my five favorite methods for making camp toast. You will need a Dutch oven or camp oven, grill pan or pie iron, or nothing more than your campfire. I do not doubt that after you read all about the methods, you will know which one you like to try out first. So, let’s get into the list and see what the methods are all about:

Method 1 – Dutch oven

Dutch ovens are my favorite method for making toast. They resemble a cooking pot with a nice lid. You can use them with a camp stove or campfire. But there are a few things to remember about them.

For one, the Dutch ovens are pretty heavy and big. You will not be able to take one with you if you plan to walk to your campsite. The weight will be too much, and you will get tired fast. This is why I recommend taking a Dutch oven only when car camping.

Another thing to remember is that you must use the Dutch oven with a camp stove or campfire. Since it cannot get heated on its own, you need to use something to heat it with. Once you do that, you can cook your toast on it.

On the plus side, the Dutch oven is great at heating up fast and keeping the temperature high. You will enjoy the even heat distribution as well as the heat retention. In whole honesty, there is nothing better for heat distribution and retention than the Dutch oven.

So, let’s see what you should do to make toast using this oven. Once the oven is heated, you should put some cooking or olive oil on the bottom. This will help make the oven non-stick and keep your toast from sticking to the bottom. Make sure you do not put too much oil or get soggy bread.

Then, keep the bread in for as long as needed. Turn it when it reaches a nice gold color. If you want it more on the burnt side, keep it in a few seconds longer. Take it out and mix it with some veggies or turn it into French toast and pair it with some maple syrup. No matter what you pair it with, you are bound to love the toast!

Method 2 – Camp oven

The camp oven is somewhat different from the Dutch oven. This looks more like a box than a pot. It does not have a lid but a door that is very convenient to use. Inside many camp ovens are several racks that you can use to store and cook things.

The camp oven is also quite large and heavy like the Dutch oven. You will not be able to take it with you unless you travel by car. To add, you will need something to heat the oven with. So, you will need some hot coals, a stovetop, or a campfire to run it.

Another thing to worry about is that you do not overheat the camp oven. This oven can quickly overheat and make burnt toast instead of a golden brown piece of bread. You will need to keep the oven in sight whenever you use it.

If you want to cook toast in the oven, you must put it on the middle rack. When using this device, there is no need to put any oil into the oven. The bread is unlikely to stick on the rack during the toasting process.

Keep the bread in for as long as needed. If there are heaters on both the top and bottom of the oven, you will not even need to turn the bread. In a matter of minutes, you will have the perfect toast you have been craving.

Method 3 – Grill pan

The grill pan is also a great choice for making camping toast. The reason is that you can take a nonstick pan and create perfect toast within minutes. But not all grill pans are nonstick – with some, you will need to add oil.

If you add cooking, olive, or vegetable oil to the pan, ensure you get it all over the pan. You can use a paper towel to smear it everywhere and remove all extra oil from the pan. Then, let the pan heat on your fire pit before putting the bread in.

Once you add the bread to the pan, you will need a couple of minutes for it to turn into the best toast ever. Turn whenever needed and keep the bread in until it reaches your desired color. Then, remove it and pair it with whatever you like.

The only thing to look out for is the hot spots. The grill pans of low quality can have many such hot spots that burn the bread. This is why you must adopt the habit of flipping halfway through the cooking to check and see how the bread is doing. If you know it is burning in some spots, flip it constantly to avoid burning it too much.

Method 4 – Pie iron

 Pie irons are helpful tools that you can use to make toast as well as some other dishes when camping. Many pie irons are heavy and difficult to transport, but some are convenient. Even if you have never tried one out, I do not doubt that you will find it relatively easy to master.

The pie iron is a cast-iron mold with two prongs. The molds make the tool look like a sandwich with forks coming out of it. You put the bread and all other ingredients into the mold, using the prongs to hold the mold over a fire.

Remember to put oil into the pie iron, or you will risk the toast sticking to the iron. You should keep the tool over the campfire or in high heat for a few minutes and then remove the bread from it. If you keep it there for longer, you risk getting a piece of dry toast.

While you can cook toast into this iron mold with long metal rods, you can also cook eggs, sweet treats with jelly or syrup, bacon, cheese, or many types of bread. For example, try cooking garlic bread and mix it with some bacon and bacon grease. The flavors will be intense and delicious, while the bacon will make you feel as energized as possible.

Method 5 - Campfire

Finally, you can always get good toast by putting bread directly over a campfire. If you cannot take any iron pans or camp stoves, you do not have to give up on making toast. You can still cook it using a campfire and a pair of tongs.

The tongs are quite convenient, and they do not weigh much. You will need them so that you do not burn your hands while making the toast. Since you cannot put the bread into the campfire, you will need something to hold it over the flames.

This method can be quite quick, but the results will not always be satisfactory. The fact that there is nothing between the fire and the bread opens up the possibility of burning the bread. So, you will need to be very careful about how you are making the toast, how you are turning it, and how long you are keeping it in the fire.

Try with one slice of bread first and see how it goes. You can do the same if all is well with the other slices. If you find this method produces sub-par results, you can go for any other method for your next camping trip.

breakfast in the hiking trip

Do Portable Toasters Exist, and Are They Good Enough For Camping?

As you can see in this article, there are many convenient ways to cook toast on a camping trip. While you can always go with one of the methods above, you can also opt for a portable camping toaster that you can use on camping trips.

This type of toaster does not weigh much and does not take up much space. You will have many options to choose from as many companies create such toasters. Some come at higher prices, but there are also many affordable choices.

If you get one of the camp toasters, you should know that you would not need any electricity to use it. You can put it over a campfire or stove and cook comfort foods all day long. The only thing to look out for is that you do not burn your hands while using the toaster.

Add the bread to the toaster and keep it there until you see it turning golden. Then, use your hands or tongs to turn the loaves around. If you want to, you can add some cooking oil or lightly butter the loaves to make them tastier. Whether or not you add something to the bread will depend on your preference.

One of the great things about the camp toasters is that they allow you to be in control and decide when you want to turn the loaves around. Let the bread get to the color you want, then turn it. But do not walk away from the toaster for long because it can burn your bread quickly.

I do not doubt that you will love using the camp toasters whenever you go on a trip to the great outdoors. So, do not hesitate to invest in one. The camping toasters are great, but you can always replace them with some of the above methods if you do not like them.

Wrap-Up

That is everything you need to know about camping toast methods that you should try out. I have selected some of the best, most convenient ways to present. Still, this does not mean you cannot try another method when cooking toast bread.

Do you know any other toast-making methods people can try out on their next camping trip? If you do, please share your suggestions in the comments below. If you do not, let me know which of the methods presented in this article you would like to try first. I cannot wait to read your responses!

Andrew Mullen

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