Campfire pizza is our secret passion! Yes, you can cook up a fresh camping pizza with nothing more than a blazing fire pit and a Dutch oven. Okay, it helps to have some pre-prepared pizza dough and a lot of cheese, but this is one meal you’ll wonder how you ever lived without creating!
The next time you're in the backwoods, try this fantastic dutch oven pizza recipe.
A specialized camping Dutch oven helps you cook the perfect fire baked pizza, but it’s really all about the ingredients you bring to the camping table. Our most popular camp pizza is classic pepperoni with a mound of mozzarella and cheddar on top. But don't limit your imagination; why not bring along all your favorite pizza ingredients?
Keep reading to discover the decadent delights of our campfire pizza recipe!
Campfire pizza FAQ
Simple, right? Heat up the fire, grease your oven, add your ingredients, and melt your cheese! But just in case you had any burning queries or questions regarding our campfire pizza recipes, here’s a quick FAQ!
Can I make Dutch oven pizza in a campfire?
One of the best things about Dutch ovens is their versatility, and this is a recipe that you can quite easily replicate for a pizza camp session!
However, there are a few key differences that you’ll need to incorporate into the menu. First of all, it’s not wise to cook with an enameled Dutch oven in the campfire. For this, you need a hardy and durable cast iron Dutch oven. This is the classic, traditional Dutch oven, and it works well as a camping pizza oven because there’s no enamel to chip off.
Campfire pizza recipes are best prepared partly in advance, too. It’s up to you, of course, but you can prepare your dough at home and have all your ingredients ready to go when you arrive for a much easier camping pizza recipe.
When your Dutch oven pizza camping recipe is prepared, simply place your Dutch oven directly into the campfire coals with the lid on (leave a small gap for the steam to escape). Leave the pizza to bake for around 30 minutes before removing from the fire.
You can cook up classic pizza recipes in the woods, or you could even bring along the eggs and hash browns for a hearty Dutch oven breakfast pizza to get you set up for a day of hiking!
Can I make Dutch oven pizza dough by hand?
If you don’t have an electric mixer or a food processor, then don’t fear, because you can still prepare your Dutch oven pizza dough by hand!
Yes, it takes a little more time and a lot more effort on your part, but it’s definitely possible. After all, before electric mixers came along, every pizza had to be made by hand.
Instead of an electric mix, you can whisk the ingredients by hand in a large mixing bowl. You’ll need to be thorough and take your time to get a similar consistency. You can use your hands too, to get all the ingredients well-combined as you pour in the water and olive oil. You’ll be able to feel the dough as it becomes springy.
As for the sauce, you’ll simply need to whisk everything up in a large bowl. Keep whisking until you run out of muscle power! It won’t be quite as smooth a sauce as if you’re doing it by hand, however, as it’s impossible to get out all of the lumps without a food processor. It will be authentic, though!
Can I put my Dutch oven in the campfire?
Traditional Dutch ovens are made of heavy cast iron, and yes, they can be safely placed in the campfire. We always recommend opting for a specialized camping Dutch oven, which should come with cast iron legs that allow you to stand it up in the fire pit.
It should be noted; however, that enameled Dutch ovens aren’t suitable for campfire cooking. Enameled Dutch ovens are incredibly popular in the kitchen, but that’s where they need to stay. Bring your delicate enamelware camping, and it’s quickly going to chip away in the rough fire pit!
How will I know if my crust is thoroughly cooked?
Your crust is ready when it starts to brown, and the edges are crispy.
After 10 minutes have gone by, check to see if the edges are crispy. If they are not, cover with coals again and leave for another 3-5 minutes,
Can you cook frozen pizza on a campfire?
Frozen pizza? Yes, it is possible to cook frozen pizza over the campfire. If you’re running late and don’t have time to prepare the dough and gather your other ingredients, then it’s all too easy to prepare frozen fire cooked pizza.
While frozen pizza doesn’t cook well on a grate or in a Dutch oven, you can easily replicate the oven-like conditions it needs using a pie iron. Yes, you read that correctly, a pie iron!
Simply slice your frozen pizza up into squares (although by this point, it’s probably already thawed by the time you reach your campsite), and place one square at a time into the pie iron. You can cook your individual squares of frozen pizza directly in the fire.
The more pie irons you have for this method, the quicker you’re going to get the job done!
Can I make the dough at the campsite?
We strongly recommend preparing your pizza dough when you’re at home, as it’s much easier to do this in a fully equipped kitchen than at your campsite. Your dough should stay fresh enough if you keep it in the cooler and use it within 48 hours of preparing it at home.
Of course, that’s up to you, and if you have the right ingredients and utensils, then it’s always possible to do this at the campsite.
What else can I add to my pizza?
You can add mushrooms, bell peppers, or spicy chilis. Cook up some ground sausage beforehand or add some ham (maybe even pineapple). You can even crack an egg in the middle when you add the cheese (and we never say no to more cheese, either!)
The possibilities are endless when preparing your own pizza on a dutch oven pizza camping trip!
How do you like your campfire pizza?
Now you know how to make campfire pizza, with nothing more than a Dutch oven and a roaring fire. There are plenty of opportunities when it comes to using Dutch oven on your camping trip. We suggest trying our campfire bread recipe - it is a lot easier than you think! Also, if you like, you can check out more dutch oven camping recipes.
How do you like your campfire pizza? Why not bookmark our recipe and learn how to make campfire pizza on your next backwoods camping excursion?
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in Recipes
