These might be the best thing since sliced bread… no seriously. Thanks to the hot cast iron, the bottoms are lightly crunchy and the tops soft and pillowy sweet.
Although camping trips for me are usually about long hikes and trying to pack in as much exploring as I can, I always try to pick one morning we can take it easy and have a cooked breakfast while we lounge around camp. These breakfast rolls cooked in a dutch oven are great because it guarantees we don’t rush off to the trail without breakfast and they cook in about the time it takes to break down camp and pack up the cars.
What you’ll need:
- Dutch Oven – I have a 10-inch cast iron Lodge Camp Dutch Oven but the 8-inch would work as well.
- Vegetable Oil – Oil the bottom and sides of the cast iron a bit before you put the rolls in so they don’t stick. I use a couple tablespoons and rub it around with a paper towel to cover evenly.
- Charcoal – Whatever type you prefer, about 20-25 briquettes
- Breakfast Rolls – My crew loves the Pillsbury Orange Rolls but you can find a variety of pre-made options that would work just as well.
Pro Tip: Pre-made rolls in the cardboard tube work really well for this, however they do need to be refrigerated. When you’re packing them in the cooler, remember to double bag the tubes in ziplock bags to keep out any moisture or you’ll end up with super soggy packaging and the rolls won’t rise properly.
Start your charcoal and give it about 15 minutes to get going. Meanwhile, oil the dutch oven and arrange your rolls with even spacing. Add the lid. Set the icing aside for adding when they’re done baking.
Once the charcoal is grey and hot, position 6-7 coals under the dutch oven, then spread 14-16 coals on the lid. This should give you roughly a 350-375 degree “oven”. I’ve found that I do tend to get hot spots from the bottom coals, so I rotate the dutch oven or scoot the coals around every 3 minutes or so to keep things baking nice and evenly.
Bake the rolls for about 12-14 minutes, checking on them around 10 minutes to make sure they’re not getting too brown on the bottom.
When they’re done, spread the icing over the top and dig in!
