This is one of those recipes that is as good for breakfast as it is for desert. It does take some time to make so we will often have this after our main meal of the day or as a special breakfast on a zero day. Also this is a nice one a few days out of civilization where you may have some slightly stale bread.

Ingredients

There are not many ingredients for this recipe. The mixture scales well and will work as well for one person as it will for 100.

Core ingredients

The core ingredients are similar to that of our eggy bread recipe, however with the addition of dried fruit and spices it goes to a very different place. The ingredients given are for two servings.

4 Slices of Bread - A dense slightly stale bread works best however any bread based product will work. We have even used leftover bannock!

Equivalent of 2 Eggs in Powdered Form - An ingredient that has a bad reputation in the UK, but we have found it a brilliant ingredient for adventure cooking. It is a lot less messy than carrying fresh eggs.

2 Tablespoons Sugar - Simple granulated sugar works well here.

4 Tablespoons Powdered Milk - A fantastic way to bring milk on expeditions.

4 Tablespoons Sultanas - This is a way of adding fruit to the dish as well as transforming the texture.

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil - We tend to use vegetable oil, but any oil suitable for frying will do. One word of warning - if you use a more flavourful oil, that flavour will be imparted into the final dish. We have had some interesting experiences with using olive oil, so recommend a neutral oil (or butter if you have any).

Optional Ingredients

Now this is where you can start experimenting. Some ingredients we have found that work well are:

Cinnamon & Nutmeg - These can add a little flavour (both on their own and together) and make a nice change.

Other Dried Fruit - This is a nice way to add some variation. We have had success with raisins, currants, and cranberries. All of which add a little something different to the fritters.

Black pepper - We gave it a try because pepper is a spice we always carry with us (and we were having a “why not?” sort of moment), and surprisingly it works!

Cooking equipment

This is one that you can easily do in the wild.

Camping stove - Something that has a controllable heat is preferable. Although possible over a spirit burner it is a bit more of a challenge to not weld food to the bottom.

Frying pan - A well seasoned or nonstick pan will make this a lot easier.

Whisk or mixing spoon - something to mix the ingredients is needed, and a whisk does make it a lot easier to avoid a lumpy batter, but you can make do with a spoon or spork.

Bowl or pan - something to mix the liquid part of the dish, as well as dip (or dredge) the bread in.

Fish slice or flippy stick - You will need a utensil to get under the fritters while they are in the pan.

Method

This method is a simple one but there are two key parts: getting the consistency of the mix right, and the time in the frying pan. Once you get these two bits sorted you can crank out as many of these as you need.

Mix your powdered egg, powdered milk, and half your sugar in your bowl. If you are using spices, add at this stage.
Add water and whisk to make a thick-ish batter. Think of a good thick milkshake consistency for this one.
Tear the bread you have up into thumbnail sized chunks.
Place all the bread into the batter, along with the sultanas and stir to ensure that all bread is saturated. It should suck up most of the batter and result in a thick paste that should stand up on its own.
Heat your frying pan up on the stove, and add a teaspoon of oil. You want the pan hot enough to fry in but not smoking.
Add a spoonful of bread and batter mix into the frying pan. You want it to be about a 15mm thick dollop in the pan. Too thick and you will struggle to cook the centre, too thin it will fall apart. Nudge the dollop of mixture into a desired shape with your spatula.
After about 10 seconds, periodically nudge the fritter to stop it from sticking to the pan, fry for another 20 ish seconds, flip over the fritter in the frying pan to cook the other side. If you have timed it right the fritter should be a wonderful golden brown on both sides and hold together.
Remove the fritter from the pan.
Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top to taste.
Repeat until you have used all the mix.

Trail tips

If you have stale bread then this is a cracking way of using it while you are out on the trail. Even if the bread has dried out, or is no longer rectangular, it doesn't matter.

You may also need to play with the temperature of the stove to find the “just right” setting. Robert has done this so many times with our MSR Dragonfly and Primus frying pan he can find the right temperature setting on the valve by the sound the burner makes.

If you are making many rounds of this and want to serve them all at once, then a nice way of keeping it warm is popping it into a pot with a lid on. Putting a woolly hat over the pot will also keep the heat in.

If you have leftover batter then you can make a thing that looks like a pancake to finish it off.

Bread Pudding Fritters