Troubleshooting Backpacking Bread: Bottom Separation

[Backpackbaker]

Hi everyone I found this forum to ask for help about my "backpacking bread". I've been preparing for my backpacking trip around Turkey for a year and a few months ago I realised baking bread on the trail will keep me full better and cheaper than any other food. And aside from calzones nobody else is baking bread on the trail and I'm making whole loafs. I'm using 3 cups whole wheat flour, 3tsp baking powder, 1cup water (a bit less like maybe 7/8 cup) and pinch of salt. They are small loafs made in a fat daddios 6.75x3x2.75" anodised aluminum pan with a lid on and cooked over a flame. This has been working well for dozens and dozens of loafs. However suddenly my loafs are coming away from the bottom of the pan during cooking. The bottom of the loaf is being pushed up and separating from the pan. So when I remove from heat after 12 mins to flip the loaf and cook the top side is when I see the big indentation on the bottom like its been squished by a hand. And because this cooking method requires the bread to touch the pan in order to cook, those 12 minutes were wasted time because the bread wasn't touching the pan on the bottom and not cooking. And this problem is worse if I mistakenly use a too hot flame however the past several loafs were all cooked with the same flame I used for those dozens of perfect loafs. And because this is a new process and I am learning and altering things as I progress I have definitely changed something in my process that is now causing this problem. However what is it? Should the dough be powdered with flour or no? Should the pan be oiled or not oiled? Should I score the bread even though it's pan cooking? Should I let the dough "set" a couple minutes longer before putting it on the heat? Should I be kneading it a certain way with thoughts about some kind of reaction process or co2 bubbles etc? Less water? Variate the flame during different cooking stages? Use warm water or cold water? Of course I can't google this problem because nobody is doing this but also try googling "bread rising off the pan" and see what you get hah so thanks if you all can guess at this.

 

[chassis]

Hello, please post photos of the bread, the pan and the flame/heat source.

 

[Backpackbaker]

 

[Backpackbaker]

Hi thanks. So I could post a pic now I improvised the bread example by shaping a "loaf" of foil. The "loaf" I'm holding there is shown bottom up so its big dented surface represents how the bottom of the bread is being pressed up and off the pan during cooking. The side my thumb is touching is not the example side - that would be the side of the loaf that stays flush to the pan. You can see how the example bottom is shaped like a sink.

 

[chassis]

Interesting. Is there a model or example you are striving for? What have others done?

 

[Backpackbaker]

What are you talking about?

 

[chassis]

Backpackers bread. What have others done?