Uses for Flour.

[PPrep]

Flour is an essential prep, but I only use about 1.5Kg per year. Very occasionally I run out of bread and make a sort of bread out of self - raising flour, vegetable oil and water. I make the dough and grill both sides. It ends up like flattish cakes, and if a generous amount of mixed fruit, as used in baking, is added one has basic scones. I have also successfully made experimental pasta as a possible alternative to rice. So, there are two very occasional uses for flour.

I know how to store/preserve white self - raising flour for several years. I kept a small quantity in a paper bag over winter in a slightly damp kitchen to see what would happen in the worst of storage conditions; the expiry date was October 2023. Surprisingly, the flour lasted well.

My attempt at an American style pancake was a complete failure. I wanted something like a British crumpet or pikelet, but easier to make.The batter was OK, but in the (not non - stick) frying pan it soaked up all the oil and then stuck to the pan. I was careful with the heat and didn't burn the pancake, but it disintegrated as I was trying to stop it from sticking. They seem to need a lot of valuable cooking oil.

What I'm asking is for any ideas for using flour to make a bread - like substance or similar staple regularly without using an oven, and which can be produced on a camping stove using a bare minimum of ingredients. Also, something that's very easy to make as I'm no cook. This is for when there's no power.

[GillyBee]

If you are not much of a cook, a little time on You Tube looking at camp cookery videos might be a very good prep.

To my mind, the easiest things to make with flour on a camping stove are fritters or pancakes. You will need a little fat and a good non-stick pan. I have no success with other pan types for pancakes. If going the non-stick route be aware that turning the heat up will kill your pan very fast.

Fritters are basically grated vegetables (your choice) mixed with flour and optional egg to make a stiff mix that you can squish into burger shapes. Add cheese or spices to flavour and cook slowly until brown and crisp each side.

Pancakes need a non-stick pan and need something like egg to hold the mix together. My pre-coeliac long life mix was equal parts of flour, dried milk and dried egg. Mix with water until the consistency of thick cream. Warm the pan and pour in a thin layer. Cook on low/medium until the edges are starting to brown before trying to turn it. Or use two fresh eggs to each mug full of flour and use fresh milk to mix.
If you turn the heat up too high or have a poor pan you will struggle so your disaster may not be your fault.

If I only have access to a steel/iron pan, I would make chappatis from the flour but you will need to Google those. They are just flour salt and water but are physically a bit fiddly.

You can also do these recipes with alternative flours such as gram flour if coeliac or do not have any normal flour in stock.

[jennyjj01]

Flour is an essential prep, but I only use about 1.5Kg per year. Very occasionally I run out of bread and make a sort of bread out of self - raising flour, vegetable oil and water. I make the dough and grill both sides. It ends up like flattish cakes, and if a generous amount of mixed fruit, as used in baking, is added one has basic scones. I have also successfully made experimental pasta as a possible alternative to rice. So, there are two very occasional uses for flour.

I know how to store/preserve white self - raising flour for several years. I kept a small quantity in a paper bag over winter in a slightly damp kitchen to see what would happen in the worst of storage conditions; the expiry date was October 2023. Surprisingly, the flour lasted well.

My attempt at an American style pancake was a complete failure. I wanted something like a British crumpet or pikelet, but easier to make.The batter was OK, but in the (not non - stick) frying pan it soaked up all the oil and then stuck to the pan. I was careful with the heat and didn't burn the pancake, but it disintegrated as I was trying to stop it from sticking. They seem to need a lot of valuable cooking oil.

What I'm asking is for any ideas for using flour to make a bread - like substance or similar staple regularly without using an oven, and which can be produced on a camping stove using a bare minimum of ingredients. Also, something that's very easy to make as I'm no cook. This is for when there's no power.

For a delicious bread substitute, made in a pan, try Staffordshire oatcakes....
viewtopic.php?f=17&hilit=oatcakes&p=183 ... ac81c889fa

Also, Simple pancakes are almost the simplest meal possible. Just mix flour milk and an egg to make a runny batter and drizzle it into a frying pan that's been wet with just a tiny bit of butter. Allow the base to cook. It really won't stick if you let it be. When it moves when you shake the pan, you can turn it over. Serve with a splash of orange juice, a blob of honey, or sugar.

Or.... try a Jenny invention... Drizzle chips.....

Make a runny batter with just water and flour and swish round a hot pan to make a basic pancake. Turn when it comes unstuck.... It will. When cooked, remove from pan and slice into julienne strips. Then in a pan of oil, fry those strips. You end up with something not a million miles away from french fries.

[PPrep]

If you are not much of a cook, a little time on You Tube looking at camp cookery videos might be a very good prep.

To my mind, the easiest things to make with flour on a camping stove are fritters or pancakes. You will need a little fat and a good non-stick pan. I have no success with other pan types for pancakes.

Pancakes need a non-stick pan and need something like egg to hold the mix together.

If I only have access to a steel/iron pan, I would make chappatis from the flour but you will need to Google those. They are just flour salt and water but are physically a bit fiddly.

You can also do these recipes with alternative flours such as gram flour if coeliac or do not have any normal flour in stock.

Thank you for the tips. The sticking problem may well be my not using a non - stick pan as I don't have one. Your comment on being careful not to ruin them with too much heat is noted, and trying to use one with a camp stove might be risky. My mix probably disintegrated because I didn't use egg to hold it together as you suggest. I'm thinking of a scenario where eggs aren't available, but I'll see if I can get egg powder from the local supermarket.

I'll look at chapattis online, but need something really easy to make. I want to stick to basic flour of one type for simplicity and economy; this is how I approach cooking in general.

[PPrep]

Flour is an essential prep, but I only use about 1.5Kg per year. Very occasionally I run out of bread and make a sort of bread out of self - raising flour, vegetable oil and water. I make the dough and grill both sides. It ends up like flattish cakes, and if a generous amount of mixed fruit, as used in baking, is added one has basic scones. I have also successfully made experimental pasta as a possible alternative to rice. So, there are two very occasional uses for flour.

For a delicious bread substitute, made in a pan, try Staffordshire oatcakes....
viewtopic.php?f=17&hilit=oatcakes&p=183 ... ac81c889fa

Also, Simple pancakes are almost the simplest meal possible. Just mix flour milk and an egg to make a runny batter and drizzle it into a frying pan that's been wet with just a tiny bit of butter. Allow the base to cook. It really won't stick if you let it be. When it moves when you shake the pan, you can turn it over. Serve with a splash of orange juice, a blob of honey, or sugar.

Or.... try a Jenny invention... Drizzle chips.....

Make a runny batter with just water and flour and swish round a hot pan to make a basic pancake. Turn when it comes unstuck.... It will. When cooked, remove from pan and slice into julienne strips. Then in a pan of oil, fry those strips. You end up with something not a million miles away from french fries.

Thank you for your help. Unfortunately, I'm not too keen on oatcakes, and the Staffordshire type look rater complex to make. Having said that, I am a lazy cook. Although I cook my food from vegetables and use very little processed food, it's done with a minimum of effort and ingredients and is really simple.

Your simple pancakes are very similar to what I messed up, but but I didn't use an egg and I need to try your technique. I'll see if I can get egg powder from the local supermarket, because eggs may not be available in an emergency. If this works for me, I may try the "Jenny invention"!

Do you use a non - stick pan for this?

[jennyjj01]

For a delicious bread substitute, made in a pan, try Staffordshire oatcakes....
viewtopic.php?f=17&hilit=oatcakes&p=183 ... ac81c889fa

Also, Simple pancakes are almost the simplest meal possible
Or.... try a Jenny invention... Drizzle chips.....

Make a runny batter with just water and flour and swish round a hot pan to make a basic pancake.

Thank you for your help. Unfortunately, I'm not too keen on oatcakes, and the Staffordshire type look rater complex to make. Having said that, I am a lazy cook. Although I cook my food from vegetables and use very little processed food, it's done with a minimum of effort and ingredients and is really simple.

Your simple pancakes are very similar to what I messed up, but but I didn't use an egg and I need to try your technique. I'll see if I can get egg powder from the local supermarket, because eggs may not be available in an emergency. If this works for me, I may try the "Jenny invention"!

Do you use a non - stick pan for this?

Yes. I use nonstick, but the secret seems to be being patient and not messing with it till it firms up.
Flour and water or a bit of oil can be enough for many a feast.
I use egg powder. Tricky to find at good price but it lasts years past bbe without refrigeration

[GillyBee]

Egg powder can be bought online and would be a good thing to store simply because of it's protein content. The body building community likes egg white powder which would also work and may be easier to find.
There are a lot of possible egg substitutes - most are trying to replace just one aspect of the egg such as the protein or the "glue" factor. We can't use egg powder any more due to family food intolerances. I keep food gums to use for my pancakes and cakes. A pinch of xanthan gum of guar gum helps with the consistency and stores well but adds no food value. I use this at about the same rate as I would salt.

[PPrep]

Egg powder can be bought online and would be a good thing to store simply because of it's protein content. The body building community likes egg white powder which would also work and may be easier to find.
There are a lot of possible egg substitutes - most are trying to replace just one aspect of the egg such as the protein or the "glue" factor. We can't use egg powder any more due to family food intolerances. I keep food gums to use for my pancakes and cakes. A pinch of xanthan gum of guar gum helps with the consistency and stores well but adds no food value. I use this at about the same rate as I would salt.

Thanks for the advice. A quick check with eBay gives 1Kg whole egg powder at between £24 and £35 and white only at about £37. Amazon's prices tend to be higher and they're a dodgy company to deal with with regard to postage charges and deceptive big buttons, etc. My guess is the whole egg would give a wider range of vitamins. Regarding protein, my existing long - term source is tinned sardines (last for years); I don't eat meat. I need to figure out how I'm going to integrate dried eggs (and possibly pancake making) into my general food preps. The dried eggs as an alternative protein source would be useful in their own right, if expensive, as you say. The expense of buying a non stick pan is a disincentive, and I might ruin one using a camping stove when there's no power and I'm under duress.

[jennyjj01]

Thanks for the advice. A quick check with eBay gives 1Kg whole egg powder at between £24 and £35 and white only at about £37.
Regarding protein, my existing long - term source is tinned sardines (last for years); I don't eat meat. I need to figure out how I'm going to integrate dried eggs (and possibly pancake making) into my general food preps.

Follow the prepper doctrine of store what you eat and eat what you store. Integrate your prep diet with your regular diet to ensure familiarity and to aid stock rotation. I try for at least one 'ration meal' a week made from my stores.
See my thread 'from ration list to meal plan', where I do whacky things with dried veg and chickpeas and more.

My own protien store is a mix of types of tinned fish and a load of dried chickpeas, beans and TVP augmented by tinned meat and assorted fish. Integrating them and powdered eggs into regular diet was a mission, especially getting my 'tasting panel' to eat my weird foods. Mr JJ never did find out that a third of my beef mince meals are TVP

You get a lot of eggs-worth in a kilo of powder, so it's not stupidly expensive for what it is. Eggs often sourced from India and other places with dubious animal welfare and food safety laws. My supplier used to provide certification with the pack. You need to find a supplier to your local bakery, as they are the big users.

[GillyBee]

My last frying pan came from someone on ebay selling "box opened" stock. Which let me get an expensive pan for the price of a basic one. You may be able to find one the same way to let you practice without expending too much cash.
Alternatively, you could try using more fat with a standard pan and storing tinned ghee or coconut oil which both keep well for years. Either way I would expect a percentage of "scrambled pancakes" while you learn.