Recently, while having a glass of white wine at a local bar, I couldn't help overhearing a conversation next to me; it was between two burly-looking biker types. At first I wasn't really listening, but then the conversation turned to food. One was telling the other what a great cook his "old lady" was, and about the meal she had recently prepared on a grill while at a motorcycle outing. "She marinates these chicken breasts in white wine and garlic, see, and then she grills this bread dough," he says. "Grills dough?" The other questioned. "No shit, man," he explained. "She rolls it real thin like a pizza and cooks it right on the grill, it's kinda like pitta bread." He went on to say how she's been cooking it like that for years, and that it's great while on the road.

This, of course, made me begin to think about things (it doesn't take much), and the comparison of these bikers to gypsies, or modern day nomads. The first breads, after all, were most definitely flat, and also cooked over an open fire—in many areas of the world breads are still cooked in this fashion. In parts of the Middle East, for example, particularly Lebanon and Syria, breads are cooked on a sãjj, which is a sort of inverted wok. The sãjj is placed over a small fire, and pancake-thin bread dough is placed directly onto the dome. And in Mexico, one can still see women preparing their tortillas on a griddle over an open fire.

Breads cooked out of doors are quick and easy; and it's often more desirable and fun to bake bread outside on a summer day. It's also a great way to enjoy fresh bread while on a camping trip—the actual dough may be made ahead of time and transported in plastic bags in a cooler. When cooking bread out of doors, placing it directly on the grill is the simplest and most logical choice. But if you want to experiment, and have a little fun, other methods are equally effective. And interestingly, some of these less conventional bread-baking methods were developed not as novelty but necessity. During the gold rush years, for example, the prospectors of the West and in the Yukon became such masters at making sourdough that they themselves were often referred to as "Sourdoughs." When in a temporary setting, such as a camp, making the dough was the easy part, devising the oven took a little more ingenuity. These prospectors were known to bake their dough in everything from skillets or Dutch ovens which were covered with coals, to empty tin cans placed close to the fire; they also devised a makeshift method known as "stick-baking." To stick-bake is simple; it's like roasting a marshmallow. Simply wrap a piece of bread dough around the end of a sick and hold it close to a fire.

Though these somewhat crude methods of baking may sound simple, they actually take some practice—one does not have the luxury of a temperature-controlled thermostat on an open fire. And while there is no doubt that it is much simpler to bring store-bought bread on outing, or at a backyard barbeque, it is definitely not as much fun as baking your own. Enjoy life; bake bread.

Basic Bread Dough

1 cup warm water

1 package active yeast

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Combine the water, yeast and salt into a medium bowl and allow to rest for 20 minutes, or until the yeast becomes active and frothy. Place the flour into a large bowl, mound up the flour and make an indentation in the center. Pour the water and yeast mixture into the indentation and, using a wooden spoon, begin to stir the flour into the liquid. Continue to stir until it is thick enough to handle. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead it for about 10 minutes. The dough should become smooth and supple, if it is sticky knead in a small amount of flour. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Set the bowl in a warm area and allow the dough to double in size, this should take between 45-60 minutes. After the dough has risen remove the plastic wrap and push the air out of the dough. At this point, the dough may be utilized as the base for any bread or pizza, or it may be placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 6 months. If refrigerating the dough, use a large enough bag to allow for expansion of the dough or it will burst the bag.

Have a previously prepared fire ready. There should be no flame, only hot glowing embers. Divide one recipe of bread dough into 3 equal pieces and shape into balls. After shaping the dough, allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Roll the dough out into round or oval shapes; it should measure approximately 1/4 inch in thickness. Brush the dough with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Carefully turn each of the doughs over and place onto sheets of parchment or waxed paper. Repeat the process of oiling the dough. Gently remove one of the doughs from the paper (this takes a little practice, as the dough will be soft and sticky at this point), and place it directly onto the grill. After a minute or two, lift the side of the dough to inspect the progress, if it is beginning to brown and has dark lines in it, it is ready to be turned. Using one or two metal spatulas, turn the dough in one fell swoop, taking great care, as the dough will tear easily. Cook the dough another couple of minutes and remove to a cooling rack or clean cloth. If the coals are medium hot, the entire cooking process should take between 4-8 minutes. Repeat with the remaining doughs. Allow the grilled bread to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Have a previously prepared fire ready. There should be no flame, only hot glowing embers. Coat the inside of a 10-inch cast iron skillet and metal heat resistant lid with oil. Divide one recipe bread dough into two equal pieces. Shape one piece into a ball, place it into the prepared skillet and flatten it into a disc. Reserve the remaining piece of dough for future use. Cover the skillet with the lid and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Using a small shovel or metal spatula, carefully push aside a layer of hot coals and place the covered skillet directly into the fire; very carefully lift some of the hot coals onto the lid of the skillet. The skillet should be moved and shifted often to prevent the dough from resting on any particular "hot spots" and burning. After about 5 minutes, carefully remove the skillet from the fire and inspect the bread. If the dough is browning too quickly on the bottom, it may need to be turned over in the skillet. Return the skillet to the fire, using your judgement on how much heat should be applied to the skillet. When entirely baked, remove the bread from the skillet and allow to cool on a rack or cloth for 10 minutes before serving. (This method of bread baking can be easily replicated with the use of a tin can.)

Have a previously prepared fire ready. There should be no flame, only hot glowing embers. Choose a length of green twig and scrape or peel any loose bark off one end; rub the clean end of the stick with oil. Using the basic bread recipe cut off a 2-3 ounce piece of dough and form it into a long cylindrical shape. Skewer the dough with the stick. Cook the bread by holding it next to the hot coals; adjust the cooking temperature by moving it closer or further away from the heat. It is imperative that the dough is rotated and shifted often to produce an evenly cooked product. Once the dough is cooked throughout, remove it from the stick and repeat as desired.