Blueberry Cinnamon Campfire Bread

Lightning storms on the north horizon. The fire watch is on. Cattle work this week. Patrick rode in the truck. He pointed out two heifers I had not noticed. He sees things I do not. The work is shared.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods.

Cowboy beans on the fire Saturday. Pinto, bacon, onion, ancho. Slow simmer.

The week held. The work continues.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

The cowboy beans were already going Saturday — pinto, bacon, onion, ancho, slow simmer — and the fire had another hour in it before supper. That’s when this bread makes sense. You’re not starting something new; you’re just using what’s already there. After the week we had — the fence posts, the auction run, Mr. Whelan’s hour-long horse story, the cemetery stop on the way home from Billings — I was not interested in complicated. The bread asked for almost nothing and gave back something warm and real.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Prepare the fire. Let your campfire burn down to a solid bed of medium coals. You want steady, even heat — not a roaring flame. If cooking at home, a grill set to medium or an oven at 375°F works the same way.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar until evenly combined.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined — do not overmix. A few lumps are fine. Gently fold in the blueberries.
Prepare the pan. Butter a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven generously. Pour in the batter and spread it to an even layer.
Bake over the fire. Set the skillet over the coals. If using a Dutch oven, place a layer of coals on the lid as well for top heat. Cook for 40–45 minutes, rotating the pan every 10 minutes for even heat, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden.
Rest and serve. Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, plain or with butter.

Nutrition (per serving)

Blueberry Cinnamon Campfire Bread — When the Fire’s Already Going, You Might As Well Bake