The magic and majesty of the campfire and its various uses: understanding the magic of a campfire and how best to utilize its powers.

Hello again, dear reader.

In our recent conversations we have been pontificating on campfires, everything from how to build the perfect roaring campfire to how to prepare the perfect foil packet meals and desserts for your adventures. Staying in that same vein today, I thought we would discuss the magic of the campfire, as well as the various types and uses for campfires. The first part of today's discussions is kind of unique in that it does not provide any useful survival or character building information is simply a meditation (or thought-provoking process). On the magic and majesty of the campfire, this dear reader is simply designed to help you think about and appreciate the wonders of nature and the power of the campfire to instantly conjure up images of warmth and safety.
The second part of today's conversation dear reader, is a discussion on the various types of campfires and their uses, such as a "cooking fire" versus a "comfort fire" I figured since we discussed how to build the perfect roaring campfire in a previous conversation. It would probably be a good idea to discuss how this roaring campfire can best be utilized in various situations. So hopefully by the end of today's discussion dear reader, you not only have a better understanding and appreciation of the magic and majesty that a campfire provides, but also exactly how to use this magic...


Side note: This short meditation on the magic of the campfire comes from The Manual of Woodcraft Indians (1915) by Ernest Thompson Seton  — the handbook for an organization that served as a forerunner to the Boy Scouts. When’s the last time you gathered with friends around a campfire?
What is a camp without a campfire? — No camp at all, but a chilly place in a landscape, where some people happen to have some things.
When first the brutal anthropoid stood up and walked erect — was man, the great event was symbolized and marked by the lighting of the first campfire.
For millions of years our race has seen in this blessed fire, the means and emblem of light, warmth, protection, friendly gathering, and council. All the hallow of the ancient thoughts, hearth, fireside, home is centered in its glow, and the home-tie itself is weakened with the waning of the home-fire. Not in the steam radiator can we find the spell; not in the water coil; not even in the gas log; they do not reach the heart. Only the ancient sacred fire of wood has power to touch and thrill the chords of primitive remembrance. When men sit together at the campfire they seem to shed all modern form and poise, and hark back to the primitive — to meet as man and man — to show the naked soul. Your campfire partner wins your love, or hate, mostly your love; and having camped in peace together, is a lasting bond of union — however wide your worlds may be apart.
The campfire, then, is the focal center of all primitive brotherhood. We shall not fail to use its magic powers…

From snacks to comfort: the various types of campfires and their uses

You can tell a lot about a camper’s experience by the type of fires they build. Inexperienced campers usually build the same, heaped together bonfire for all their campfire needs. Sure, building huge ass fires is fun, but it’s extremely inefficient. The typical bonfire campfire burns a lot of wood, wastes heat, and isn’t very good for cooking food.
Experienced campers, on the other hand, build different campfires depending on their needs. These campers understand that when you build the right fire for the right time, you get the most efficiency out of it, the most comfort, and the most pleasure.
Below we’ve outlined how to build three different campfires for three different purposes. First, we’ll show you how to build the small snack fire. Next, we’ll discuss how to create the perfect fire lay for cooking. And finally, we’ll take a look at how to build a campfire for warmth and comfort after a long day spent hiking.
Snack Fire

Sometimes you just need a fire big enough to warm a pot of coffee or fry the afternoon’s catch. Or perhaps you’re not setting up permanent camp at a stop. You don’t want a fire that’s so big that cleaning it up when you leave consumes too much time. Enter the snack fire. The snack fire is just a basic tepee fire lay. It’s small, but very efficient.

To build it, simply start by placing small twigs up against each other until you form a mini tepee. Leave an open space in the center where you can place the tinder. Newspaper balls, dry leaves, and dry pine needles work best. With practice, you can start a small fire in seconds. To keep the fire going, keep adding small twigs to the lay.
To use it to boil some water for your coffee or broil some bacon, wait until the tepee falls and then put your frying pan or kettle right in the center. Keep adding little twigs around the pot to increase the heat.
That’s it! While this fire won’t keep you very warm and it isn’t large enough to cook much, it’s a good fire to use when you need one quickly or just want a little warm comfort on your travels.
Cooking Fire

You should implement the cooking fire when you plan on staying in a location for more than a day and you want to do some serious campfire cooking. Campers often try to cook by placing their pots and pans directly into the fire. But this typically achieves less than satisfactory results, burning both pans and food. This leads some to tote along a camping stove. But you can make an effective campfire cooking range out of all natural materials.

Start off by building a tepee fire. Make it a bit larger than you would for a snack fire. When you get a good fire going, lay two green logs side-by-side about 7 inches apart at one end, and 4 inches at the other. The two logs serve as a stove range where you can place pots and pans. You can put your smaller vessels like a coffee pot on the narrower end, and your larger pots on the wider end. This enables you to cook several dishes at the same time. Spread or pile the coals to create hotter or cooler cooking areas.
If you want to make it a bit more elaborate, you can rig up a pole over the fire as seen in the picture. Then you can then hang your pots a couple of inches above the fire for care-free simmering.
Comfort Fire

What if you could bring the comfort and warmth of a fireplace with you on your camping trip? Well, with the reflecting fire you can. On a cold night you need more than just a simple tepee to keep you warm. You need something that will focus the heat directly at you. The problem with most campfires is that it throws heat off in all directions. A reflector fire lay solves this problem by replicating how a fireplace works. Fireplaces have a backdrop that reflects heat back towards the house. The reflector fire does the exact same thing.

You can use any fire lay to make a reflector fire- tepee, log cabin, star fire, whatever. We’re just going to place the fire in front of a backdrop to reflect heat.
Try to find a natural reflector to build your fire in front of. A cliff, larger boulder, or earthen bank will work. If you can’t find a natural reflector, build your own by driving two hearty stakes into the ground at an angle in front of your fire. Against these slanted poles, stack up a row of logs from largest to smallest to form a backstop that will serve as the reflector. Use only green wood so it won’t burn.
Now you can sit on your tree stump, eat s’mores, and enjoy the warmth and comfort of a fireplace out in Mother Nature.

Bringing warmth and comfort into the wilderness: how to build a roaring campfire.

Hello again, dear reader.

In our latest round of intellectual fairness conversations we have been discussing easy and convenient ways of preparing meals and desserts and bread over an open campfire without the need for pot or pans or any other major utensils. Today, however, in our conversation; we are going to focus on how to build a nice roaring campfire (I know I said we weren't going to cover this aspect, because there is already tons of information about this particular subject available. However, I decided after doing some research that a lot of this information could be better. So he we are) so hopefully by the end of today's conversation, the reader. You will not only have a better understanding of how to build the best roaring campfire possible, but you will have an appreciation for the things they campfire can provide...


There is a primal link between man and fire. For ancient man, fire provided warmth, protection from wild animals, light in the dark wilderness, and a place to cook food. While fire is no longer vital to most men’s existence, it still has a magnetic power that attracts us. The flames of fire can inspire legendary stories, generate uplifting discussion, and build camaraderie among the men circled around them. Also, there’s nothing more romantic than cuddling up to your gal next to a warm fire. And I’d take some manly campfire-cooked grub over the food of a four-star restaurant any day. Thus every man should know how to start one and be well-practiced in doing so.

Create Your Fire Bed

When building a fire, always think about safety first. You don’t want to be that guy who starts a raging wildfire in a national park. If your camping site has a designated fire area, use it. If you’re camping in a more rugged area that lacks fire sites, you’ll need to make your own. Select a site away from trees, bushes, and other plant material. Your fire bed should be on bare earth, not grass (especially dead grass). If you can’t find a bare area, make your own by digging and raking away plant material, taking particular care in clearing away all dry plant material. Dry grass, branches, and bark catch fire easily.
After you’ve cleared the area, it’s time to make your bed. Gather in dirt and place it in the center of your cleared area. Form the dirt into a “platform” that’s about 3-4 inches thick.

Time to Gather Your Wood

You’ll need three basics types of materials to build your roaring campfire: tinder, kindling, and fuel wood.
Tinder. Every good campfire starts with good tinder. Tinder catches fire easily, but burns fast. Material like dry leaves, dry bark, wood shavings, dry grass, and some fluffy fungi make for good tinder. If you’re a smart camper, you’ll bring your own tinder in the form of dryer lint or homemade char cloth. Bringing your own tinder is especially important when everything outside is wet. Believe it or not, wet tinder does not catch on fire.
Kindling. Tinder burns fast, so you’ll need something with more substance to keep your flame going. You can’t move directly to big logs. You’ll just smother your little flame. That’s where kindling comes in. Kindling usually consists of small twigs and branches. Go for something that’s about the width of a pencil. Like tinder, kindling needs to be dry or else it won’t burn as easily. If all you have are wet twigs and branches, try whittling away the damp bark with your pocket knife.
Fuel wood. Fuel wood is what keeps your fire hot and burning. Contrary to popular belief, fuel wood doesn’t have to look like the huge logs you use in a fireplace. If you go too big, it’s going to take a long time for the wood to catch fire. Look for branches that are about as wide as your wrist or your forearm.
General tips. When gathering wood for a fire, collect wood that snaps and breaks easily. Dry wood burns the best. If your wood bends, it’s too wet or “green.” If your try to make a fire with this sort of wood, you’ll just get a lot of smoke. Unlike tinder and kindling, fuel wood can be a little damp. The fire will dry it out, but it’s still not ideal.
Collect twice as much tinder, kindling, and fuel wood as you think you’ll need. You’ll be surprised how fast you’ll go through tinder and kindling when you’re starting your fire.

Lay Your Fire

There are several ways to lay your fire. Here are three of the most common types of lays.
Teepee Fire Lay

1. Place your tinder bundle in the middle of your campfire site.
2. Above your tinder bundle, form a teepee with some kindling. Leave an opening in your teepee on the side the wind is blowing against. This will ensure that your fire gets the air it needs and will blow the flames onto the kindling.
3. Continue adding kindling to the teepee, working your way up to pencil sized twigs.
4. Create a larger teepee structure around your kindling teepee with your fuel wood.
5. Place a match under your tinder. Because this lay directs the flame up, the flame should rise to the kindling and then on to the fuel wood.
6. The teepee structure will eventually fall, and at this point you can simply add some fuel logs to the fire.

Lean-to Fire Lay

1.  Stick a long piece of kindling into the ground at about a 30-degree angle. The end of the stick should be pointing into the wind.
2. Place a tinder bundle underneath the support stick.
3. Place some small pieces of kindling around your tinder nest.
4. Lay small pieces of kindling against the piece stuck in the ground. Add another layer with larger pieces of kindling.
5. Light the tinder, and watch it burn.

Log Cabin Fire Lay

1. Start off by creating a small teepee lay.
2. Have you played with Lincoln Logs? Basically, you’re going to play a larger version of Lincoln Logs and burn them when you’re done.
3. Get large pieces of fuel wood and place them on opposite sides of the tepee.
4. Find smaller pieces of fuel wood and lay them across the first set of fuel wood, parallel on the other sides of the tepee. Just like you would with Lincoln Logs.
5. Repeat laying smaller and shorter pieces to form a cabin or pyramid shape.
6. Light this baby up.

Putting Out Your Fire

So you’re done with your fire. Unless you want to break Smokey the Bear’s heart, you need to put it out thoroughly. The following guidelines will kill your fire good and dead.
Start early. Putting out a fire completely takes longer than you think. Plan when you’re going to bed or leaving and start putting out your fire about 20 minutes before then.
Sprinkle, don’t pour. You should have a bucketful of water near your campfire for safety reasons. When it’s time to go, this will serve as your fire extinguisher. Avoid the impulse to pour all the water on the fire. You don’t want to flood the pit because you or someone else will need to use it later. Instead, sprinkle as much water as you need to put out the embers and charcoal.
Stir. As you sprinkle water over the embers, stir them with a stick or shovel. This ensures that all the ashes get wet. When you don’t see any steam and don’t hear any hissing noises, you know you’re getting close to a completely extinguished fire.
Touch test. Don’t actually run your hands through the ashes. You don’t want to brand yourself with a searing ember. Put the back of your hand near the ashes. If you still feel heat, it’s too hot to leave. Keep adding water and stirring. As soon as it feels cool, you’re good to go.
Dispose the ashes. You don’t want to leave the next camper a fire bed full of old ashes. Also, if you had to create your own fire bed, you want to leave the land in the same condition as how you found it. Scoop up the ashes in a bag and spread them out around the campsite.
Patch up your ground. If you made your own fire bed replace the dirt and sod you dug up.


As always, dear reader, thanks for listening and there will be more to come soon.

How to make bread like a fur trapper or Civil War soldier over an open campfire: how to make a basic bannock bread loaf.

Hello again, dear reader.

In our most recent conversations we have been discussing adventure cooking, because let's face it. You can be the best adventure in the world, but at some point. You're going to need food. So far we've discussed using tinfoil as a means of cooking everything from burgers and steaks to upside down pineapple cake however, for today's discussion. We are going to be talking about how to make a simple, yet all important diet staple, and of course that would be bread. However, we are going to be talking about a specific type of bread, known as "bannock." Bannock is a type of bread that has been used by for traders and trappers, first Nations people’s soldiers and explorers and mine workers for centuries. It is very simple to prepare does not require any special equipment or even a pot or pan. It can be cooked on a cedar plank on a flat rock tilted next to the fire. So hopefully by the end of today's discussion, dear reader, you will have a basic understanding and appreciation for how to prepare bannock. So that your next campout or even at a family barbecue. You will be able to prepare this delicious bread, in case you happen to run out of dinner rolls...

Unless you’ve spent a lot of time in the woods on longer trips, you’re probably unfamiliar with bannock.  Bannock is a Gaelic-rooted word that comes from the Latin panecium, which means baked things. Add a thousand years of passing the word from Hadrian’s soldiers to Scottish ones and you see how panecium became bannock.

A bannock is a small, flat loaf of bread raised by a leavening agent, most often a chemical one, although yeasty bannocks are sometimes baked, as in a sourdough recipe.  They are meant to be cooked hearth-side, whether a fireplace or a campfire.  They are simple, and in the woods, simple is good.  Add some honey to some simple bread and after a few days or weeks of bagels and Wasa bread, it tastes like manna from heaven.  It’s hot, light, and comforting.

.

 I had been using a bannock recipe that came from old-style camping legend, Calvin Rutstrum. Frankly, it was a chemical bomb using horrendous amounts of baking powder and no shortening, so it was dry and metallic. If anything contains a tablespoon of baking powder, run the other way unless you like the taste of aluminum.

My brother and I have used the recipe, discussed below and whipped up a few batches of bannock on the stovetop. It was a vast improvement over what I had been using. What’s better is that the basic recipe is also good for pancakes, fish batter, etc. Think Bisquick or Krusteaz without 10,000% of your daily recommended dosage of salt. Sure, you can use those pre-made mixes, but this recipe is so simple, it’s a shame to subject your taste buds to pre-packaged sodium bombs.

How to Make Bannock Bread

Ingredients

• Bannock Mix
• Water

Basic Bannock Mix

1 cup flour (white or a mixture of white and whole wheat)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1 tbsp. shortening

Make the mix at home ahead of time. Sift dry ingredients, and cut shortening in with a pastry cutter or two knives until you have a granular, corn meal-like mixture. Package in zip-lock freezer bags. Double bag it if you’re going to be on a long trip. I’ve found that you can make large batches at once and make enough bannock mix for a trip in about fifteen minutes. Just make sure you sift the dry ingredients well, so you don’t get leavening problems.

Directions

Baking bannock is relatively simple once you get the hang of it.  Your first ones will be dark and maybe burnt on the outside and gooey on the inside.  Don’t despair, just pretend it’s a jelly donut and try again. The key is a consistent heat.  While flames don’t indicate a bad cooking fire, red glowing fires from hardwood are best.

1. Start with a small cast iron frying pan and oil it well.

2. Pour some water into the bag and squoosh it around in the bag (squooshing is a technical term). Because the water and baking powder form carbon dioxide to make the bread light, the faster you go from mixing to skillet, the lighter your bannock will be. There will be lumps, of course, but we call them flavor bursts. I say “some water” because how much you add depends on the humidity and of course, personal taste. You don’t want it any thinner than a muffin consistency, if you’ve never baked a muffin, think spackle. You can distribute the dough with a poke of a finger or a stick or a spoon if you’re the civilized sort. Remember, it’s always easier to add water than take it out, right?

3. Squeeze the mix out of the bag and onto the warmed pan (not scalding hot — if the oil is smoking, it’s way too hot).  The pan can be warmed over the fire if you have a grate, or leaned against a few logs near the heat source.  It shouldn’t hiss or sizzle like a pancake batter…that means things are too hot; Cool it off and be patient.  The bread will start to rise slowly.

4. Your bannock will start to look loaf-like.  At this point you’ll want to flip your loaf.  A little shake of the pan and flick of the wrist can turn it over, but a spatula is fair game too.  At this point, just keep turning it.  You’ll know when it’s done.  It’ll look a lot like the picture here.

If you have a lid, you can try to cook your bannock dutch oven-style and put coals onto your skillet lid. Otherwise, you can turn it over to cook the top (carefully!) or else when the bottom is done, prop the pan up against a log with the top facing the fire. This is my favorite sort of “semi-reflector-oven” method. I believe it also makes a lighter bannock.

Baking bread in the wilderness is about taking the comforts of home with you and enjoying yourself, not choking down some freeze-dried Hungarian goulash that tastes like wallpaper paste.  You can still eat tasty grub while getting in touch with Mother Nature. _

As always, dear reader, thanks for listening and there will be more to come soon. __________________________________________________________________________________

Gourmet goodies over an open fire: how to make six campfire desserts without any pots and pans.

Hello again, dear reader.

For yesterday's conversation we discussed the virtues of foil packet meals, otherwise known as Boy Scout pies. This style of cooking is of course taking various ingredients such as meat and vegetables and putting them into a foil package and then throwing them in the coals of the campfire to cook in their own juices. However this not only works for entrées, but for desserts as well. Today's conversation consists of six recipes for foil packet desserts (or even breakfast if you prefer, I mean come on, what kid doesn't like the idea of pineapple upside down cake for breakfast). All of these recipes have been thoroughly tested and demonstrated for me by fellow outdoor enthusiasts. So hopefully by the end of today's conversation, dear reader, you will have a few more recipes other than s'mores of course in your campfire cooking repertoire...

As someone who loves camping, but doesn't believe in bringing everything but the kitchen sink on my trips. I do my best to simplify all of my gear. Part of that is simplifying my grub; instead of having to haul pots and pans into the wild, and clean them after each meal, I cook my meals in foil packets or on a stick; no muss, no fuss, no clean up.
That works well for entrees, but what about the crown of the meal — the dessert? S’mores are an obvious and delicious choice, but lately I’ve found myself wanting to branch out more.
So we recently field-tested a bunch of easy, make-ahead campfire desserts, and found six absolute winners. These tasty treats require no pots, pans, or clean-up. Just put ’em in the fire, and enjoy.
If you’re ready to add some variety to your s’mores routine, give these recipes a try on your next trip into the woods.

Notes on Preparation & Cooking

• All of these recipes can be made ahead of time at home and brought with you to your destination.
• The ideal place to cook nearly all campfire grub is not directly in the flames, but on a nice bed of coals (shoot for at least 2 inches of them).
• When making something in a foil packet, always spray the surface on which you’re going to place your food with cooking spray, so that the food doesn’t stick once it’s cooked.
• Use heavy-duty foil to avoid puncturing. I recommend using two sheets to be on the safe side, and because it seems to cut down on charring.
• Measurements of ingredients are kept intentionally vague on most of these. I don’t exactly measure the ingredients when making campfire grub. A little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and you’re gold. Measure and season to taste.
• Cook times are approximate as well; they can vary depending on how hot your coals are. Check on your food periodically to see how it’s doing; if it’s not done, crimp the foil back together and return the food to the coals. The packets will be hot, so use an oven mitt, gloves, and/or tongs, and look out for steam.

Finally, know that while none of these campfire desserts are going to win any beauty contests (campfire cooking rarely will), they’re all, appearances aside, certified delicious.

Pineapple Upside-Down Donut

If you’re a fan of pineapple upside-cake, you’ll love this easy campfire homage to that dessert.
Ingredients:

• Plain cake donut
• Canned rings of pineapple
• Brown sugar
• Squeeze “butter”

Instructions:
Slice a donut in half (through the ring, so you’re creating 2 O’s, not 4 C’s). Lay a pineapple ring on the bottom of one half of the donut. Spoon on some brown sugar. Squeeze a line of butter around the ring. Place the other half of the donut on top; you now have a pineapple donut “sandwich.” Place the donut on a sheet of foil. Bring the long sides of the foil to the center and crease them together until the foil is flat next to the donut; then tightly roll up the shorter sides.
Place in campfire coals and cook for 5-8 minutes until the donut and pineapple are heated through. Be sure to flip it over halfway through, or the bottom will burn.

Campfire Apple Crisp

This traditionally oven-baked dessert can be enjoyed in the great outdoors. I got the recipe for this one from Cooking With Jax. It serves 2-3 people.
Ingredients:

• ½ cup old-fashioned oats
• 6 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 3 apples
• 2 tbsp butter
• squeeze of lemon juice (you can sprinkle this on the apple slices, but you can leave it out just to have one less thing to worry about)

Instructions:
Mix together the oats, flour, sugar, and spices. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Cut the apples into slices and place the slices on a double-layered, cooking oil-sprayed sheet of foil. Cover with the oat mixture. Take another piece of foil the same size as the bottom one, spray one side of it with cooking oil, and place it spray-side down on top of the apples/oats. Crimp/crease the sides of the bottom and top sheets of foil together, all along the perimeter of the foil rectangle.
Cook in the coals for 20-30 minutes.

Cobbler-in-a-Can

Cobbler made in a Dutch oven is a perennial campfire favorite. But if you don’t have a Dutch oven, or don’t want to bring it along on a quick trip, you can actually make cobbler right in a can of fruit or pie filling. I imagine some may be aghast at this idea, as most cans are lined with BPA (the toxicology of which is debatable). It’s hard to imagine that a perhaps once-a-year ingestion of such a campfire dessert will do you in, but if you’re worried about it, then skip this one, and the Puppy Chow dessert as well. Or search out a BPA-free can.
Ingredients:

• Pie filling or fruit in heavy syrup (we used dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup)
• Bisquick

Mix 1¼ cups Bisquick with ½ cup milk. This will make enough batter to place one big “biscuit” in 2 smaller cans, or if you have a larger can, you can put all the batter into it. Open can of fruit/filling and drain off excess syrup. Place biscuit batter on top of fruit. Replace lid.
Cook on hot coals until batter turns into hard dumplings.

Banana Boats

This is an old campfire favorite that’s especially enjoyed by kids.
Ingredients:

• Bananas
• Mini marshmallows
• Chocolate chips

Marshmallows and chocolate chips are the basic, traditional stuffings for banana boats, but there are numerous variations. Try golden grahams, crumbled up graham crackers, peanut butter chips, nuts, and so on.
Instructions:
Slice the banana lengthwise through the skin on its flat, concave side. Allow the knife to penetrate the fruit, but don’t slice through the skin on the other side. Stuff the pocket/crevasse with marshmallows, chocolate chips, or whatever else you have in mind. Wrap and crimp foil around the banana to make a “boat.”
Cook on coals for 5-8 minutes until the marshmallows and chips melt. Unwrap and scoop out the banana/toppings with a spoon.

Puppy Chow

Puppy chow is a version of Chex snack mix; here, sans powdered sugar, it’s used as inspiration for a campfire treat.
Ingredients:

• Peanut butter, or peanut butter chips
• Chocolate chips
• Chex cereal

Instructions:
Take an empty, clean aluminum can and fill it with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place on coals and allow ingredients to melt. Once the PB and chips are melted, stir in some Chex cereal. You can also use it as a dip for graham crackers.

Orange Peel Cupcakes

Cupcakes around the campfire — no muffin tins or oven required. Making cupcakes inside of an orange is not only fun, but delicious — these ended up at the top of everyone’s list. The orange peel imparts a subtle orange flavor to what you cook inside of it, and you can also use the same method to make muffins, brownies, and even cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients:

• Oranges
• Cupcake/cake mix

Instructions:
Prepare cake batter according to the package instructions. Slice an orange through about ¾ of the way up. Scoop out the pulp so that you’re left with a hollow “bowl.” (You can eat the pulp later, or use it to make OJ.) Spoon in the cake batter and fill up the hollowed-out orange, stopping a little short of the lip. Put the top back on and wrap the whole orange tightly with foil.
Cook in the coals for 20-25 minutes until the batter is baked through. Rotate the orange’s position several times as it cooks to ensure even baking.

As always dear reader, thanks for listening, and there will be more to come soon.