Hey, everyone! Who wants a delicious and easy meal to prepare the next time you go camping? You do?! Hell yeah you do, read on! Kieran and I camped over Memorial Day weekend and made a Camping Pizza Log. Nothing beats fresh, piping hot pizza after a fun-filled day of playing outdoors!
I usually prepare steak tacos while camping, but wanted to try something more fun. After some research, I found a camping recipe for a pizza log. I was skeptical the recipe would work but the pizza turned out amazing! The recipe was simple too. You roll out the dough, add your sauce, cheese, toppings, then roll it up, freeze it, then cook it at camp. Boom, yummy ass campfire pizza!
I’ve stated on several occasions how much Kieran and I love to camp. We were excited to kick off the camping season this Memorial Day weekend. We brought Homie along which made the trip was extra special since it was her first time. The week before our trip, Kieran and I told Homie over and over again we were taking her camping. Since Homie is a dog and has no association with the word camping, she looked confused. We look forward to the time when Homie knows what the word camping means, I can’t wait to see her freak with excitement!
You’re going to freak with excitement when you taste this Camping Pizza Log.
Forest and Margret are good friends of ours who invited us camping to celebrate Forest’s birthday. Forest and Margret invited a few other couples who were a blast to hang out with as well. We settled at Clinger Campground which is a free, primitive site located on the east side of Mt Hood.
Side note, Homie did absolutely amazing on her first camping trip. She behaved perfectly and even guarded the porta potty whenever we had business to attend to. Hehehehehe, I said business to attend to. Kieran and I were so proud of Homie, we can’t wait for our next camping trip hopefully happening this month.
Forest and Margret are avid rock climbers. They scaled up nearby climbing routes during the day. Kieran and I decided we wanted to hike with Homie instead. The Tamanawas Falls hike was located roughly 10 minutes from the campground. We learned a massive landline intercepted the trail upon arrival. We conferred with other people who were finishing up the hike who told us the landslide was a challenge to get across, but it’s doable, even with a dog.
Kieran and I decided to hike the trail regardless since the landslide was roughly 2 miles from the trailhead. We figured even if we turned around at the rock pile, we would still clock 4 miles of hiking, which was good enough for us. The Tamanawas Fall hike was gorgeous. The majority of the trail follows a raging stream which tumbles over a series of tiny waterfalls. Other points of the trail gave us awe-inspiring views of the canyon. We ambled our way through the winding trail until we reached the landslide.
I’m not going to lie, the landslide was imitating. We saw countless people, some with dogs, climbing over the large rocks so we attempted to cross with Homie. We got about halfway when Homie stopped cold. The poor thing wouldn’t budge and all four of her legs were shaking uncontrollably trying to balance on a large boulder. Homie looked terrified. We couldn’t in good conscience keep going, we decided to turn around. Kieran had to carry our 60-pound dog over the large rocks on the way back. It was scary. Slow and steady we finally reached the end of the landslide back on the trail. Homie instantly collapsed from exhaustion. We found a nice shaded area to eat our lunch, give Homie food and water, and let her rest.
When Homie got her second wind we took our time hiking back to the car. Even though the landslide prevented us from seeing the main waterfall at the end of the trail, we still enjoyed the hike immensely. We drove to a nearby bar in an area called Government Camp which is home to a popular ski resort on Mt Hood. Kieran and I sipped on rum and cokes while Homie slept under the patio table. It was a refreshing way to cool off for a couple hours before returning to camp.
Once we reached camp it was time to face plant into our pizza log. Holy fuck balls, it was goooooooood.
The Camping Pizza Log was extraordinary comforting after a long hike. Preparing the recipe took minimal effort and the taste was soooo worth the time I put in. Each bite of the ooey gooey cheesy goodness was pure heaven.
To make the Camping Pizza Log you have to prep the ingredients at home. First, melt some butter in a pan. Then roll out the store-bought pizza dough into a rectangle. Next, slather on your pizza sauce leaving approximately a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce. Now add your toppings. Be careful not to overstuff your pizza log, use 1-2 extra toppings at most. Next carefully start rolling the pizza dough into a log, like you’re making cinnamon rolls, and pinch the ends of the dough so it sticks together. Spread melted butter on top of the dough followed by a sprinkle of salt, oregano, and garlic powder. Finally, speckle the dough with fresh parsley.
Once your Camping Pizza Log is finished, wrap it in tin foil and freeze it. The morning you leave to go camping, put the frozen pizza in your cooler. The frozen pizza will help chill whatever products you’re taking to camp with you. Around dinner time, but before you’re starving, start the campfire. You’ll need to burn the wood down a bit before you cook. You want a bed of glowing embers, ideally about 1″ thick. Once the coals are nice and hot place the pizza log on top of them. Cook the pizza for roughly 25-30 minutes, flipping the log on occasion to ensure both sides brown evenly.
After 25 minutes Kieran yanked the pizza log out of the fire and carefully unwrapped it to ensure it was cooked. The dough was still undercooked on top so he rewrapped the pizza and threw it back onto the coals to cook a little longer. After another 5 minutes, we checked the pizza again. The top was still kinda soft but we were satisfied. We allowed the pizza log to cool for 5 minutes, cut it half, and devoured it. You don’t need utensils for this pizza if you’re splitting it in half. Kieran and I each held our half of the pizza like a hot pocket while we munched on it.
I almost forgot to mention the most important element of this recipe. The smell. OMG, the mouthwatering smell. All the campers caught a whiff of our pizza cooking from time and time and would comment on it. I mean ANY food smells and tastes amazing over a campfire. Shit, water tastes remarkable when you’re camping. Now imagine smelling fresh piping hot pizza cooking on the campfire while you sip (or in my case guzzle) your favorite beer. I’m telling you, nothing beats it!
The next time you’re going camping, don’t grab a packet of hot dogs, have fun and try this Camping Pizza Log instead! It’s guaranteed to be a favorite camping recipe for you and your family and friends!
Thanks for stopping by,
Christina
- 1 can store-bought pizza dough
- ½ - 1 cup pizza sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- 8oz of shredded mozzarella cheese
- Additional toppings: cooked chicken, sausage, pepperoni. I used cooked chicken.
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- A good sprinkling of the following: salt, garlic powder, and dried oregano
- Fresh parsley (optional)
- First, melt some butter in a pan.
- Roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle.
- Next, slather on your pizza sauce leaving approximately a ½ inch border around the edges.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce.
- Now add your toppings. Be careful not to overstuff your pizza log, use 1-2 extra toppings at most.
- Next carefully start rolling the pizza dough into a log, like you're making cinnamon rolls, and pinch the ends of the dough so it sticks together.
- *I don't know if this next step is needed, but I cut a few slits into the top of my pizza log. I assumed it would help vent out the steam so the log wouldn't bubble up into a huge wide ball. Some cheese melted out through the slits but the pizza was still amazing.
- Spread melted butter on top of the dough followed by a sprinkle of salt, oregano, and garlic powder.
- Finally, speckle the dough with fresh parsley.
- Start a campfire.
- Let the fire burn down until you have approx 1 inch of glowing hot coals to cook on.
- Place the pizza log, still wrapped in tin foil, onto the coals.
- Cook the pizza, turning occasionally, for approx 25-30 minutes or until the pizza dough is fully cooked.
- Once the pizza is finished, yank it from the fire and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
- Cut the pizza in half, or into however many pieces you want.
- Eat that yummy pizza!
Recipe inspired by Happy Money Saver
Great article! I stumbled on your site a couple of days ago and really enjoying your content.
Keep up the great writing! Thanks.
Thank you so much for saying so! Sorry, I didn’t see your comment earlier, it went to my spam filter. 🙁
Excellent recipe!! Thanks for sharing!! ( did NOT appreciate your potty mouth… Wash out with soap ; )
Thank you very f’ing much!! 🙂
Fuck yes this is the best recipe!!
Hahahahaha, thanks Jessica 😀
What potty mouth? What is wrong with you?…
I will be trying both the burrito and pizza roll this July. Hope it comes out as good as your pictures look—don’t really see why not.
Sweet!! I hope you come back and let me know how they turned out!! 🙂
um, you’re my new favorite blogger. LOVE it. trying out this recipe this weekend in the boundary waters. thanks for tips!
Awwww, you just made my day! Thank you so much for the kind words!
I’ve made this on a couple of camping trips, but i made my own dough. Delicious! This is one of our regulars now.
You made your own dough?! Freaking awesome, great job! So freaking good, right? We’re going camping in a couple weeks and we’re making it too! Thanks for stopping by!
Great idea! Will not actually go camping to make it, but will definitely do it in the backyard fire pit:)
Hahahaha, you do you!
I can just imagine how good this tastes when you’ve been hiking and are in a beautiful place. Love your dog.
Awww, thanks so much, Mimi! I love Homie so much. And yes, this pizza tastes LEGIT after a long day of hiking 🙂
My hubby and I don’t go camping, but your photos and this pizza log make it look really enticing!!
Thanks so much Leanne 🙂
What was the time period from when you made the pizza log at home until you cooked it on the fire? How long do you think it will stay good for if I prepared it at home then wanted to cook it?
Thanks!
Hi, sorry for the late reply. I just got home from vacation. If my memory serves me correctly, I froze the pizza log a few days before we left for our trip. Then, I put the frozen pizza in my cooler the morning we left for the campsite, then cooked it for dinner that night. I’m guessing the pizza log would be good for 24-48 hours in your cooler, as long as you freeze it beforehand. Let me know if that helps or if I can answer any more questions!
Was it completely thawed by time you cooked it or partially frozen still? We just got a new cooler that won’t allow much thawing so can put in camper fridge if need instead. Thanks so much. Can’t wait to try this weekend.
Hi Debra! Thanks for the question! If I remember correctly we left early in the morning and didn’t eat until after 7pm so the pizza was almost completely thawed by the time I put it on the fire. If the pizza is still frozen by the time you get the camp, you could transfer it to the picnic table to continue thawing, while you prep the fire. But yeah, if you’re concerned the pizza won’t thaw in your new cooler, putting it in your camper fridge would be your best bet! Plus, it will cook faster! Let me know if you have any other questions!
I’m getting ready to try your recipe, and your writing made me laugh. Thanks for both! Happy trails!
Yay! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
How many people does this pizza log recipe serve? Was it just enough for one or two of you? We are family of four and I wondering how many I should make? Thank you –
Hi, Susie! Thanks for the question! Yes, this pizza log was plenty for us. The recipe uses an entire can of store-bought pizza dough so it’s great for 2-4 people. Just keep in mind how much your family eats. Do they have empty stomachs or do they eat like birds? If they eat a lot I would make two just in case. It’s better to have leftovers then go hungry!! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Trying this recipe on our camping adventure next week. You had me at “holy fuck balls!” My kids are stoked we are having pizza while camping.
I made this for dinner and it was so yummy. However is stuck to the foil so we had to open it up and just eat it with a fork. It was still wonderful but wondered has anyone else had issues with this?
Thank you for sharing this recipe! We made it with friends and it was delicious. The only disappointment was the char.. we turned it every 5/6 minutes and left it on for about 25 minutes, but could not eat the outer layer. How have you avoided serious burn of the outside dough layer?