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There’s a moment every fall when the air turns cold enough that a warm slice of something sweet by the fire feels essential. This is that something.

Pumpkin spice skillet bread is soft and moist, full of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, with crisp golden edges where the batter met the hot iron. A drizzle of warm maple butter glaze soaks into the top and pools at the edges.

Baking over a fire sounds tricky, but a covered skillet turns into a small oven. The key is indirect heat: steady coals below and a lid to trap the heat, so the bread rises and cooks through before the bottom gets too dark.

Serve it for breakfast with coffee, as a side with chili, or as dessert after a long day outside.

At a Glance

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 30–35 minutes
• Servings: 10 wedges
• Pan or grate: 12-inch cast iron skillet with a lid or foil, or a 12-inch camp Dutch oven
• Fire: Gentle indirect coals, or 24 briquettes (8 below, 16 on a Dutch oven lid)
• Difficulty: Moderate

Gear & Tools

Baking over a fire is all about trapping heat and keeping the bottom from burning. A heavy skillet with a lid works, and a camp Dutch oven with coals on top works even better.

If you’re buying from scratch, get them in this order: skillet, thermometer, gloves, then a Dutch oven when you’re ready to bake more.

Must-Have

• 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet
  What to look for: Pre-seasoned, with a helper handle opposite the long one.
  Why it matters here: Cast iron gives the bread its crisp golden edges and spreads the heat evenly underneath, so the center rises before the bottom scorches.
• Heat-Resistant Gloves
  What to look for: Long cuffs that cover your forearms, in leather or aramid.
  Why it matters here: You’ll be checking a covered, hot skillet over coals, and the lid gets hotter than you’d think.
  Safety note: Keep them dry. A damp glove turns heat into steam fast.
• Instant-Read Meat Thermometer
  What to look for: A thin probe and a reading in a few seconds.
  Why it matters here: The surest test for doneness over a fire: quick breads are done at about 200°F in the center.

Nice-to-Have

• 12-Inch Camp Dutch Oven (6 qt)
  What to look for: Three short legs, a flat flanged lid with a raised rim that holds coals, and a sturdy bail handle.
  Why it matters here: Bake it in a camp Dutch oven with coals on the lid for the most even, oven-like heat. It’s the easiest way to get a domed, evenly browned top.
• Dutch Oven Parchment Liners
  What to look for: Liners sized to a 12-inch oven.
  Why it matters here: A liner keeps the bread from sticking and makes it easy to lift out whole.
• Silicone Handle Cover
  What to look for: A snug silicone sleeve sized for 9-inch and larger skillets.
  Why it matters here: A silicone sleeve makes it safer to rotate the hot skillet over the coals.
• Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
  What to look for: Heavy-duty or extra-heavy-duty rolls, 18 inches wide if you can find them.
  Why it matters here: No lid? Heavy-duty foil crimped tight over the skillet traps the heat just as well.

Ingredients

Bread

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp butter, for the skillet

Maple Butter Glaze

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Fire & Coal Setup

Burn the fire down to a low, even bed of coals, or light a charcoal chimney of briquettes.

Skillet method: set the skillet on a grate 6 inches above a thin, gentle layer of coals, off to the side of the main fire. Hold your hand above the grate: 7–8 seconds is the gentle heat you want.

Dutch oven method (most even): set the skillet, or the batter itself in a parchment liner, inside a 12-inch camp Dutch oven. Use 24 briquettes, with 8 in a ring underneath and 16 on the lid, for about 350°F.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat. Set the cast iron skillet over the gentle coals for 5 minutes, then melt the tablespoon of butter in it and swirl to coat the bottom and sides.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, both sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk the pumpkin, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla until smooth.
4. Combine. Pour the wet into the dry and stir just until no dry flour remains. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing makes the bread tough.
5. Bake. Pour the batter into the warm skillet and smooth the top. Cover with a lid or crimped foil. Bake over gentle heat for 30–35 minutes, rotating the skillet a quarter turn every 10 minutes. In a Dutch oven, plan on 25–30 minutes.
6. Check doneness. A toothpick in the center should come out clean, and the center should read about 200°F. The top should spring back when you press it.
7. Cool. Pull the skillet off the heat and let the bread cool for 10 minutes so the crumb can set.
8. Glaze and serve. Melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth, and drizzle it over the warm bread. Cut into wedges and serve from the skillet.

Campfire Tips & Troubleshooting

• Bottom burning, center raw: Too much heat below. Raise the grate or thin out the coals, and add heat on top instead (coals on a Dutch oven lid).
• Center sinking: It was underbaked, or the lid was lifted too often. Check at 30 minutes, not before.
• Dense bread: The batter was overmixed or the baking soda was old. Stir just until combined.
• Glaze soaking in: The bread was too hot. Give it the full 10 minutes to cool first.
• Thinner bread in a 12-inch skillet: It bakes faster. Start checking at 25 minutes.
• Make ahead: Mix the dry ingredients at home in one bag and the spices in a small jar, so you only add the wet ingredients at camp.

Variations

• Chocolate chip: Fold 1/2 cup chocolate chips into the batter.
• Pecan streusel: Top the batter with 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 2 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp melted butter before baking.
• Cream cheese swirl: Dollop sweetened cream cheese over the batter and swirl it in with a knife.
• Muffin-style: Bake the batter in a parchment-lined Dutch oven as 10 individual mounds.

Pairings

• For breakfast: First Light Skillet: Campfire Cast Iron Hash and Eggs — A slice of this bread goes perfectly next to skillet hash and eggs.
• For supper: Campfire Comfort: Dutch Oven Chicken Corn Chowder — Warm skillet bread is great for dunking in chicken corn chowder.
• Same technique: After the Trick-or-Treat: Apple-Cinnamon Dutch Oven Dump Cake — Another easy coals-on-the-lid bake for your Dutch oven.
• Coming up — Thanksgiving: 3 Traditional Midwest Thanksgiving Pies You Need to Try — Thanksgiving is three weeks out. Here are three classic Midwest pies for the holiday table.

Gather Round the Fire

Fall baking doesn’t have to stay in the kitchen. A covered skillet over gentle coals turns out a warm, spiced bread that tastes even better with woodsmoke in the air.

Low heat below, heat trapped above, and patience. That’s the whole secret to baking over a fire.

Bake it on your next cool evening and tell me in the comments how you served it. Share it with the friend who always shows up hungry, and follow along for more Dutch oven and open-fire recipes. Now go unleash your inner culinary Firestarter.