Celebrating a sweet piece of history with cast iron and campfire camaraderie
Each first Friday of June, we celebrate International Donut Day — a holiday born from the trenches of World War I, when Salvation Army “Donut Lassies” fried donuts for homesick soldiers using helmets and campfire grease. These women delivered warmth, calories, and a taste of home. Today, this day honors their legacy and supports the Salvation Army’s mission, with donut shops across the country often giving away free donuts to spread the love.
As a backcountry chef and paddler, there’s no better way to honor this tradition than with a fresh batch of camp-cooked Dutch oven donuts, crispy on the outside, soft in the center, and kissed with cinnamon sugar under the stars.
🧂 Ingredients
- 1 can refrigerated biscuit dough (like Pillsbury Grands)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- Lard (enough to fill 2 inches in the Dutch oven) Lard is a traditional fat used in many donut recipes. It provides a rich flavor and a light, flaky texture. When using lard, it’s important to ensure it reaches and maintains the proper frying temperature (around 350°F) for best results. Many bakers appreciate the unique taste that lard imparts to the donuts.
- Optional: powdered sugar or chocolate glaze for dipping
🏕️ Gear You’ll Need
- Lodge Deep 10″ Dutch Oven (for frying depth & heat control)
- Mesh wire basket (fits snugly inside the Dutch oven)
- Skimmer spoon or strainer ladle (to remove donuts safely)
- Charcoal briquettes (even heat is your friend)
- Lid lifter or tongs
- Heat-resistant gloves
- Paper towels & plate for draining
- Tongs (for flipping donuts)
- Camp-safe fire extinguisher (Class K or B)
- Baking soda (to smother small grease fires)
- Burn first aid kit (aloe gel, clean gauze, and sterile burn dressings)
🛡️ Fire & Burn Safety Tips
🔥 How to Avoid Burns:
- Always use heat-resistant gloves and long tongs.
- Set up your cooking station on flat, stable ground, away from foot traffic and tent lines.
- Never let children or pets near the hot oil.
- Avoid overfilling the Dutch oven — lard should be no more than 1/3 full.
- Lower donuts in gently, especially when working in batches.
💦 What to Do if Oil Splatters:
- Immediately move away from the Dutch oven.
- For minor splatter burns, rinse with cool clean water (not icy) for 10–15 minutes.
- Apply aloe or a sterile burn dressing from your WFA/WFR kit.
- Do not pop blisters — keep the area clean and covered.
🚫 Grease Fire Safety:
- NEVER pour water on a grease fire.
- Smother small flames with a lid or dump baking soda on the fire.
- Keep a Class B or K fire extinguisher within reach (many compact models are camp-safe).
- If the fire grows beyond control, evacuate and call for help if in range.
🔧 Jeff’s Pro Cooking Setup Tip
💡 Hang your skimmer spoon and tongs from a tripod over the fire or side rail to avoid dropping tools in the dirt. Use a Dutch oven lid lifter to make lifting the lid with coals on it safer and easier — and this will prevent soot on your gloves!
🔥 Dutch Oven Setup
- Charcoal Ring Method: Light about 24 charcoal briquettes and let them ash over.
- Place 10 briquettes under the Dutch oven and 14 on top of the lid. You want ~350°F oil.
- Add 2 inches of lard to the Dutch oven and lower the mesh basket inside.
- Preheat for about 10 minutes. Drop a scrap of dough to test the sizzle — if it bubbles and floats, you’re ready to fry.
👨🍳 Why It Works
Using a mesh wire basket allows you to lower and lift multiple donuts at once, reducing splashes and keeping your frying organized. Biscuit dough gives you a fast, consistent base without the need for kneading or rising. Frying with lard adds depth of flavor and a flakier finish that echoes traditional donut shop quality. Charcoal offers a steady, dry heat — ideal for frying in a Dutch oven without hot spots.
🔥 Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Prep your cinnamon sugar in a small bowl and line a plate with paper towels.
- Pop the biscuit dough and cut a 1-inch hole in the center of each to form a ring. Save the holes — they make fantastic donut bites.
- Once your lard is hot, gently lower 3–4 donuts into the oil using the mesh basket.
- Fry 1–2 minutes per side, flipping with tongs or skimmer spoon when golden brown.
- Remove and drain on paper towels.
- While still warm, toss in cinnamon sugar or roll in powdered sugar.
- Repeat until the batch is done — including those golden little donut holes!
🤦♂️ Tasty Mistake: The “Midnight Crunch” Donut Debacle
One cool fall evening deep in the Ocala backcountry, I was camping with my son. We’d packed biscuit dough and lard, eager to impress with backcountry donuts. I showed him how to shape and fry the dough, and the aroma had us both drooling.
But in the excitement, we mistook powdered mashed potatoes for powdered sugar in the dark. He took the first bite and gave me the classic preschool side-eye. “Dad, these taste like… camp stew.” I bit in and laughed so hard I nearly fell off the log. Turns out, cinnamon mashed potato donuts aren’t half bad when you’re hungry and under the stars.
We still make donuts together — but we label the powders now.
🎉 Celebrate with Purpose
So this International Donut Day, bring a little history to your next kayak basecamp or fire ring gathering. Share a few fresh donuts, remember the Donut Lassies, and if you can, donate to your local Salvation Army. Even in the backcountry, we can carry on a tradition of generosity, sweetness, and a whole lot of frying fun.
Want more backcountry campfire recipes like this?
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