Google "Campfire Biscuits" and you will find 101 ways to ruin biscuits. Making Perfect Biscuits while camping is a challenge and an art but some folks just like improvising and have fun doing that. It is sort of like the S'mores phenomena, I guess. I offer you the directions here for the biscuit recipe only if you are trying to make the perfect champion winning biscuit in a Dutch Oven.
Directions:
Sift flour with your hands adding the sugar, salt and baking soda. Add cold butter and cut into the flour.
Make a well in the center of the flour and add the buttermilk, mixing with your hand until dough forms into a big lump in the center. Working in the center, inside the bowl, gently fold the dough over on itself about 4 times, lightly coating the ball with flour. You will not need to incorporate all the flour. If the dough comes together before you have used all the flour, that's OK; you want to keep the dough moist as possible for tender biscuits when done. If the dough is too dry, stir in 1-3 Tbls additional buttermilk.
Pinch off pieces of dough for each biscuit, shaping in your hands with a light coat of flour left inside the bowl. This is very easy since the dough is no longer too sticky.
If you want to cut dough with a round cutter, roll the dough ball out on a cutting board coated with flour. Cut out as many rounds as possible with a 2-1/2 to 3 inch round cookie/biscuit cutter dipped in flour. (do not twist cutter or use an overturned glass which will seal the edges so they cannot rise.)
Grease bottom of 10" Cast Iron Skillet and pre-heat it in the hot oven. Remove hot skillet from oven and place biscuits in the skillet.
Brush tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Pop them into the hot oven.
Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
YIELD = 8-10
Serving Suggestions: Butter, Jam, Honey, Fruit Sauce, Whip cream or Sausage Gravy.
*Camp Fire Dutch Oven Baking: Grease the inside of the Dutch Oven. Pre-Heat 30 hot charcoal bricketts (place 1/3 of the hot charcoal under the Dutch Oven, on the ground inside your fire pit, place 2/3 hot bricketts on the top of the lid.. More heat should be on top of the lid so you don't burn the bottoms. Don't peak for 20 minutes. Every time you open the lid it will take 5 more minutes to recapture the heat.
* If you do not have Self-Rising Flour you can use All Purpose Flour and add 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder.
*Cinnamon-Sugar Biscuits: Increase sugar to 1/2 cup; add cinnamon to flour mixture. Add raisins or blueberries to dough mix. After baking, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or a glaze.
* Cheese-Garlic Biscuits: Use 1 cup buttermilk; add 3/4 cup shredded cheese. After baking, brush with mixture of 2 Tbs melted butter and 1/8 tsp garlic powder.
*Raspberry, Blackberry or Peach Sauce: 4 cups berries, 1/2 cup water, 2 Tbls cornstarch. Bring to a boil and stir. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
