I made myself some Logan Bread from the recipe in mid-December, substituting Soy Grits with Polenta (as Polenta is "getting close" to Pinole, a First Nations peoples' trail food - and I couldn't get any Soy Grits). It's been stored in airtight boxes since then with no signs of mould. I've used several pieces of it on various day hikes since and it seems to satisfy my food needs (based on a complete absence of any rigorous scientific evaluation!). I find I eat it slower than my regular lunchtime sarnies and also find it's slightly sweeter than I'd really prefer for lunch. I solve this by eating it with some salad leaves and few Pringles, salt being good in moderation for hikers, especially in warmer climes.
For interest I used
- chopped cranberries, figs, dates, apple, chewy banana chips, apricots as the dried fruits, and
- crushed/chopped walnuts, hazel nuts, brazil nuts, cashews as the nut content.
Further research shows some people add
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Apple sauce
- Sunflower and Sesame seeds to theirs.
I also came across one recipe that suggested adding chopped apricots and 1/4 cup brewers' yeast to boost the iron content.
Some comments:
It baked faster than the suggested 45 minutes so you'd need to keep an eye on it.
It seemed slightly crumbly when straight from the oven but firmed up as it cooled.
You do need the suggested four pans as the idea seems to be to get it around 1 inch thick so you end up with slabs of it rather than a loaf. It doesn't seem to rise when baked.
If I can't get any Soy Grits again I may try Oatmeal (not oats) instead of the Polenta substitute.
By sticking to one or two dried fuits and nuts you'd give it more of an identity but I figure that with one's diet a little bit of all sorts of things is probably best as each foodstuff provides different quantities of the various vitamins and minerals and trace elements and stuff we all need to operate properly/well.
As well as a trail food it's probably useful to keep a few slabs in the car, especially over winter, in case an unexpected delay occurs. Or you're feeling a bit peckish.
