As the fire is burning down, spread the tomato paste on the crust in the pan, sprinkle with Italian seasonings, and prepare the pizza with the toppings. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Scrape the coals away and nestle the pan down into the warm bed. If there is too much heat, the crust will burn. Place a hot stick or two on top of the foil. Let the hot bed warm the pizza through and until the cheese is melted. You may have to recharge the bed with reserved hot coals. When the cheese has melted and is bubbly, the pizza is ready.

Makeshift Pizza only works the first day out unless you have some way to keep the perishables cold. (A good snow bank will do.) And the ingredients are a little heavy to be packing far.

Dennis Weaver is the general manager at The Prepared Pantry (http://www.preparedpantry.com) with recipes, ideas, and the best selection of mixes and ingredients. Visit the free Bakers' Library for more articles like this, free baking guides, and tested recipes.