At Home: Make the biscuit mix

Cup of Yum
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, buttermilk powder, baking powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, lard, and butter and pulse to form a coarse mixture with pea-size butter and shortening chunks. If any bigger stubborn chunks remain, rub them into the flour with your fingers until they're pea-size or smaller. (I did this part by hand, grating the cold butter on a box grater)
2. Pack the biscuit mix into an airtight resealable bag or container, and refrigerate or freeze. It will keep for 3 months, frozen. A great-do ahead camping breakfast!
3. Trace the bottom of your Dutch oven onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cut out the outline and then pack it along with your Dutch oven. You can also use foil at the campsite, if you forget this step like I did!

At Camp: Fire and Baking Prep

1. Get a campfire fire going for baking and preheat the Dutch oven lid for 10 minutes. You want hot ash and a few coals, with slow burning logs on the side.
2. Prep your work surface. Dust a flexible plastic cutting board, large plate, or skillet with 1 tablespoon of the biscuit mix. Make sure you have a sturdy oven mitt and a pair of stainless tongs for moving coals.

Shape the Biscuits

1. Empty all but 2 tablespoons of the biscuit mix into a medium bowl, reserving the remaining portion for kneading and rolling. Pour the water evenly over the top of the biscuit mix and combine with a fork, spoon, or your fingers until a shaggy dough forms. (Don't worry if it doesn't all come together yet.)Dust your hands with a bit of the reserved dry mix, then gently press the dough into a single mass inside the bowl. Knead five to ten times, just until the dough holds together. (If it absolutely refuses, you can add a teaspoon or so more water.) Transfer to the prepared rolling surface.
2. Make sure the parchment round (or foil) is in the bottom of the Dutch oven.Using a clean water bottle, roll the dough (or gently pat it out with your palms) into a ¾-inch-thick round or square, adding a sprinkle of dry mix as necessary to keep it from sticking.If using a biscuit cutter, make eight to ten biscuits, reworking the scraps as necessary to form new biscuits. Flip the rounds upside down (it'll help them rise) and arrange in the prepared Dutch oven.If using a knife, trim the outside edges (reserve the scraps), then cut the dough into nine even squares. Flip them upside down (it'll help them rise) and arrange in the prepared Dutch oven. Then form the scrap dough into a disc and tuck it into a gap to bake.
3. Here I brushed my biscuits with cream and sprinkled them with sugar. It's not necessary, but delicious!

Bake and Serve

1. Prep a baking space in your campfire: an area of hot ash with a few coals. Nestle three rocks or a cast iron trivet into the ash and place your Dutch oven with biscuits on top of them. Top with a hot lid. Transfer a few hot coals or charred logs onto the lid. Stay close by. Enjoy a cup of camp coffee!
2. Bake the biscuits for 6 to 12 minutes total, depending on your heat. Rotate the Dutch oven every 4-5 minutes to ensure even baking.Peek in on them after 6 minutes. If they still look like raw dough, instead of puffy biscuits, add coals under the Dutch oven and on top of the lid, and adjust the time accordingly.
3. When the biscuits are puffed and medium-golden, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Transfer the biscuits to a plate to cool slightly. Serve the biscuits with butter and jam.