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Logan Bread Recipe

Logan bread is a dense quick bread full of dried fruits and nuts. Named after Mount Logan in the Yukon, Logan Bread’s delicious taste, high-calorie content, indestructibility, and non-perishability make it an ideal backpacking food.

I first learned about Logan Bread in 2008 from my friend John on a section hike of the Long Trail that we did together. I took the recipe he sent me and made a few modifications to make it less flaky and better able to withstand the rigors of my food bag. It’s been a backpacking staple in our house ever since.

Logan Bread Ingredients

1.5 cups of whole wheat flour
1.5 cups rye flour
1 cup quick oats
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup wild flower honey
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 dried cherries, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 eggs

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Mix all of the grains, powdered milk, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl
Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl

Next, mix all of the other ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside.

Logan Bread - Next, mix all of the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl
Next, mix all of the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl

Grease two 9″ x 9″ pans using Crisco. Then sprinkle extra flour onto pan bottoms and sides. This will show you if you’ve missed greasing any spots and will help with removing the bread from the pans when finished baking.

Mix the ingredients of the two bowls and mix very thoroughly.

Spoon the mixture into the two greased pans evenly.

Bake for 90 minutes at 275 degrees or until a tester comes out clean.

Let cool. Carve Logan Bread into 3″ x 3″ squares and store in plastic Ziplocs for eating on a backpacking trip or at the office.

About the author

Philip Werner has hiked and backpacked over 8500 miles in the United States and the UK and written over 3000 articles as the founder of SectionHiker.com, noted for its backpacking gear reviews and hiking FAQs. A devotee of New Hampshire and Maine hiking and backpacking, Philip has hiked all 650+ trails in the White Mountains twice and has completed 10 rounds of the 48 peaks on the White Mountains 4000 footer list with over 560 summits in all four seasons. He is also the author of Backpacking the White Mountain 4000 Footers, a free online guidebook of the best backpacking trips in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and Maine. He lives in New Hampshire. Click here to subscribe to the SectionHiker newsletter.

15 comments

  1. Thanks Phil! I printed this so I can make some at home.

  2. I made this exactly as posted several times. It really is no joke. This food is indestructible! Three nights and days on the trail couldn’t turn it into crumbs. It also freezes well (it makes a huge loaf). The density of the loaf is worth the caloric payoff.

  3. i can attest to over 3 yrs in the freezer,at least 6 months refrigerated, and 4 days in a hot truck parked at a trailhead (kinda forgot to pack it) still good as new.

    • My recipe is from an early Seattle Mountaineering yearbook. My wife tried to modify it. She left out the water. Worked well, it had to, we needed it in the Selkirk. Fortunately our ice hammer rendered it into small enough pieces that they didn’t break our teeth

  4. If you are concerned about using a GMO product or consuming the trans-fats contained in canola oil, olive oil is an excellent, much healthier option (and loaded with calories).

  5. I make a fine fruitcake that’s pretty similar to this. It’s a calorie whopper that helped fuel long workouts when I was training for an ultra. (Mom got the rum-soaked cake; I kept the boozeless one.)

  6. Linda Conrad AKA "sparrow"

    I am gluten intolerant. Do you think I can use gluten free flour to make this work?

    • If I were you, I’d certainly give it a try. The first time I made Logan bread, I followed the recipe exactly. The next batch, I experimented, deviated quite a bit and it still came out just fine. Both batches did have a shared problem–half was eaten before we ever hit the trail!

  7. Do you have nutrition information for this recipe?

  8. Ok, I found this web-based nutrition calculator. It gives all the nutrition info for a 3″ square (18/batch). Now we just need to know how much a 3″ square weighs :) I haven’t made this yet, but I’m excited as it sounds great!
    Being a proud, aged, gram weenie, I wonder how much the baking time affects the weight . . .

  9. Use Coffee instead of water, or try 2/3 cup of fresh farm buttermilk.
    Healthy Harvest Canola Oil (or other Non-GMO brands) avoids the GMO concerns.
    I roast the Walnuts first. I’ve also used my own mixed nuts containing roasted Walnuts, Pecans and Hazelnuts.
    Add some dried Currants, unsweetened dried Cranberries, and chocolate chips for variety.
    Add some cooked Quinoa for variety.
    I’ve found that I don’t like if it is too sweet though.
    I live in a Hurricane zone so this is my go-to Hurricane food. I make a couple of batches and freeze them. When the power goes out I’ve got plenty of food at hand so I don’t have to get in line for the MREs.

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