Bannock Recipe for the Campfire (2024)

FAQs

What are the three ways that bannock can be prepared? ›

There are many versions of bannock and different nations make more than one version. Bannock can be baked in a pan or on a stone (camping), shallow pan-fried, or deep-fried.

Bannock is a type of fry bread, which originates from Scotland but was eventually adopted by the Indigenous peoples of Canada, particularly the Métis of western Canada. Bannock stems from the Gaelic word bannach, which means “morsel,” a short and sweet but accurate description.

Don't KNEAD the bread. If you beat up the dough too much the bannock will be tough.

Classic bannock has a smoky, almost nutty flavour blended with a buttery taste, while dessert bannock can have flavours resembling a donut or shortbread. Making bannock is an art that takes years to perfect.

Bannock is usually unleavened, oval-shaped and flat. The version that we know today came from Scotland. In its most rudimentary form, it is made of flour, water, and fat or lard. Milk, salt, and sugar are often added, depending on the recipe.

Bannock is not to be confused with Australian Damper. Bannock refers to any large round article baked or cooked from grain, whereas damper, is traditionally baked or cooked from wheat flour and water. Bannock was taken to North America and Canada by the Scottish explorers and fur traders.

The name Bannock seems to originate from the Old Celtic English “bannuc”, derived from the Latin “panicium” for “bread” or meaning “anything baked”. Made simply from oatmeal and flour, the first citing of a bannock or bannuc recipe in Scotland was in the 8th Century.

According to Cameron, a bannock was the whole circular quick bread or cake, while a scone was the individual piece cut, like a pie slice, from a bannock. It dawned on me that this old distinction is reflected in the way my Scottish mother-in-law made her cheese scones. From my mother-in-law's recipe collection.

It is believed that bannock, derived from the Gaelic word bannach, was introduced here by the Scottish fur traders. Most Indigenous groups in Canada have some version of bannock. The Inuit call it palauga, the Mi'kmaq, luskinikn, and the Ojibwa, ba'wezhiganag (Colombo, 2006). The Métis call bannock la galette.

Leftover bannock or fry bread can be cooled to room temperature and stored for a few days in a large Ziplock bag on the counter, or for around a week in an airtight container in the fridge.

Why is my homemade bread so hard? ›

There may be several reasons for a dense, cake like texture in bread. It may indicate the kneading wasn't enough for the gluten to develop properly, or the dough was proved for too short a time or the dough may have been too dry. It is also worth checking the flour you used.

If your dough is slightly hard and not dry, you can try to soften it by kneading the dough between your fingers or rolling it between your hands (clean of course, to avoid mixing dust or dirt with the dough).

Selkirk bannock is made from wheat flour and contains fruit. The word bannock derives from the Latin panicum, denoting an edible milletlike grain. Special bannocks were once made for holidays and religious feasts, such as Beltane bannocks on the first of May and Lammas bannocks on the first day of autumn.

Samhain Bannock could also be called “Dumb Bannock”, and were used to predict who would get married in the upcoming year. In this tradition, you would bake it one hour before midnight on Hallowe'en. The women would then score their initials in it, and wait.

Remember that baking soda is stronger than baking powder, so you'll want to use a quarter of the amount of baking soda as powder. So if the recipe calls for 1 tsp. baking powder, use ¼ tsp. baking soda.

There are three mixing methods used for yeast doughs: the straight dough method, the modified straight dough method, and the sponge method.

Three common mixing methods are the muffin mixing method, the creaming method and the biscuit mixing method. The muffin method suits muffins, loaf breads, pancakes, and waffles. Biscuits and scones benefit from the biscuit method, while the creaming method offers an alternative for muffins and certain bread types.

The bannock of many pre-contact American peoples was made of corn and nut meal, and flour made from various roots and ground plant bulbs, and sweetened with syrup from trees. There were many regional variations of bannock that included different types of flour, and the addition of dried or fresh fruit.