Bannock: A History and a Recipe

Bannock: A Morsel of Bread
Bannock is a flat, round bread that originates in Scotland. Its name derives from the Old English bannuc, meaning a small piece or a morsel, which in turn relates to a number of Gaelic words meaning cake or bread. The word bannock has been in use in the English language since before the 12th century, attesting to the long history of this bread.

Scottish Bannock
Bannock was traditionally an unleavened bread made from oat or barley flour, but today it is common to make it with at least some wheat flour. It was traditionally cooked beside the fire on a flat stone, or upon a griddle. Today bannock is often pan fried or baked. It can also be divided up into little round balls, and cooked in a stew like dumplings. My girls and I experimented with this way of preparing the bread, and found that it yields quite a delicious dumpling. Ours more than doubled in volume, and took longer than expected to cook. We would advise anyone wanting to make bannock dumplings, to start with really small balls of the raw dough!

Bannock in America
Scottish explorers and traders brought wheat flour with them to the New World, where indigenous peoples had already been making their own form of griddle or pan bread. This bread was made from corn and nut meals, and flours derived from ground roots or plant bulbs. Like the yeast leavened Selkirk bannock made in Scotland, some versions of the native bannock included dried or fresh fruit. Unlike Scottish bannock, the versions made in America were often sweetened.

Native American bannock could be cooked in a number of ways, including in baking pits or clay ovens, or wrapped around a green stick and roasted over an open fire. It made a good travel bread, whether cooked in a pan or on a stick. Both aboriginal peoples and outdoors enthusiasts continue to cook bannock this way today.

Some bannock was deep fried, which is why it is sometimes called fry bread. The name "Indian bread" hints at the fact that, in much of North America today, the bread is less associated with its Scottish origins than with the native peoples of this continent.

Scottish Bannock Recipe
2 cups (500 mL) all purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour
1 cup (250 mL) rolled oats or rye flour
2 tbsp (60 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) lard
2 tbsp (30 mL) milk (optional)
melted lard or oil for frying.

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in lard, and add milk. Quickly stir in enough cold water to make the dough stick together, probably about 1-1/2 cups (350 mL) but this will depend on humidity and other conditions. Knead your bannock on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, and pat each piece out into a circle ½ inch (13 mm) thick. Score the top into 4, 6 or 8 pieces as desired. Shallow fry each bannock in a pan over medium-high heat, turning when golden brown. The bannock will rise in the middle, and small bubbles will form along the sides during cooking.

You can serve warm with butter - or with cinnamon and sugar for those with a sweet tooth. It is a perfect complement to a hearty bowl of soup or stew. Serves 8, but beware! It's awfully addictive. You may want to make a double batch.

This recipe is featured in the Family Friendly Robbie Burns Night Supper Menu, along with other traditional Scottish foods.

Sources:
"Bannock." Merriam Webster Dictionary

"Bannock." Practically Edible

"Bannock Awareness." British Columbia Southern Interior Forest Region