Complete Homemade Bannock Mix

Bannock is a popular quick bread among Scots and Irish, and also for native peoples in North America. It is a staple for some - much like a dinner biscuit, soda bread, tortilla, pita or cornbread. But if you are a bit of a procrastinator you may never have made bannock, even though you've always wanted to. Try making an (almost) instant bannock mix that you can pull out on short notice when you get a hunkering for a little Scottish comfort food. This recipe is complete. All it needs is water and a little elbow grease (plus a little grease for your skillet or griddle!)

Quick Bannock Mix - Just Add Water
16 cups (about 2 kg) all purpose flour
1/ cup (125 mL) baking powder
1/ cup (125 mL) powdered milk
4 tsp (20 mL) salt
1-1/3 cup (300 mL) lard

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in lard until the mixture resembles a fine crumb. Divide into equal parts and pour into zippered storage bags, or store in a large canister. Makes four batches large enough to serve 8 people, or divide into smaller portions if you are feeding fewer people.

To prepare bannock: Empty a portion of bannock mix into a large bowl and quickly stir in just enough cold water to make the dough stick together. Knead 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 even pieces, and flatten into a circle about ½ inch (13mm) thick.

Score the bannock dough into 4, 6 or 8 pieces as desired. Fry each piece in a skillet with oil or melted lard. If you divide the entire recipe of mix into four, each batch will yield enough for 8 hungry people.

Store the mix in tightly sealed containers or bags. It should be fine in a cool, dry cupboard for about a month. Refrigerated, use within three months.

Fancy Up Your Bannock Mix!
This recipe makes a pretty basic white bannock that will taste similar to Indian Naan if you fry it. You can fancy it up by adding in dried fruits, nuts or seeds. You can also substitute different flours or meals for some of the all purpose flour in the recipe. Try corn meal, whole wheat or rye flour, or oatmeal in your bannock. The original Scottish bannock recipes relied heavily on oatmeal and barley, and even used pease meal if nothing else could be had. In the Americas, aboriginal peoples were using ground corn, roots and nuts. A word of caution though: if you like a fluffy bannock, leave in at least half of the white flour. Other flours and meals won't rise as much, and will result in a denser bread.

Sources:
"Bannock." Practically Edible

"Bannock awareness." British Columbia Southern Interior Forest Region