Today's Recipes

For modern day campers and explorers, here are some bannock recipes gleaned from several outdoor magazines and club journals.

Barager's Bannock

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ cup corn meal
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ cup margarine or lard
• 2 tbsp liquid honey
• 1 cup canned milk
• 1 cup water

Mix dry ingredients and work in shortening until mixture feels mealy between the hands. Add liquid and pour into a 20 cm square greased pan or the small skillet in the four man cook kit. Bake 30-40 minutes at 425 degrees F.

When preparing dry ingredients for the trail, use sugar instead of honey. Old time woodsmen warn against splitting hot bannock with a knife. Break it apart or it will be heavy. (Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association, Kanawa Magazine, Spring '90)

Basic Bannock (for 12)

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups other whole grain flours
• heaped tbsp baking powder
• 1 ½ cups walnuts, coarse coconut, chopped dried fruits, raisins or cranberries
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp honey or molasses
• 1 cup water or more

Add ingredients in the order given. Mix (minimally) to drop cookie texture. Pour into medium hot oiled cast iron pan over low coals. Bake until it stiffens and sides leave pan (1/2 hour). Loosen around and under bannock. Take bannock out, flip and cook for another 15-20 min. (Explore Magazine #42, May/June)

"Bannock can be used as a bread, as dumplings or the batter thinned with water or milk and cooked as a pancake or crepe," Carol Hodgins writes in Wanapitei Canoe Trippers Cookbook (Highway Book Shop, Cobalt, Ont.). "You can vary the recipe by using a combination of different flours, such as white, whole wheat, potato or soy. Soy flour increases the protein, but only add a small amount as it is heavy. Or try putting in some cornmeal. The more white flour, the lighter the bannock will be."

Bannock (for 6-8 active canoe trippers)

• 4 cups white flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup bran
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup milk powder
• approx. 1 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Work in shortening with fingertips. Add the water at the campsite, mixing until all the dry ingredients are soft and moist but not sticky. Cook and test with peeled twig for doneness.

Bannock for 9 person trip

• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups cornmeal
• 3 cups oatmeal
• 2/3 cup powdered milk
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder

Mix with water until stiff and cook (pretty basic instructions, don't you think? Source unknown).

If you would like your kids to experience bannock, but all this mixing is too much for you, buy a box of quick biscuit mix. It's already done for you. Happy eating!

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Melvin Larocque's Bannock

• 3 c All purpose flour
• 1 ts Salt
• 2 tb Baking powder
• 1/4 c Lard; melted *
• 1 1/2 c Water
• 1/2 c Raisins, currants or dried blueberries or cranberries [optional]
• 2 tb Sugar [if fruit added]

Bannock, a simple type of scone, originated in Scotland and was made originally of oatmeal. The first pioneers taught it to the Indians who did not previously have leavened breads and made unleavened breads from corn and nut meals, which were a very minor part of their diet [breads not corn and nuts]. It has spread and adapted from there, with many regional variations.

It was cooked in pioneer days in cast iron frying pans over open fires. Toutons use a similar dough where small rings are deep fried like doughnuts. Variations in flours and the addition of dried or fresh fruit make this bread a popular choice of hunters and campers today. Oven baking has become an alternative to the cast iron frying pan when made at home. The dough can also be wrapped around green de-barked sticks driven into the ground beside the camp fire.

* Melted shortening, butter or margarine can be used but the taste will be altered. Lard is traditional.

Measure flour, salt, baking powder [and dried fruit and sugar] into large bowl. Stir to mix. Make a well in the center and pour melted lard and water into the flour mixture. Stir with fork to make a ball. Turn out onto a working surface. Knead gently about 10 times. Do not over work the dough and let the gluten develop. Pat into a flat circle 1 inch thick. Cook in a greased frying pan over medium heat allowing 15 minutes each side. Use two lifters for easy turning. Serve hot with butter. Break it off in chunks or slice into wedges with a knife. May also be baked on greased baking sheet at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes.

This tastes best in a frying pan outdoors over a wood fire.

Variations:

1. Substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour and/or 1/2 cup oatmeal for up to 1 1/2 cups of white flour.
2. Add fresh fruit instead of dried.