Rustic Scottish Bannock Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

FAQs

Does bannock need to be refrigerated? ›

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.

Bannocks are flat, round oat-based bread that has a texture that is somewhat like a scone. It's believed they were first made in Scotland, where they were traditionally cooked on a stone. If you don't feel like roughing it, I recommend using a cast-iron skillet or frying pan instead!

Bannock, a round of mostly flour, baking powder, water and some sort of fat, has been a part of Indigenous peoples' diets since the 18^th century. It is believed that bannock, derived from the Gaelic word bannach, was introduced here by the Scottish fur traders.

Classic bannock has a smoky, almost nutty flavour blended with a buttery taste, while dessert bannock can have flavours resembling a donut or shortbread.

Bannock became a staple for voyageurs, fur traders, prospectors, and later, Indigenous peoples. It is a quick and simple carbohydrate-rich food, which was hard to come by in many parts of Canada. Many would mix the dough right into their flour bag, and toss it onto a pan whenever the need arose.

Your dough can become sticky when you add too much water or the flour isn't suitable for the type of dough you are making. Over proofing or fermenting the dough can also result in the gluten structure weakening causing sticky dough.

So, what is a full Scottish breakfast? Usually made up of bacon, link sausages, Lorne sausage (also known as square sausage or slice), black pudding, haggis, baked beans, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, toast, tattie scones and fried eggs, the full Scottish breakfast is a sight to behold.

Scotland's iconic national dish known as haggis consists of sausage meat made from the innards of the sheep mixed with onions, oatmeal, suet, stock, dried herbs and other seasonings.

In pre-industrial Scotland ordinary people had a fairly frugal diet of 'broses' made from barley, oats, beans and pease cooked in a cauldron over an open fire. Foods such as kale and porridge featured prominently ¬are now promoted as superfoods.

Bannock is a fry bread

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.

Does the bannock tribe still exist? ›

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes is a federally recognized sovereign nation located in southeast Idaho. Tribal sovereignty is the power to govern themselves, determine their own membership, and the power over a distinct geographic land base.

Bannock can be baked in a pan or on a stone (camping), shallow pan-fried, or deep-fried. You can enjoy it with stews or just jam and butter. It was eaten with molasses and pork or pork fat.

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.

bannock is the best thing since sliced bread… because it's sliced bread but waaay better. For those who aren't in the know, fry bread and bannock are traditional Indigenous breads that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. And let me tell you, they're like a warm hug for your taste buds.

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

It will rise and be about 4 cm (11/2 inches) thick when done. Enjoy with stews or as a sandwich. Store in a plastic bag or closed container. Will keep two to three days at room temperature or five days in the fridge.

Baker says the best place to store bread is at room temperature. "Homemade bread stored at room temperature will have the best quality if used within three to five days," she says. "Commercially-prepared bread can be used within five to seven days.

Delicious hot from the oven with lots of jam, or reheat in the microwave or in a damp paper bag near a fire. Make 4-6 loaves at a time, wrap well and freeze for future use. Bannock is another one of those old camp cook favourites with everybody—at least the eating part.

This is the part where you don't want to knead the dough too much because if you do… your bannock will become real hard. So make sure that you knead the dough only about 3-4 times, it should not take too long to do. Place it on a baking tray, then take a fork and start poking holes in the flat kneaded dough.