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Bannock Two Ways

4.1

(4)

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Photo by Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller

While researching bannock (a pan-fried, biscuit- or scone-like quick bread), we came across a fantastic online resource called Bannock Awareness. Put together by Michael Blackstock of the Kamloops Forest Region, it describes a history of bannock within First Nations’ pre-contact culture, offering a different story than that which suggests bannock arrived exclusively with Scottish traders. Before wheat flour arrived, wild plants, corn, and nuts were ground into a sort of flour and then cooked in ways that could be considered an early form of the bread-like staple. Here we’ve provided two recipes for our favourite kinds of bannock. The first (our go-to while camping) comes from Greg Mazur and is more of a drop biscuit style. The second is a rolled version and comes from Doreen Crowe, a restaurant owner in the Alderville First Nation in Ontario. Our friend Chris went to her restaurant almost daily with his parents, and grew up with this bannock.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Each recipe serves 4–6

Ingredients

For Greg’s Bella Coola Bannock:

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
1 Tbsp (15 mL) white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter
1 egg
1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 125 mL) whole milk
Oil, for frying
For serving: Maple syrup, flaky sea salt

For Doreen Crowe’s Bannock:

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
2 1/2 tsp (12 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
3/4 to 1 cup (185 to 250 mL) water, to start
Oil, for frying

Preparation

  1. For Greg’s Bella Coola Bannock:

    Step 1

    Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut in the butter until the pieces are pea-sized. Mix in the egg, then pour in about 1/4 cup (60 mL) of milk. Mix together just until a dough forms, adding more milk if needed. Divide the dough into 10 to 12 biscuit-sized pieces. In a large frying pan, pour in about 1/4 inch (6 mm) of oil and heat over medium-high. When the oil is hot, fry the bannock—being careful not to crowd them—until golden brown. Serve immediately with maple syrup and flaky sea salt.

  2. For Doreen Crowe’s Bannock:

    Step 2

    In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and water together to form a dough. If the dough is a bit dry, add more water 1 Tbsp (15 mL) at a time. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a 9×12-inch (23×30-cm) rectangle about 1/4-inch (6-mm) thick. Cut into approximately 3×3-inch (8×8-cm) squares. Heat about 1/4 inch (6 mm) of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, and fry the bannock—being careful not to crowd them—until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Serve warm.

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Excerpted from Feast: Recipes and Stories from a Canadian Roadtrip by Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller. Copyright © 2017 Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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