Post by blackcrowheart on Oct 17, 2006 14:27:18 GMT -5
Traditional bannock recipe: a bread of the far north
"Three or four cups of flour, a good pinch of salt, a few tablespoons of
bacon grease, a level teaspoon of baking powder, enough warm water to make
dough. Kneed the dough well, turning it over and over until all the ingredients
are well mixed and the dough of even consistency. Use only enough water to make
a rather dry dough. Too much water and it is spoiled.
Then, depending on the size of your frying pan, cut off enough of the dough
to pat into a well-greased pan, making the bannock at this stage not more than
half an inch in thickness. Have it fill the pan.
Now it is ready for the baking. You can start it over a low flame very gently
so as not to burn, but it is better to do as the Old Timers-prop your pan
beside the fire so it will get the heat and bake from the top. After the top
is done, you can turn it and brown the other side. It usually takes about
twenty minutes. The secret is a slow, even heat.
After it is done you can rub it with more bacon grease to make a nice juicy
crust. Many like to add some fruit to the bannock, raisins, any chopped fruit,
dried, or anything you can pick in season. It does something.
This is the bread of the north and worth working at."
The first rule of bannock making seems to be that there are no rules. A
glance at the hundreds of recipes available shows a wild variation in
ingredients, quantities and cooking time. Virtually any combination of flour, water and
baking powder that is baked or fried will result in some type of bread,
although the final product will vary in "eatability."
A basic bannock recipe consists of:
* 4 cups flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup melted lard
* 4 tsp baking powder
* 1 1/2 cups water
From this basic starting point, a wide variation exists. Some recipes call
for more or less water, some call for more baking powder. Some call for the
addition of eggs. Many recommend "fancying up" the recipe with cinnamon, brown
sugar, nuts or berries.
As long as these basic proportions are maintained, and the resulting dough is
fairly dry (rather than sticky or runny) the end result will likely be
acceptable. The dough is patted down into a pizza-like patty and either baked or
fried in a pan with oil. Traditionally, bannock was baked in a cast iron
frying pan that was propped up next to the fire so that the top baked.
Bannock prepared by frying takes about 12-15 minutes to cook. Baked bannock
will take longer - from 30 to 40 minutes
"Three or four cups of flour, a good pinch of salt, a few tablespoons of
bacon grease, a level teaspoon of baking powder, enough warm water to make
dough. Kneed the dough well, turning it over and over until all the ingredients
are well mixed and the dough of even consistency. Use only enough water to make
a rather dry dough. Too much water and it is spoiled.
Then, depending on the size of your frying pan, cut off enough of the dough
to pat into a well-greased pan, making the bannock at this stage not more than
half an inch in thickness. Have it fill the pan.
Now it is ready for the baking. You can start it over a low flame very gently
so as not to burn, but it is better to do as the Old Timers-prop your pan
beside the fire so it will get the heat and bake from the top. After the top
is done, you can turn it and brown the other side. It usually takes about
twenty minutes. The secret is a slow, even heat.
After it is done you can rub it with more bacon grease to make a nice juicy
crust. Many like to add some fruit to the bannock, raisins, any chopped fruit,
dried, or anything you can pick in season. It does something.
This is the bread of the north and worth working at."
The first rule of bannock making seems to be that there are no rules. A
glance at the hundreds of recipes available shows a wild variation in
ingredients, quantities and cooking time. Virtually any combination of flour, water and
baking powder that is baked or fried will result in some type of bread,
although the final product will vary in "eatability."
A basic bannock recipe consists of:
* 4 cups flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup melted lard
* 4 tsp baking powder
* 1 1/2 cups water
From this basic starting point, a wide variation exists. Some recipes call
for more or less water, some call for more baking powder. Some call for the
addition of eggs. Many recommend "fancying up" the recipe with cinnamon, brown
sugar, nuts or berries.
As long as these basic proportions are maintained, and the resulting dough is
fairly dry (rather than sticky or runny) the end result will likely be
acceptable. The dough is patted down into a pizza-like patty and either baked or
fried in a pan with oil. Traditionally, bannock was baked in a cast iron
frying pan that was propped up next to the fire so that the top baked.
Bannock prepared by frying takes about 12-15 minutes to cook. Baked bannock
will take longer - from 30 to 40 minutes