The History of Bannock & Jordan's Recipe
As we’re celebrating National Indigenous History Month, our practicum student Jordan has shared with us the history of Bannock and his recipe for both baked and fried Bannock for our What Feeds Us Program! The history of Bannock can be read below the recipe.
Fried & Baked Bannock
There are many variations of bannock; these are the basic ingredients for the recipe I will show you. I will add additional, optional, and substitutional ingredients. If you have your own traditional bread, you would like to make, feel free and have fun.
Prep Time
10 Minutes
Cook Time
30 Minutes
Servings
6 Servings
INGREDIENTS for BAKED and FRIED BANNOCK
2 CUPS FLOUR
1 TBSP BAKING POWDER
¼ CUP SHORTENING/ LARD or butter, margarine, and oil.
1 ½ CUPS LUKEWARM WATER
These ingredients can also be multiplied and divided to suit how much you would like to make or the number of ingredients you have.
Optional Ingredients/ Substitutions
2 TSP SUGAR, for a sweeter taste.
SALT… never use too much salt, just a pinch.
EGG
MILK instead of water. Egg and milk will make a fluffier bannock, preferably warm milk.
FOR FRIED BANNOCK/ BREAD, IT IS THE SAME RECIPE, BUT YOU WILL NEED OIL OF SOME SORT.
Lard/ shortening or vegetable oil are preferred, but you can use canola oil, coconut oil, and olive oil. You will need enough oil to cover the frying pan or pot so the dough can float.
Additional Ingredients
You can be creative or experiment here. You can add things such as:
Raisins
Shredded Cheese
Berries
These are to be added just before you are done kneading.
You may also want to add this to a meal or make something we like to call “Indian Tacos.” Which is essentially taking Bannock and substituting it for taco shells or tortillas and making tacos out of the Bannock.
You will also need:
A large mixing bowl or container to hold the ingredients.
A large spoon for mixing you will also use your hands for mixing and kneading.
A clean flat surface to knead and shape your Bannock.
A metal baking sheet or cookie sheet, I would not recommend using a Pyrex or a glass dish because of the high heat it could shatter.
A fork or knife to poke holes in the dough and mix dry ingredients.
Measuring Cups/ Spoons, or teaspoons and tablespoons.
Oven or frying pan/ pot with tall sides to avoid oil splatter, or if you are feeling brave, you can do it over a campfire.
Oven mitts or tongs.
Fire extinguisher and/ or baking soda. If you are feeling uncomfortable, ask for adults’ help.
Baked and Fried Bannock Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚F for baked Bannock. If you are making fried Bannock, do not start heating the oil yet because it could smoke.
Mix all the dry ingredients together using a fork; you can also use a whisk, spoon, or your hands.
After the dry ingredients are mixed thoroughly, you will add the lard and start mashing and breaking apart the lard, mixing it together.
After this, you will slowly add lukewarm water as needed until the dough is mixed thoroughly for approximately 2 mins DO NOT OVER WORK.
You may warm up the oil to medium or just below heat at this point for fried Bannock.
Take some flour on your flat surface to begin kneading the dough. You will want to make sure the dough is uniform and not sticking to your hands. You can make the dough into an oval circle or whatever shape you would like. DO NOT OVER WORK if you do, it will make the Bannock hard.
If you are making baked Bannock, you will want it to be approximately ½ to 1 inch thick.
If you are making fried Bannock, you will want it to be approximately ¼ to ½ inch thick.
Baked Bannock
Poke holes with a fork for baked Bannock dough and put onto a lightly greased sheet with lard or butter, margarine, Pam, or non-stick spray or take a paper towel with oil and rub lightly. Put into oven for approximately 30 minutes at approximately 400˚F. Oven temperatures may vary, so look every so often at the Bannock. Bake until golden brown. Take out and let cool for ten minutes upside down.
Fried Bannock
*To test the oil to make sure it is hot enough, take a little piece of dough and put it into the oil and see if it starts to sizzle and cook, kind of like making pancakes. If not, slightly increase the heat but not too much so it begins to excessively smoke.
Make Bannock dough into palm-sized pieces and make a hole in the middle about 1 inch in diameter.
Place the Bannock into the oil and, using your fork or tongs, look underneath to make sure it is becoming golden brown, then flip and do the same on the other side.
After it is cooked, place it onto a paper towel to absorb the access oil. Wait 10 minutes to cool.
You can put your favourite things on top of the Bannock too. Such as jam, butter, syrup, cheese, whatever you wish.
Enjoy!
The History of Bannock
Bannock or fry bread has become widely loved and known across Canada. It has become a staple in the culture and diet of the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. Before the colonization of Canada, Indigenous people did have their own form of bannock. The historical method of preparing bannock could be compared to modern cornbread; they used wild plants called camas, maize, roots, and tree sap. Although how bannock is known today, its origins came from Scotland and was eventually adopted by the Indigenous peoples.
The Scottish cooked the dough on a griddle called a Bannock Stone. The stone was placed into the middle of a fire, and the dough was cooked on top of it. Many fur traders, settlers, and prospectors used bannock as a fundamental way of survival. Because life and survival in the elements of Canada can be so harsh. Bannock was a convenient way to survive, which used simple ingredients such as flour, lard, salt, water and sometimes baking powder.
Many of the Indigenous nations of Turtle Island have some version of bannock; Colombo, J., Bannock (2017) stated that the “Inuit call it palauga, Mi’kmaq luskinikn, and Ojibwa ba’wezhiganag. The word derives from the Gaelic word bannach, meaning morsel, which in turn likely came from the Latin panis, which means bread.”
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Scottish fur traders called Selkirk introduced bannock to the Indigenous people. Bannock made by the Scots was usually made of barley, peameal, or oatmeal, in which wheat flour was later introduced. Indigenous people adopted bannock, often using corn flour or plants rather than the wheat flour of Europeans.
Indigenous people cooked their bannock using various methods. Some rolled the dough in the sand, then cooked it in a pit, some baked it in clay or rock ovens. Also, some Indigenous tribes wrapped the dough around sticks, resting it over an open fire. European settlers introduced flour, which can last a long time, and modern utensils, making cooking more accessible and practical. The advantages of bannock are apparent, Colombo, J., Bannock (2017)
Bannock became an essential source of food for Indigenous people because they were removed from their traditional land. Because of this, they were deprived of their traditional sustenance. Indigenous people were forced from the land. The Canadian government supplied them with rations with flour, lard, sugar, and eggs. So, to prevent starvation, bannock became necessary to survive. Although today bannock is usually deep-fried, pan-fried, or oven-baked, which can be unhealthy. And Bannock, among other processed foods can contribute to high rates of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity among Indigenous people. Which has caused an epidemic throughout Indigenous peoples.
In essence, bannock is quite iconic in Indigenous culture. It has brought a greater sense of unity with sharing and remembrance of the past and celebrating the future among cultures. Bannock is customary at powwows, family gatherings, and the dinner table. The association of colonial practices and the rationing of supplies impacted Indigenous people and their traditional ways of living off the land. Which was meant to break the Indigenous people. However, rediscovering the traditional methods of making bannock Indigenous people can rebuild what was broken and break fry bread instead.
References
Colombo, J., Bannock (2017). In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bannock