Fried Bannock Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does bannock mean in Scottish? ›

The name Bannock seems to originate from the Old Celtic English “bannuc”, derived from the Latin “panicium” for “bread” or meaning “anything baked”. Made simply from oatmeal and flour, the first citing of a bannock or bannuc recipe in Scotland was in the 8th Century.

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.

Bannock is usually unleavened, oval-shaped and flat. The version that we know today came from Scotland. In its most rudimentary form, it is made of flour, water, and fat or lard. Milk, salt, and sugar are often added, depending on the recipe.

There are many versions of bannock and different nations make more than one version. Bannock can be baked in a pan or on a stone (camping), shallow pan-fried, or deep-fried.

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.

Uisge beatha is the Scottish Gaelic term for 'water of life' with uisge simply meaning water and beatha meaning life. It is a straightforward translation of the Latin 'aqua vitae'. Over time and through common use in Scotland, uisge beatha was shortened and 'uisge' became known as 'whisky'.

The Scottish people or Scots (Scots: Scots fowk; Scottish Gaelic: Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland.

Classic bannock has a smoky, almost nutty flavour blended with a buttery taste, while dessert bannock can have flavours resembling a donut or shortbread. Making bannock is an art that takes years to perfect.

Selkirk bannock is made from wheat flour and contains fruit. The word bannock derives from the Latin panicum, denoting an edible milletlike grain. Special bannocks were once made for holidays and religious feasts, such as Beltane bannocks on the first of May and Lammas bannocks on the first day of autumn.

Bannock, skaan (or scone), Indian bread, alatiq, or frybread is found throughout North-American Native cuisine, including that of the Inuit of Canada and Alaska, other Alaska Natives, the First Nations of the rest of Canada, the Native Americans in the United States, and the Métis.

How did Native Americans get flour? ›

Although flour from wheat grain is now widely used throughout the Western Hemisphere, the indigenous people of the Americas have been using flours from other sources in their cooking for a long time. Until the 1500s, acorn and mesquite flours were staples for the tribes of the southwestern United States.

Bannock is not to be confused with Australian Damper. Bannock refers to any large round article baked or cooked from grain, whereas damper, is traditionally baked or cooked from wheat flour and water. Bannock was taken to North America and Canada by the Scottish explorers and fur traders.

The advantages of bannock are obvious. Besides, tasting delicious, it is a quick and simple carbohydrate-rich food. Bannock soon became a staple for First Nations, voyageurs, fur traders and prospectors. Many would just mix the dough right into their flour bag, and toss it onto a pan whenever the need arose.

Adding water is the tricky part! If you add too much, it becomes a gooey mess. Too little and the powdered ingredients don't become dough. Also, you do not have to knead bannock dough like for other breads.

The overworked dough will often feel tight and tough. This means that liquid molecules have been damaged and won't stretch properly, causing the bread to break and tear more easily. Conversely, a dough that is underworked will be harder to form into a ball shape.

Aberdeenshire Bannocks

To us, in this part of Aberdeenshire, a Bannock is essentially a pancake, scotch pancake or what some might call a drop scone. Across Scotland, Bannocks are other types of flat cakes. This is not a typical desert and is more often eaten at fly time (morning or afternoon coffee break!)

According to Cameron, a bannock was the whole circular quick bread or cake, while a scone was the individual piece cut, like a pie slice, from a bannock. It dawned on me that this old distinction is reflected in the way my Scottish mother-in-law made her cheese scones. From my mother-in-law's recipe collection.

a Scot or dialect word for potato.