Bannock

[kendogbaggio]

My first attempt in about 15 years making bannock. Made them years ago with the scouts but everything was premixed. Can wait to cook them beside a fire on Sat. NeilB mate your in for a tasty brekkie!



Sorry for the massive pic and quality but its all in the taste!

David...

[RedLeader]

Nice! I've been experimenting too. They're great with fruit bits and choco chips.

[Mouldsy]

Looks great mate, what was your recipe.

[Wolf_Larson]

Never even heard of them    how do you make them ?

[MG1]

Is this type of bread? Would it be made at camp?

[kendogbaggio]

Bannock is basically a very basic unleavened bread. I just threw a handful or this and that in but heres a rough guide of measures

2cups flour
1tbs baking soda
1tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Cup of water
Milk (optional and where available in the bush, you could try milk powder)
Powdered egg (same as milk)

Sieve and mix this dry (Store for as long as needs be till you need it)

Just add water until it becomes a sticky dough (very messy)

Put onto a surface with flour on it and make into whatever shape or size fits your pan to about 1/2 inch thick

Dont knead the bread it will just push the air you need out of the mixture

Put a little oil or butter in your pan and heat gently

Add your bannock and cook slowly for 10mins on low heat turning occasionally

Dont have too much heat in your pan coz you will just burn the outside and have nothing but sticky dough in the middle


Im just gonna take the dry mix with me tomorrow and mix it with the water in the forest, and cook it on NeilB's new honey stove


Heres the pro at it... i wanna get a fire goin sometime too and try it this way....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AXYqy5zFLE

[Celt_Ginger]

I've never had bannock with egg in it before. Won't thak make it kind of like a cake?

[kendogbaggio]

That was my thoughts exactly too celt. Havent tried it with egg yet but ray uses powdered egg in his so might give it a try sometime to see what its like

[Celt_Ginger]

Yep. I won't knock it until I've tried it. Now to find a source of powedered egg.............

[Cardnim]

On the few times Ive tried a bannock it has come out hard like brick on the outside, and doughy in the middle.
Any thoughts on what Im doing wrong?

I use:
two handfuls flour
tsp baking powder
pinch baking soda
milk (not powdered)
bilberries or whatever other fruit I can find

I mix it all up and put it into my frying pan (floured first) then cover this with a saucepan and dig it into the ashes at the base of my fire.
Left for about 20 mins it comes out as described above

[RedLeader]

I've never had bannock with egg in it before. Won't thak make it kind of like a cake?

With egg in it effectively becomes a pancake.

On the few times Ive tried a bannock it has come out hard like brick on the outside, and doughy in the middle.
Any thoughts on what Im doing wrong?

I use:
two handfuls flour
tsp baking powder
pinch baking soda
milk (not powdered)
bilberries or whatever other fruit I can find

I mix it all up and put it into my frying pan (floured first) then cover this with a saucepan and dig it into the ashes at the base of my fire.
Left for about 20 mins it comes out as described above

I use the 3-2-1 method (I'm calling it the Dustybin recipe ). 3 parts flour, 2 parts milk powder to 1 finger of baking powder (remember 1 finger of baking powder rather than one part!). You should also add a teaspoon of salt (not sure why).

The trick is to add as little water as you can while mixing - add too much and it will be runny and not stick together. They say you should not knead it or it will be very hard when cooked. Mould into a flat patty and fry in a pan with oil or oil and butter and turn occasionally. I too have the problem of crispy on the outside and still soft on the inside. Try a cooler pan maybe, plus leaving it for a mo after taking it off the heat will let it continue to harden a bit.

I like to add sugar and chocolate chips when before water. It makes the bannock burn a bit because of the sugar but it tastes awesome. Can also recommend a splash of Southern Comfort!

[Cardnim]

Cheers for the advice Jonno - maybe im making mine a bit too thick.
Sounds like you pat it down flatter than me when in the pan.

...and nice reference to Dustybin    ... all I can hear now is old Dusty wheeling out my "brick" of a bannock and Ted Rogers saying  "Lets see what you could have baked"

[RedLeader]

Cheers for the advice Jonno - maybe im making mine a bit too thick.
Sounds like you pat it down flatter than me when in the pan.

...and nice reference to Dustybin    ... all I can hear now is old Dusty wheeling out my "brick" of a bannock and Ted Rogers saying  "Lets see what you could have baked"

Yep, I'd suppose that the flatter it is the less distance for the heat to travel to the center. Get the garden burner out and have a Sunday afternoons experimentation in the garden - that's what I did (the wife thought I was a looney in the garden with a nice bottle of red cooking bannock, nibbling a bit, throwing it in the bin, then making another for about 2 hours  )

[Celt_Ginger]

I have actually made the mixture very runny and fried the bannok up like a pancake, adding small portions at a time . It works surprisingly well.

[Cardnim]

Cheers CG. 

Im heading out camping tomorrow (just for the long weekend) and think I'll give the bannock another try.
I'll let you know how I get on.