My husband isn’t known for his cooking skills. In fact, he barely cooks at all. He can make toast, and eggs and can boil up some hot dogs, but really, that’s about it. Oh, once he made me a birthday cake that was perfection but that was out of the ordinary. Sure, he knows he needs nourishment to survive but he could probably go all day without eating if he was distracted enough with work. Clearly, we’re different breeds.
So I was quite surprised when the other afternoon when I suggested he make some bannock flat bread that a friend had just given us a recipe for. He didn’t hesitate, he just went into the kitchen and did it. He did ask where the flour was kept and if we had any flax seeds, but he went at it like a pro. Like all bannock, this recipe is simple. I remember making bannock in our grade two class and happily eating the results with honey. But this recipe is probably the best I’ve tried. It’s baked rather than fried and it’s versatile enough that you can make it sweet or savory. Our friend, Ryan, brought it to our picnic last weekend and he made a double batch so the results were extra thick and delicious. Cornelius made it as a single batch and it was about half an inch thick in the centre and thinner and crispier around the edges. It was amazing and buttery and delicious. Bonus points for being vegan too!
Want a sweet bannock? Add raisins or chopped strawberries and then sprinkle the top with sugar before baking. Want it savory? Add fresh herbs, Parmesan cheese, or caramelized onions. Don’t have vegan margarine or almond milk? Use what you’ve got!
bannock
2 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
4 T vegan margarine, melted
1 c almond milk
1 c water
2 T chives, chopped
2 T flax seedsIn a large bowl, mix together everything from the flour to the chives. Pour mixture onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with flax seeds. Bake in oven at 450°F for 20 minutes. Cut right away into squares.
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I like to consider myself quite informed when it comes to food and culinary terms but I have never heard of ‘bannock’ before. I checked out Wikipedia and found out a bit more about the origins of bannock. This must be the bread they make at Pioneer Village. I remember sampling some kind of flat bread when going there on school field trips years ago. It sounds quite tasty. And kudos to C for being motivated in the kitchen 🙂
I’ve never heard of bannock either. Maybe it’s a Canadian thing??
hi again..I’ve got your food blog up on mine, I hope thats fine with you!
Could not resist the huge resource you have up your sleeves.
delicious! i’ve never made bannock before although when I lived in BC it was everywhere, especially during the salmon run.
This type of bread is new to me but I’m interested! 🙂
The one time my husband cooked was 8 months ago, when I fell downstairs and chipped a rib. The poor thing really tried. Not everything was OK, but his pasta with simple tomato sauce was superb – being that his first time ever in the kitchen. 🙂
If my husband ever volunteered to cook I would have him immediately rushed to the hospital. The only explanation for such an unusual occurrence would be some sort of head trauma. Kudos to Cornelius!
wow, i’ve never heard of bannock, but it looks really interesting!
Have you read Bannock Beans and Black Tea by Seth? I will have to make this soon.
joanne, yup that’s the bread from the pioneer village!
rachel, it is a bread made by native indians so it’s probably very similar to fry breads that i’ve had in the southwest.
thanks antara!
sara, a salmon run sounds awesome!
patricia, lucky you that your husband stepped up to the plate as it were and made a great meal! i hope he keeps it up 😉
hahaha, evidee!
bellcurves, it’s easy and delicious and you can just throw anything into it to make it great!
grace, i read “palookaville” ages ago and i’ll definitely go to the library to sign out bannok beans and black tea! i remember flipping through it in a store ages ago. thanks for the reminder!
Your bannock recipe looks delicious. I sell bannock at our farmer’s market in Regina – check out my blog http://www.bannock-in-a-bag.blogspot.com/. I love seeing all the different recipes for it – there are so many.
I learned something too. I have had bannock before, we use to make it over the fire at camp when I was a kid. But we used to always wrap the dough around sticks and cook it that way. I thought that was traditional until I went to wikipedia just now.
Quick (dumb) question… should the margarine be melted or room temp?
yaiAnn, I was the dumb one! it should be melted…and you could use olive oil instead if you wanted!
Yum yum. We made this for dinner last night and had it with chicken soup. It was delicious; I'll definitely be making it again, and am already imagining exciting variations. Garlic and coriander a la naan to go with curry? Rosemary and sundried tomatoes to go with Italian food? Very exciting.
Bannock is a new one for me! Looks really yummy too..gearing up with recipes for the cold winter days
hopefully ahead!
hey!! =) your website looks amazing. i have a question – i am from germany. how much is one cup? and what does T and t mean…? T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon…? maybe? thanks a lot!!! =)
Hi Rafaela, correct, 1 T = tablespoon, 1 t = teaspoon. 1 cup is 8oz or 250 ml.