Most of us make compromises on our food when tripping in the wilderness. It doesn’t mean we don’t eat well, but we often give up the taste and comfort of soft, fresh bread for pita and flatbreads that won’t squish. Stop sacrificing! Here’s a delicious recipe for bannock that promises a fluffy backwoods treat.
Easy Backcountry Bannock Recipe
Bannock is a Gaelic-rooted word that comes from the Latin panecium, which means baked things. A bannock is a small, flat loaf of bread, risen by a leavening agent. Its roots date back to ancient times, where bannock nourished Roman armies and First Nations tribes. Add some honey and it tastes like manna from heaven—hot, light, and delicious.
Prep at Home
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup dry milk powder
- 1 tbsp shortening
Make the mix at home before your trip. To do so, mix the dry ingredients together then cut the shortening in with a pastry cutter or two knives until you have a granular, corn meal-like mixture. Package in Ziploc freezer bags and double bag it if you’re going on a long trip.
To Serve
Once fireside, warm a small cast iron frying pan on the fire and oil it well. Next, pour water into the bag of mix, squishing it around in the bag. Pour in enough water so the dough spreads easily, but has a heavy and thick consistency. The faster you go from mixing the dough to spreading it in a skillet, the lighter your bannock will be.
Squeeze the mix out of the bag and onto the warmed pan. If the dough sizzles, it means the pan is too hot, cool it off and try again. Spread the dough so it’s no more than an inch thick, then place the pan over hot coals. As the dough cooks, it will start to rise slowly. Flip over your loaf when the underside takes on a golde tone. Wait another five minutes, then flip again.
The key to great bannock is a consistent heat, ideally from glowing red embers of hardwood. You’ll know it’s ready to eat when you can stick a fork in the center and it comes out clean.
Bannock Recipe Variations
A fun variation is cooking bannock on a stick. To do this, roll out a snake-like length of dough and wrap it around a stick, keeping it a half-inch thick. Rotate your bannock above hot coals until it cooks through and is easy to slide off, usually about 10 minutes.
Get the full article in the digital edition of Canoeroots and Family Camping, Summer/Fall 2014. 
