Joined: August 19th, 2001, 7:00 pm Posts: 1879 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada
Bannock is always a favourite topic of canoe trippers. There are many different concepts of what "bannock" is: a wide spectrum of everything from wet dough dollops fried in grease, through to kneaded unleavened bread dough dry baked in a pan or on a stick. The latter dry baked method is my preferred method on solo trips, using a fry pan and pie plate oven for making a big thick loaf of bannock to travel with for several days before baking another one. When dry baked its also dry, non-greasy, and packs well in a big ziplock to travel in a barrel without crumbling. It is more labour intensive however.
I have been baking bannock the dry way for about 20 years now, albeit usually on a gas stove with a Coleman windscreen offset for the fry pan. I posted a YT video today made in the city on how I do this, however this time I show baking over wood fire using a "Firebox" stick stove. The key when baking over fire using a fry pan is low heat. With a stick stove its tricky but you can learn to keep a low flame. It depends on your design of stick stove and what kind of wood you have. There are many other open fire methods of course, like planked on wood to the side, or in a pan leaned up, ona grill, reflector ovens, etc.
I make the mix at home once a year in a big batch, and draw from it for various trips. I cut the shortening in at this stage. I use lard and it keeps very well. I don't refrigerate the mix, and have used 2-year old mix many times. In fact this video is using leftover bannock mix I took to the arctic last summer and never used. For those who don't like lard, you can use something like Crisco. You want to cut it into the mix at home and bond it to the flour instead of carrying bags of gooey shortening in the heat.
My home mix recipe is based on 6 cups only because that's about the max I can fit into a big mixing bowl and cut in the shortening adequately by hand. I don't have an electric mixer. Maybe I should get one!
Joined: August 19th, 2001, 7:00 pm Posts: 1879 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada
Thanks Martin!
Thanks Cheryl! That fry pan is a GSI, non-stick, 8 inch. I think they make a 10 inch too. Great fry pan. I have been very happy with it. The stick stove is a Firebox Folding stove. I got it from http://foldingfirebox.com/. Excellent customer service too.
Joined: June 9th, 2005, 2:27 pm Posts: 1658 Location: Saskatoon
I know this is an old post but this is one of the great resources of MyCCR and I just want to say thanks for posting this. Hoop's method is what I've been using for years now thanks to his informative post and video. This weekend I'll be spreading the love and showing off my bannock making during a class that I'm teaching. Thanks Hoop! Cheers, Bryan
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