The boy and I made bannock for lunch during our hike today. We went totally simple (and cheater) this time. We brought Bisquick, a little oil, small cast iron frying pan and water. It's the first time we've done it in a pan rather than on sticks and it worked really well.


Bannock mix in a zip lock


Preheating the pan and oil while we mix (Notice our high tech water boiling system? A spaghetti sauce can and a piece of tin foil works great!). I don't like my bannock deep fried so I just put in enough oil to coat the pan.


Mixing - just enough water and not too much needing


Get the pan off the fire using a leather glove


Load the pan


DON'T DO THIS unless you want to eat charcoal


DO do it like this - with the pan facing the fire. Don't forget to rotate so it cooks evenly


When it's crispy and golden on the outside it's ready to eat. You can check the middle with a stick, like you would a cake, but it's not necessary if you don't make it too thick.

We ate this batch with MH Chilie Macaroni and it was a yummy combination. I prefer to sweeten it up at breakfast, by adding raisins or dried cranberries and maybe a little maple syrup.

We're definitely going to keep experimenting with bannock. What's your favourite recipe or cooking method?

what the heck is bannock?

I mean, I get it's some sort of bread.

Bannock definition

It's also known as bush bread. It's the easiest way to have fresh bread in the wilderness. Few ingredients, light, easy to make and easy to cook. You can make it sweet, savory or bland. The possibilities are endless. This time we just used bisquick and water. You can also make it in the oven too but it doesn't have that Smokey goodness.

Another great way to make it is wrapped around a stick.

MY favourite has always been cooked on a stick. Pull out stick and replace with hotdogs or peanut butter/jam or any other concoction you can think of.

That looks yummy. We'll have to make some when we go camping this year.

I had totally forgotten about bannock until you posted this. Thanks! I'll have to make some again. It's one of those things that always tastes so good on an outdoor adventure.

I didn't know there were special recipes for this. I've always used Bisquik. I guess I've been a cheater all along and didn't know it!

Looks great BPJ. Much better than the camp bread I made. I used flour, honey, nuts, powdered milk, and oil. Bisquick looks much better, and easier!

i use Bisquick with a tea spoon of whole dry milk.the bannock,more of a biscuit really,turns out thick and soft.i use warm water if i have it as it seem to "set off" the baking powder into lots of bubbles.as i want my hot bread fast i don't brown it by a fire but just pan fry it.
i hope to post a "how too" at Youtube at some point.

MmmmmmmMMM!! my grandma used to call it campfire ring bread when we made it that way.

That sounds yummy, LED. This was was bland but easy. I usually use brown sugar when we make it from scratch but honey would be really nice. Nuts are great too. They really bulk it up.

Haha. I never thought of using Bisquick until a few weeks ago when a fellow Scouter let Mr in on the Bisquick secret. So much easier than measuring out flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk powder, egg powder, honey....

I think we're going to try a little milk powdered next time too, Canoe dogs. Thanks for the water tip.'i never would have thought of that but it makes sense. Can't wait for the video.

Until Canoedogs gets his video up, here are a couple to get your taste buds working:

Ray Mears:
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=CA#/watch?v=7AXYqy5zFLE

Bacon Bannock an Fish:
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=CA#/watch?v=pG3SEusqegg

if you use self rising flour, no additional leavening agents, salt, sugar, canola oil you get a more dense bread... yours looks better than mine....

Dense is good too, Les. It would probably pack better for travel that way. This one was a little crumbly and would have been smashed in the pack.

I hadn't thought of self-rising flour. Thanks for the tip!

I prefer a more traditional bannock recipe as it does not crumble as much as Bisquick which makes it easier for packing. However your bannock looks great and it is a good time saver if required.

In summer, nothing beats fresh wild blueberry or huckleberry enhanced bannock. Also if you take a small container of real maple syrup for dipping, it is that much better...

Bannock.... Sounds like it should have been the name of aTV series in the "70s

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Buckeye

Banacek great minds

Geez, look what this turned in to!

OK, I'm going to have to try this at some point. Probably in my firepit one night in the backyard (or three or four times, I'm a really crummy cook). Sounds promising! Thanks for posting and getting some ideas into this thick skull.

LOL! You could be onto something...

Give it a god and let us know why you think, MDinana. There's a gazillion ways to make it so be creative once you've got the basics down. It's so yummy!

I always say that you can mke anything in the bush that you can in your kitchen and I love learning new recipes. Flavourful food and comfortable foods are always a great addition to the menu. I don't think we want to turn ets into a food forum but learning how to make stuff on the fire using lighter or easier ingredients or prep methods is always a thumbs up.

well you have to eat to survive!!
here is my bannock making in three photos,the video will come after the canoe trip,if the bears behave.

So Anyway..i just use Bisquick,that way i don't have any extra items along.too many jars and zip locks make for a hassle when you want to cook something fast.no add-on's like fruit or nuts,that more hassle.



i use about a half a cup of mix with a bit of dry milk and just enough water to get a dough ball like this.
on this canoe trip i went heavy and took a mixing bowl,i use the lid/small pot from the old Peak square case/cook kit on most trips.



i use a fair amount of peanut oil because it gets hot with out the smoke and i kind of like the flavor.the pancake flipper gets oiled so the dough ball can be flatten down with out sticking.



then it's just a matter of eyeballing the bannock and giving it a flip when it looks right.hot bread like this with jam can turn a bad afternoon in a wet shelter into something that's almost fun.really---and if you want to survive you need to keep you spirits up.......

YUMMMM!!

Peanut oil! that's what I forgot. I've never tried it and wanted to this weekend. Next time!

Cast iron? On a hike?!

Looks likes the fried bread I made as a poor child Canoe. I used flour, baking powder and salt. Cooked it in a pan or waffle iron and smeared it with jelly or pean ut butter when we had it. Sometimes just butter.

Canoe dogs is canoeing, not hiking. He and his kind live lives of impossible luxury.......

Haha! I know. I know. I used a small one and it was a short hike but I think we're going to reserve it for canoe or car camping and go back to sticks until I can find a lighter pan. I've seen it made ina sierra cup and may give that a try.

Bacpacjac,

Thank you for this post, I have been wanting to make some Bannock for a few months now.

I also want to thank you for showing the correct way to bake in a cast iron skillet (look for Bannock Bread on youtube and you'll know what I mean) over a fire.

I have seen youtube videos showing how to make Bannock in a standard G.I. canteen cup. IIRC the person doing it burned his bread.

Stargazer

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=CA#/watch?v=6olGfjPeWEk

This guy had a good idea for making it in a cup that seems pretty smart.

I think stainless steel? Lighter than cast iron and stronger than aluminum. Holds heat better. Just Ol' Snakes humble opinion.

I'm thinking stainless steel too, Snake. Aluminum doesn't hold up as well, IMO. I like that pan of Canoedogs. Looks well seasoned!

Yup. But how to convince him to give it away... LOL. aluminum is just to fragile IMHO.

Titanium works well too, just pricey so shop around -- Snow Peak 3 Piece Titanium Cookset

The very first time I made bannock, I had the oil and the camp suds mixed up (they were in identical unlablled containers and it was dark) Washed my mouth out with SOAP! Literrally.

Luckily, I only mixed half of the batch and was able to enjoy the rest of my supper sans the soap taste.

Flour, baking powder and salt. In the ole' days, you would also mix the flour with cattail pollen to stetch it out and make it last longer.

Bac Pac..i don;t wash that frying pan i just give it a quick wipe with about a quarter of a paper towel.thats my solo pan,i have a big one for the buddy trips.
it's non stick aluminum and it holds up ok as i pack between a couple of those give away pie tins.the pie tins make a clean level spot for the fork,spoon and coffee cup....weight is not a issue----

While not as good as cast iron, I've had lots of success using the frybake pan. The ones with "cosmetic flaws" are a bit cheaper. Makes pizza on the trail a nice treat. Haven't tried cookies yet.

May I suggest Roasted peanut oil,rather than peanut oil,then when done frying,drizzle the Bannock with Virgin olive oil & sprinkle on some garlic powder,top it off with a slice of Velveeta,BAM!No need for the MH anything! Bon Appetit!

Bannock is one of my favorites! I like it lots of ways, but plain is probably my favorite - dripping in butter or honey. If it is not too crumbly it is often my mid day bread too, make it in the morning and eat at lunch. Used to be a common lunch when riding cattle.

Not to hijack the thread, my favorite fry pan for backpacking (I do love my cast iron, but not carrying it) is an old MSR Alpine fry pan of stainless with an aluminum "plate" bonded to the bottom. I had two, the one I used for open fires got lost. It provides almost the same even heating as a cast pan but much lighter.

Respectfully,

Jerry

I love Damper and we make on virtually every trip.

I use a traditional flour and water recipe - very simple, but that's how I like it. I do usually use Self Raising Flour by the way, but sometimes, just plain flour.

As to cooking it, we usually cook it on a stick over the coals, if the kids are about, or I will make it into Johnny Cakes, small balls a little bigger than a golf ball, and these can be pressed onto any pan or griddle (dry - no oil).

Another favourite is to bake the damper directly on the coals - no pan, no foil! Just form a disk shape, scrape a hole in the coals, and lay it the hole then cover with coals.

If we have bullrush pollin (not very often), mix it in with the flour (about 50% is great, but whatever amount you have will do just fine) it makes beautiful sweet, golden damper. Extra delicious.

As for toppings, I don't think you can beat butter and Golden Syrup !

Here's a small damper sitting in the coals - this was in a drum, rather than a "proper fire", but it did work out OK. (ie a poor coal base so it was difficult to cover it effectively). Surprisingly the bits of coal and ash will not stick, and can be brushed off when you take it out.


Here's the finished product. Don't worry if there is a bit of black on the outside, just scrape if off, that's why you have a knife isn't it ?

thats real outdoor food!!a bit of charcoal is good for your stomach.
when i was a kid,50's,i was sort of wondering about the lion with all the bee's around it on the Golden Syrup can,then my Grandma who was from Scotland told me the story.she always had a can of it around and i have two put away and one handy.