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Traditional Recipes: BannockRecipes and Information courtesy of: Feast! by Andrew George Jr. and Robert Gaines Metis Cookbook and Guide to Healthy Living by National Aboriginal Health Organization Where People Feast: An Indigenous People’s Cookbook by Dolly Watts and Annie Watts

A little history…If there is one food product common to virtually all

Aboriginal peoples in Canada in one form or another, it is bannock, a bread for all seasons.

Originally it was an oatmeal or barley flatbread – bannach in Gaelic – brought over from Scotland by the fur traders, hunters,

trappers, and adventurers of the Hudson’s Bay and North West Companies. They introduced it to Native peoples and it became a staple of company men and their Indian guides and wives

on their onerous treks through the Canadian wilderness. Bannock was the ideal food for the trail. It had few ingredients, was very easy and quick to make, and was substantial and nourishing for the travel-weary and hungry at breakfast, midday, and evening meals.

Over the past three hundred years it has been adopted as a Native staff of life by Aboriginal peoples from Truro to Tofino to Tuktoyaktuk, and all places in between. Many tales are told and even jokes are made about its preparation – on the trail, in the kitchen, out on the tundra, on the sinaaq (“ice floe edge” in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit peoples). Its mouth-watering aroma will be sensed anywhere there’s a fire, a skillet – or even a stick when an Aboriginal “pogo” is on the

menu.Bannock is a bread of incredible versatility, the only

limitation on various styles for various occasions being the

Bannock can be served with jam or Apple-Pear Butter (pg 178) as a special treat. It also makes a great sandwich bun by cutting the bannock in half; try stuffing it with Wild Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese (pg 112) or Venison Pâté (pg 23).

Tips: If making bannock with yeast, be

sure to use lukewarm water; if it is too hot or too cold, the yeast won’t properly activate.

For large bannock, cut into 10-cm (4 inch) squares. For medium bannock, cut in 8-cm (3 inch) squares.

For a coffee break or midday treat, lightly spread softened butter over freshly made bannock and sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and brown sugar.

From Where People Feast: An Indigenous People’s Cookbook by Dolly Watts and Annie Watts (2007, Arsenal Pulp Press) pg 130

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Hudson's_Bay_Company

creativity of the baker. No one knows bannock better or boasts more about who makes the best than Native hunters, trappers, and prospectors. And Andrew George Sr., a hunter/trapper/ prospector who has been making bannock in the bush for most of his seventy-ish years, tells the story of bannock this way:

For generations we Wet’suwet’en trapped, hunted, fished, and picked berries. We lived off the land and did not depend on any government. We were self-governing in our land in the

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true sense of the word. When we travelled the trails, all we packed were the necessities, especially flour, baking powder, salt, and lard for bannock – and tea, of course.

Here is how to make bannock over an open fire: First, for safety, build your fire by the water or areas where there is no grass. This is very important, for we must always protect our beautiful Mother Earth. Put the water on to boil for tea and make camp. Then mix the flour, salt, baking powder and water together in a tin bowl.Put some lard in the frying pan

over the fire to melt and get it hot. Pat the bannock dough pieces into little thin cakes and place them in the pan to fry until they are golden brown. Another way is to put the

whole dough in the pan and press it out at the edges so that it’s about an inch and a half thick. Then sit it over the heat to brown the bottom a

bit so it won’t sag. Then prop the pan up with a stick so the bannock is facing the fire and bake it, turning it every so often so that it cooks evenly.

These methods of cooking bannock are pretty universal among Native people across Canada and are even taught to white people whose jobs take them out on the land – geologists, conservation officers, prospectors and the like.

I have to tell you a story about the white man and bannock in the early days.

Back then, Native people would see a white man out on the land getting ready to make his meal. If he didn’t have a frying pan he would make up the bannock batter and throw it on the hot coals of a campfire. Then when he figured it was baked he would

Bannock is a traditional food for Métis. When many of our people still lived off the land, bannock provided the essential energy our bodies needed, especially during times of hunting and gathering, or during the months when the food supply was limited.

The flour and lard (animal fat) originally used to make bannock are very high in energy, meaning they contain a lot of calories. Now that we tend to live a less active lifestyle, our bodies do not require such high-calorie foods.

Two good ways of incorporating bannock into a healthy diet are to eat smaller portions and to avoid using lard when making bannock. We preparednessadvice.com/wp-content/

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just take it off and blow the ashes from it. Why he didn’t wrap it around a stick and cook it over the fire like some Native people do is beyond me. He must have been in an awful hurry for a feed of bannock and not care much about the charcoal around his mouth. Like I say, you can make bannock just about any way you want, but that one has to take the cake!

Andrew George, Sr. (Tsaibesa)

From Feast! by Andrew George Jr. and Robert Gaines (1997, Doubleday Canada) pg 18-20.

Reading and Discussion Guide1. According to the main article, where did bannock come from? Does this agree with other

stories and/or traditions you know about?

2. Bannock is called, “the ideal food for the trail.”a. Give 4 reasons.

b. Why is bannock still popular?

3. According to the story, what are 2 benefits of cooking bannock in a pan over the fire instead of the method the “white man” used?

4. List the various methods of cooking bannock that you know about.

5. What toppings or fillings are suggested for bannock (see first box)? What is your favorite?

6. What are two good ways of incorporating bannock into a healthy diet? (see second box)

7. Why is oil a healthier choice than lard?

8. Why is baking in the oven or over a fire healthier than frying bannock in oil?

Recipe 1: BannockIngredients:375 ml flour (____ C.)15 ml baking powder (___ Tbsp.)7.5 ml sugar (___ tsp.)1 ml salt (pinch)62.5 ml margarine (1/4 cup)About 125 ml water (1/2 cup)

Method:1) Preheat oven to 425 ͦF2) Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt (_____ ingredients)3) Cut in margarine using a ________________until mixture is crumbly.4) Gradually add water, using a __________ until a soft dough forms. 5) Shape into a ball with __________hands. 6) Flatten into a circle about 2 cm thick.6) Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.7) Bake for about 20 minutes.

1.

Recipe 2: Métis Bannock(La Galet)Metis Cookbook and Guide to Healthy Living by National Aboriginal Health Organization

stnorbertmetiscouncil.com/recipes.htm

Role:

To knead the dough:Flour the surface and your hands.Using the heel of your hands, push down on the dough.Lift the dough over itself and repeat.Turn the dough as you are kneading.

Make the _____________the same thickness as the __________________ foreven baking.

What can you use if you don’t have parchment paper? _________________________________________________

Role:

1 ½ cups flour2 tsp baking powder2 tsp sugar1 tsp salt2 tbsp powdered milk1 tbsp oil or melted shortening or lard¾ cup-1 cup milk

Instructions:1. Mix all dry ingredients

in a bowl.2. Stir in oil or melted

shortening or lard with a fork. Mixture will look like crumbs.

3. Stir in just enough milk with a wooden spoon so that the flour holds together and is not crumbly and is a little sticky.

4. Drop by spoonfuls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper with some space between each lump of dough.

5. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

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Compare the amount of flour in Recipe 2 with Recipe 1. Which one has more? RECIPE 1 RECIPE 2 SAME

Compare the amount of liquid in Recipe 2 with Recipe 1. Which one has more? RECIPE 1 RECIPE 2 SAME

What effect does this have on the bannock? Which one do you like better? Why?

Recipe 3: “Just Like Grandma’s Bannock”Where People Feast: An Indigenous People’s Cookbook by Dolly Watts and Annie Watts

2 ½ cups flour1 cup lukewarm water1 tsp salt2 tsp white sugar1 tbsp oil1 tsp yeast

Day 1:1. In a large bowl add flour and

make a hole in the centre.2. In a separate bowl, combine

water, salt, sugar, oil, and yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon. Let sit for 5 minutes to activate yeast.

3. Pour liquid into the hole in the flour and mix together with the wooden spoon until fairly stiff. Add more flour as needed.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.

5. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours or in the fridge overnight.

Day 2:6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 2 cm thickness and cut

into squares or use cutters to make circles (5-10 cm wide).7. In a frying pan or Dutch oven on medium-high, heat 2-5

cm of oil (depends on thickness of bannock) to 375°F. As soon as the square of dough is dropped into the hot oil, turn it 3 times so that it puffs up evenly. Repeat with several pieces at a

time and fry until golden brown for 3 minutes on each side until all dough has been fried.

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What ingredient(s) does this bannock recipe use that neither of the other two use?

What do the other recipes use instead?

How is the resulting bannock different as a result of this change?

Role: