Beef Stew and Bannock ...

[Reverend Al]

We just picked my brother-in-law up at the airport and he'll be staying with us for a family visit for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Needed something easy for dinner tonight, so made a big crock pot full of Beef Stew and a loaf of Bannock to go with it. Some left over beef brisket diced up, lots of onions, carrots, and potatoes, and a bunch of diced garlic. Went 1/2 whole wheat and half regular white flour on the Bannock. (My brother-in-laws version ...) Should be good eating for about the next 2 days ...

[hc18flyer]

I would be interested in seeing your recipe for Bannock bread. Thanks, Tom

[Reverend Al]

Tom, I have several different recipes and I'll list them below, but the one shown in the photo is the one I use the most. (Best Metis Bannock) Sometimes I make it with 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat and sometimes with all white flour.

Best Métis Bannock

Preheat your oven to 375 or 400 degrees (ovens vary), and while you're waiting assemble the following ingredients.

Dry ingredients

2 1/2 cups of white flour (or optionally 1 cup of Whole Wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of white flour)

6 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup of any suitable shortening (lard, bacon fat, butter, margarine, etc.)

Wet ingredients

2 large eggs

1 cup of sweet milk

Combine first four dry ingredients and mix very well. Add whichever shortening you'll be using to the dry mix and use a pastry blender to blend until the mix forms fine well mixed crumbs. Combine the 2 eggs with the milk and mix well (I do it right in the measuring cup), then add to the flour mixture. Stir with a spatula to form a soft dough, and kneed as little as possible after placing the dough on a hard surface dusted with bench flour. Add a bit more bench flour if needed to form a soft or "satin" looking and feeling dough that is no longer sticky to the touch. Form the dough into a rough square or rectangular loaf and place on a baking sheet or in a suitable size baking pan. Parchment paper placed underneath the loaf will help to prevent scorching on the bottom. Using a fork, prick holes onto the entire top of the loaf. Bake on an upper rack, well off the oven element, for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.


Best Metis Cinnamon Rolls

To make Cinnamon Rolls, use the same dough recipe as above, but add an extra two tbsp of sugar to the dry mix. Roll out the finished dough to about 1/4" thick to form a large rectangle. Dust the surface with cinnamon, brown sugar, raisins or currents. (I sometimes add Nutmeg as well.) Drizzle a bit of corn syrup or honey back and forth across the top of the dough, and then roll up the dough, sealing the end "flaps" shut. Using a sharp knife, cut slices about 1 ½” to 2” thick from the rolled up dough and place them onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet or in a baking pan. Again, baking for 20 to 25 minutes at 375 to 400 degrees yields a batch of tasty home made cake style cinnamon buns.

Note: When I use currants with this recipe, I soak them in warm water to swell them up, then add the flavoured drained water to the milk/egg mix for a bit of extra flavour in the dough. I also add a Tablespoon of vanilla for extra flavour. Just keep adding bench flour to the wet mix until the dough is no longer sticky and has a "satin" look and feel to it before you roll it out and add the inside ingredients.


Best Metis Double Chocolate Rolls

To make Double Chocolate Rolls, add 4 heaping Tablespoons of Fry’s Cocoa powder to the dry mixture, roll out as normal, drizzle with corn syrup or honey, and substitute a layer of chocolate chips instead of the cinnamon and raisins


Another Bannock Recipe

2 cups flour
2tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 Cup of water
1/4 cup lard

Mix dry ingredients well, then add lard using a pastry blender. Add the water and mix well. Press out onto floured surface until inch thick. Place on a shallow pan. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, flip over and bake another 10 minutes. Should be golden brown when done. This can also be fried in oil on stove or deep fryer. Cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side.


Authentic Scottish Bannock

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Optional: add 1 tablespoon bacon fat to mix at time of water addition.

- Mix in (warm if available) water right before using, add water until it is like thick bread dough
- It should be thick enough to wrap around the fork as you mix it up.
- Preheat pan and lid over fire (if cast iron you can almost cook it off the fire if you preheat them hot)
- Bacon grease the pan (the more the merrier), and put over very low heat, cover.
- Flip when first side is brown, take off when wood sliver comes out clean.

(To make it an authentic Scottish bannock just sleep through breakfast due to a headache, don’t make the bannock at all and have something else for lunch.)



Special Traditional First Nations Cree Bannock recipe!

Ingredients
o 3 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
o 2 tablespoons baking powder
o 1 tablespoon sugar
o 1/2 teaspoon salt
o 1/2 cup margarine (or butter or shortening)
o 3/4-1 cup milk (or water)

Directions

1. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
2. Work in the margarine using hands until you make a nice crumble. If you have Olivina margarine in your area, this makes for the best bannock.
3. Gradually mix in enough milk to make soft but not sticky. Knead.
4. Shape into a ball, place on a greased baking sheet, then flatten into a circle about 1 inch thick.
5. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serves 4-6 People


Spud's Awesome Bannock

This recipe was given to me by a retired Game Warden ... definitely a never fail bannock! Not quite the traditional Scottish 'Bonnach', but it tastes great every time. Hope you enjoy it.

3 cups flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar (depending on your sugar tooth)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup of whipping cream (very important) sometimes I use half and half milk and whipping cream.

If mixture is too yucky or dry just add a bit of flour and / or milk. I sprinkle a bit of flour on top of this mess so I can shape it. I mostly throw all this in a 9x9 pan rather then shape it in an oval, but whatever works. It’s easier to cut in the pan. Then throw'er in the oven for 1/2 hour at 400 degrees.

Sometimes I turn on the broiler for a couple minutes at the end to brown the top.

[smithnframe]

That bannock looks very dense!

[Reverend Al]

That bannock looks very dense!

Yep, just like the guy that bakes it!

[DougGuy]

LOL^^^^

I'd sail right on that dish!