Allez Cuisine!

GRAHAM BLICQ Enlarge Image

Bannock

A couple of months ago I spent a lazy weekday afternoon baking quick-bread scones. I was craving something bready and substantial, but there wasn’t a single slice of bread, or even a bun, to be found in my house. I didn’t have any yeast and was feeling much too lazy to make the trip to the store to pick some up, so I decided to try my hand at making quick bread.
   
The scones turned out pretty well and they slaked my appetite for bread that afternoon, but I knew I could get more from this type of baking.
   
Flatbreads exist in the culinary heritage of many cultures around the globe. Turning water, salt and flour into a delicious and filling bready snack is the essence of simplicity, and it costs pennies to do.
   
This week I suggested to Stefan that we try to bake up some type of quick bread. Knowing we already had all the ingredients, we decided to make bannock. I had a recipe for a Métis bannock, so Stef and I were able to immediately get going.
 
For our bannock recipe you will need:

3 cups    all-purpose or whole-wheat flour
2 tbsp     baking powder
1 tbsp     sugar
1/2 tsp     salt
1/2 cup     margarine, butter or shortening
3/4-1     cup water
 
   
In a large mixing bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Work in the margarine with your hands until your mixture has reached a floury, crumbly texture. Gradually add enough water to achieve soft, pliable dough. If your dough is sticky, you’ve gone too far and you’ll need to add some more flour.
   
Shape the dough into a ball and place it on a well-greased baking sheet. Flatten the dough into a circle that is one-inch thick. Have your oven preheated to 220 degrees Celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit). Bake for 25 minutes, or until the outside of the dough is lightly browned. Serve warm.
   
When we pulled our bannock out of the oven, the kitchen was filled with the heartwarming aroma of baking bread and it wasn’t long before we were cutting it up and devouring it. Stefan happened to have some very nice blackberry jam with which we covered our margarine-coated slices. The bannock tends to go a pretty long way because of how filling it is, and the nerd in me is reminded of the Elven lembas bread that fed Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring on its journey through Middle Earth.
   
It’s no wonder this type of bread is so common around the world. Throughout history, the kind of bread you had on your plate said a lot about your place in society. Ultimately, this kind of bread was probably most commonly eaten by the families of the working class.
   
Humans are intrepid and can do a great deal with very little at their disposal; such breads are a product of that ingenuity and resourcefulness.
   
For a more authentic Métis bannock, I’d suggest combining some locally foraged berries into your dough mixture. If you know where you can find some nice raspberries, blackberries, chokecherries or even rose hips, you can really amp up the flavour and nutrition value of your bannock.
   
The next time we try a quick-bread recipe like this, I think Stef and I will try our hand at making naan bread. There are so many different methods of preparation from all corners of the world, the possibilities for exploration are endless.

   
Graham Blicq and Stefan Lytwyn are Winnipeggers who love to buy, cook, serve and eat the best food they can find.