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Authentic Bannock Recipe Scotland, Europe
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
Simple in preparation and diverse in variations, bannock is a poor’s man dish from Scotland which could best be described as a dense flatbread of neutral taste. The preparation starts with the grains, which usually come in the form of oatmeal, barleymeal, rye meal or peasemeal. The grains are mixed with salt and sodium bicarbonate, the latter being a modern addition. Fats, such as lard, bacon fat, or butter, are rubbed into the mixture, which is bound together with a small amount of liquid, usually water or buttermilk. Although bannock is most commonly neutral or savory, there are also sweet bannock recipes, which suggest adding sultanas or candied citrus peel to the dough. After being assembled, the dough is rolled and shaped into a flat circle or cut into individual portions. Finally, it is baked in a pan or an oven until it browns slightly. Warm bannocks can be served with butter, fruit jams, fresh cheese, salmon, soups, and stews, and can keep well for days.
Cooking tips
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grains
There are several types of grains which can be used for bannocks. Usually, they come in the form of meal — unsifted ground grains coarser than flour. Barley and beremeal are the most traditional options since they were used in Scotland before wheat and oats. Nowadays, oats, barley, and rye meals are the most common, and are often mixed with wheat flour to make the dough more manageable. -
fat
When it comes to fat, you can use either butter, lard, or bacon fat. Usually, the melted or softened fat is rubbed into the mixture of dry ingredients until a shortcrust-like dough is formed. -
liquid
Two types of liquid can be used for bannock — either water or buttermilk. They are added gradually and in small amounts, just enough to make the dough come together. -
sodium bicarbonate
Also known as bicarbonate of soda or baking soda, this ingredient was introduced in the early- and mid-19th century as a leavening agent which gives a porous structure to bannocks. -
shaping
There are two ways to shape bannocks. The dough can be rolled into a flat disc which can be 1/4 to 1-inch-thick. Alternatively, the rolled dough can be divided into individual servings of circular, square, or triangular shape. The wedges cut from a round bannock are often called scones, and if a bannock is cut into quarters, they are called farls. -
cooking
Traditionally, bannocks were cooked on bannock stone — a piece of sandstone placed directly on embers. In the 19th century, bannock stones were replaced with griddles, flat iron pots placed over the fire. Nowadays, bannocks are prepared in a heavy-bottomed frying pan which may be greased lightly, or in a preheated gas or electric oven. The cooking time depends on the type of grains used in a particular ... Read more
Recipe variations
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Basic Oatmeal Bannocks
Ready in 25minThis traditional recipe explains the process of making simple oatmeal bannocks with just oatmeal, bacon fat, baking soda, salt, and water. You can cook them in a heavy-bottomed frying pan or bake them in an oven. Since the dough is quite sticky, prepare some extra oatmeal to dust your hands and the working surface.
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Selkirk Bannock
Ready in 2hUnlike other bannock variations, the Selkirk bannock uses yeast and is made with sultanas and candied orange peel, which makes it richer and softer compared to the regular bannocks. Allegedly, they owe their popularity to a baker named Robbie Douglas, who started selling them in the market square at Selkirk in 1859. The Selkirk bannock was even served to Queen Victoria when she visited Scotland in the summer of 1867, and it has been popular ever since. This recipe was adapted from the Traditional Scottish Cookery cookbook by Theodora FitzGibbon a famous Irish food writer and author of over 30 cookbooks.
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Pitcaithly Bannock
Ready in 1h 20minThis bannock variety was named after a village in Perthshire County in Central Scotland. The following recipe is an adaptation of a recipe published in the 1932 Plain Cooking Recipes cookbook, written for the Edinburgh School of Domestic Science. Rice flour can be replaced with corn flour, and if the dough is too dry, you can add a small amount of water.
Basic Oatmeal Bannocks
PREP 10min
COOK 15min
READY IN 25min
This traditional recipe explains the process of making simple oatmeal bannocks with just oatmeal, bacon fat, baking soda, salt, and water. You can cook them in a heavy-bottomed frying pan or bake them in an oven. Since the dough is quite sticky, prepare some extra oatmeal to dust your hands and the working surface.
Ingredients
Basic Oatmeal Bannocks
125 g medium oatmeal
2 tsp melted fat (bacon fat, if available)
2 pinches bicarbonate of soda
1 pinch salt
3/4 tbsp hot water
FOR KNEADING
additional oatmeal
Preparation
1
Basic Oatmeal Bannocks
Step 1/8
Mix the dry ingredients — the oatmeal, salt, and bicarbonate of soda – in a large bowl.
Step 2/8
Make a well in the middle and pour in the melted fat.
Step 3/8
Stir well and add enough water to turn into a stiff paste.
Step 4/8
Sprinkle the surface with additional oatmeal and turn the dough over onto a working surface.
Step 5/8
Divide the dough in two and roll out each half to be 1/4-inch thick. The dough is hard to manage when cooled, so try to work as quickly as you can.
Step 6/8
Cut the rolled dough into circles slightly smaller than the pan you will be using, then cut them into quarters (farls).
Step 7/8
Preheat the pan and grease it lightly. Cook the farls for 3 minutes on each side. Alternatively, you can bake the bannocks in the oven preheated to 375˚F or gas 5 for 30 minutes, until they brown slightly around the edges.
Step 8/8
Keep the bannocks in a tin box and reheat before serving.
Other Variations
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Selkirk Bannock
Ready in 2hUnlike other bannock variations, the Selkirk bannock uses yeast and is made with sultanas and candied orange peel, which makes it richer and softer compared to the regular bannocks. Allegedly, they owe their popularity to a baker named Robbie Douglas, who started selling them in the market square at Selkirk in 1859. The Selkirk bannock was even served to Queen Victoria when she visited Scotland in the summer of 1867, and it has been popular ever since. This recipe was adapted from the Traditional Scottish Cookery cookbook by Theodora FitzGibbon a famous Irish food writer and author of over 30 cookbooks.
-
Pitcaithly Bannock
Ready in 1h 20minThis bannock variety was named after a village in Perthshire County in Central Scotland. The following recipe is an adaptation of a recipe published in the 1932 Plain Cooking Recipes cookbook, written for the Edinburgh School of Domestic Science. Rice flour can be replaced with corn flour, and if the dough is too dry, you can add a small amount of water.
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