Blackfeet Nation Bannock Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• Gradually stir in water until a thick dough forms.
• Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until the dough is not sticky. It does not need to be perfectly smooth.
• Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.
• Take a rolling pin and flatten dough until it is roughly the size of the pan.
• Place dough in pan and adjust to fit.
• Bake for 35 minutes. The bread should be slightly brown.
• Turn out out on cutting board or cooling rack. This bread can be cut while warm.

Steps:

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

Steps:

• Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together.
• Mix with enough water so that the mixture becomes a dough.
• Form into 4-6 large, thick patties.
• Fry on lightly oiled frying pan, turning when the bottom is golden.
• (You may also bake in the oven.) Good served warm.
• If desired, spread with honey, jam, butter, or peanut butter.
• Traditionally bannock would have been made with whatever ingredients were on hand.
• For example, adding blueberries if they're in season.
• This freezes well. Freeze, already baked, in a labeled ziploc bag with the air squeezed out as much as possible. To serve, bring to room temperature by removing from the bag and letting rest on the counter for a few hours. SPeed up the process, by baking or microwaving until the desired temperature is reached.

Steps:

• Mix half the flour with the remaining dry ingredients.
• Add water until the mixture becomes thick, "like a paper mache paste".
• Add more flour until the dough feels like a soft earlobe.
• Heat the oil or lard over a medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking.
• Break off small pieces of the dough and flatten each to the size of your palm, about 1/2-inch thick.
• Place the pieces in the hot oil, turn after about 3 minutes, or when golden brown.
• Place the bannock on a paper towel to soak up the excess grease.
• Serve plain or with jam.

Steps:

• Mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt together in a bowl.
• Make a hollow cone shape in the middle of the dry ingedients and slowly mix in oil and warm water.
• Starting from the center and working outwards in a circle motion, more and more flour will slowly work its way to form a dough.
• Start to knead the dough until all the flour is worked in.
• Pour enough oil to cover the out side of the dough in the bowl.
• Let sit until doubled in size. "I like to heat the oven for 10 minutes on 250C degrees, then place dough in there":p.
• After it doubles in size, put the 4 cups of grease in a large pot and heat on high for 15 minutes.
• Turn lower like a few millitmeters.
• Then roll dough out to a 1/2 centimeter thickness on a well greased surface. Cut in to favorable size.
• Place carefully into a pot and brown on each side.Next, place to cool.
• After, this delicious bread can be fozen or topped with an endless choice of toppings.

Steps:

• In the bowl, mix the flour and lard together by hand, and then add the baking powder, salt and the currants, raisins or sultanas.
• Next, add the water and work the ingredients into a dough.
• Now, you have two options: the camp fire or the oven.
• To cook over a camp fire, divide the dough into four lumps and firmly wrap each lump around the end of a four foot stick and prop securely over the fire until golden brown.
• To cook in an oven, spread the dough out into a 16" square cake pan.
• Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Steps:

• I'll provide two versions - fire cooked (preferred) and pan-cooked.
• Fire-cooked: First; if you're making this in camp, it's best to use natural tools. Locate a flat rock (slate is best, of course), sheet of birch bark or similar flat surface. You can use a bowl or a frypan but it's not as much fun. :) Next, find a Y-shaped stick about 2 feet in length; fairly stout - the branches should be about the width of your thumb and should be about two fist-widths apart.
• Pre-mix the dry ingredients prior to departure. Don't worry; the seemingly miniscule amounts of salt and baking powder are more than enough.
• Pour a small mound of dry mixture onto your flat surface; add water a few drops at a time until a thick dough is formed. Keep adding mixture and water until all mixture is used (or until you have enough. If you're wise you'll carry a fairly large bag of mixture; enough for several days).
• Be careful - consistency is critical. The dough must be thick enough to braid. Add water slowly and add less than you think you need.
• Form dough into a ball and let it rise 10-15 minutes; use this to build up the fire to cooking temperature.
• Roll the dough into a 'Plasticene snake' about 2 inches across. Braid the snake around the ends of the Y-shaped stick tucking the ends in at the bottom. Then simply roast it in front of (not over) the fire, flipping every 1-2minutes until golden-brown. (If you hold it over the fire you'll cook it too fast).
• Let cool for a few seconds and tear pieces off. Serve with butter, but it's better dipped into meat juice. In winter, dip into white bacon fat and roast until the fat is brown - good fuel at 30 degrees below zero.
• Pan-cooked: Exactly the same preparation except add more water until it forms a very thick batter - twice the thickness of pancake batter. Let rise for 10 minutes. Pour into frypan and cook slowly until golden brown. Serve as above.