Bannock is a blanket term for a low-tech yeast-free loaf, sometimes leavened with baking powder but often left without, that seems to be cross-cultural and ubiquitous. This is understandable; unleavened bread is a fairly obvious staple food, as its ingredients are easy to come by and its method not particularly complex.
The exact origins of unleavened flatbread go back far longer than anyone is prepared to guess, but the term "bannock" as it was used in Scotland is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic bonnach, which in term derived from the Latin panicum: an edible, millet-like grain. This grain was ground into flour and used to make flat, unleavened cakes, sometimes with additions; Selkirk bannock contains pieces of dried fruit to add colour, texture, and flavour to the loaf.
A rather odd tradition associated with bannock in Scotland is connected to one Saint Columba, who was an Irish missionary who travelled to live amongst the Picts in the sixth century. He was in his mid-forties when he sailed to Iona in a curragh with his companions in 563, and spent the rest of his life roaming the glens of northern Scotland building monasteries and missions.
On his feast day, which occurs in June, traditionally an oat cake -- bannock -- was baked in his honour, with a silver coin hidden somewhere in the loaf. It was then given to children, and the one whose portion of the loaf contained the coin would be given the dubious honour of taking care of the new lambs for the coming year.
Another flatbread termed "bannock" originated amongst the Plains Indians of North America. Here it was named for the Bannock tribe who roamed the area of what is now Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Idaho. Like many plains tribes they were nomadic, moving with the seasons and travelling great distances in pursuit of buffalo herds. Bannock was ideal for carrying along on hunting expeditions: it was relatively light, and the ingredients could be mixed and saved until they were needed. It was also popular amongst Métis buffalo hunters in western Canada extending into the nineteenth century.
The Plains Indian version of bannock is a round, flat cake, made from unleavened wheat flour, salt, and water. Sometimes baking powder was (and still is) added to lighten the loaf. It could be easily prepared in the field over an open campfire by wrapping the dough around a green willow stick, from which the bark had been removed; the other end of the stick was driven firmly into the ground, holding the loaf over the fire until it was fully cooked.
It could also be prepared as a large cake of dough formed to fit into a pan, again held over a fire, to be broken into pieces for serving once it had cooled off enough that it could be handled.
No longer a staple since the buffalo herds have become mostly extinct, bannock now plays a mostly symbolic role at celebrations of the First Nations lifestyle and formal gatherings such as weddings and powwows.
Contemporary recipes make Scottish bannock -- often incorporating dried fruit and nuts -- considerably more substantial and filling than the North American Indian variety, which is generally left plain during baking so that it might be filled with butter and jam later on.
For a somewhat dessert-like bannock, in the Scottish style:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine almonds, flour, sugar, and orange peel; cut in butter and knead until the mixture is well-blended. It should form a stiff dough. Roll out to a thickness of a half inch on a floured board and cut into round cakes. Prick the centres with a fork, place onto a greased baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour or until the cakes are golden brown.
And for North American bannock, as per Regina's National Aboriginal Day Bannock Bake-Off:
- 4 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil
Combine all ingredients, and add enough water to make a soft dough; this amount will vary with humidity and the type of flour used. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, adding more flour as necessary.
Grease and heat a frying pan, over an open fire for authenticity and entertainment. Divide the dough into six cakes about a half inch thick and lightly dust them with flour on both sides. Lay the cakes in the pan and fry them, occasionally shaking the pan to keep them from sticking; once a bottom crust has formed and the dough has hardened enough to hold together, they should be turned.
Continue frying for about twelve minutes. Test readiness by inserting a toothpick into the centre of a cake; if it comes out clean, the bannock is finished.
The cakes should be served with butter or jam or both, preferably in large quantities, as they are rather bland without.
Sources:
Bannock. Heritage Community Foundation.
http://www.albertasource.ca/treaty8/eng/1899_and_After/Art_and_Lifeways/bannock.html
"Bannock". Encyclopaedia Brittanica.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=13362&tocid=0&query=bread
"Bannock (oat cake)".
http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/recipes/view.cfm?id=76
"Bannock Recipe". Luxton Museum of the Plains Indian.
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/luxton/sect_3/bannock.htm
"Food". Luxton Museum of the Plains Indian.
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/luxton/sect_3/3b.htm
The Bannock People.
http://imnh.isu.edu/Public/JustForKids/CordageDiscoveryBox/SubMenu_3/index_3B_Bannock_temp.htm
The Bannock War.
http://mn.essortment.com/bannockwarindi_rfjo.htm
Tribal History. Shoshone Bannock Tribal Enterprises.
http://www.sho-ban.com/history.asp
Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Profile.
http://www.npaihb.org/profiles/tribal_profiles/Idaho/Shoshone_Bannock.htm
wertperch informs me that bannock from Kelso is superior to that of Selkirk. Who knew?