Bannock

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 c Whole wheat flour 1/2 ts -Salt
1/2 c All purpose flour 2 tb Butter melted
1/2 c Rolled oats 1/3 c Raisins; optional
2 tb Sugar granulated 3/4 c -Water; approx
2 ts Baking powder

Instructions:

Bannock, a simple type of scone was cooked in poineer days over open

fires. Variations in flours and the addtional of dried or fresh fruit make

this bread the simple choice of Canadian campers even today. Oven baking

has become an acceptable alternative to the cast iron frypan. McKelvie's

resturant in Halifax serves an oatmeal version similatr to this one. For

plain bannock, omit rolled oats and increase the all purose floue to 1

cup.... One of the earliest quick breads, bannock was as simple as flour,

salt, a bit of fat (often bacon grease) and water. In gold rush days, dough

was mixed right in the prospector's flour bag and cooked in a frypan over

an open fire.

Indians wrapped a similar dough around sticks driven into the ground

beside their camp fire, baking it along with freshly caught fish. Today's

native _Fried Bread_ is like bannock and cooked in a skillet.

Newfoundlander's _Damper Dogs_ are small rounds of dough cooked on the

stove's dampers while _Toutons_ are similar bits of dough deep fried. At a

promotional luncheon for the 1992 Inuit Circumpolar Conference, Eskimo

Doughnuts, deep fried rings of bannock dough, were served. It is said that

Inuit children prefer these doughnuts" to sweet cookies. Red River settlers from Scotland made a frugal bannock with lots of flour little sugar and drippings or lard. Now this same bread plays a prominent part in Winnipeg's own Folklorama Festival. At Expo '86 in Vanocuver buffalo on bannock buns was a popular item at the North West Territories ' restaurant. In many regions of Canada whole wheat flour or wheat germ replaces part of the flour and cranberries or blueberries are sometimes added. A Saskatchewan firm markets a bannock mix and recipe books from coast to coast upgrade bannock with butter oatmeal raisins cornmeal and dried fruit." Stir together flours oats sugar baking powder and salt. Add melted butter raisins (if using) and water adding more water if needed to make sticky dough. With floured hands pat into greased pie plate. Bake in 400F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned and tester comes out clean. Cut into wedges. SERVES:6 VARIATIONS: In place of raisins add chopped dried apricots or fresh berries.(Blueberries are terrific if one is camping in northern Ontario in August.) SOURCE: "The First Decade" chapter in _A Century of Canadian Home Cooking_