For what people call "bannock" you can use any American biscuit recipe.
Not UK "biscuits" .. those are different.
Here is one recipe:
2 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar (optional but browns the bread nicely)
3 ½ teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Mix all this up together in a bowl and then add
1/3 cup Crisco (5 tablespoons), cut into pieces (you can use any solid shortening or lard)
Now with your fingers, smash and mix the shortening in. Men, the motion you're making to do this is like when you make the "cash" sign by rubbing your thumb together with your first two fingers.. You sort of "rub" the shortening into the flour. You keep doing this with all the little shortening pieces until the whole thing is the consistency of fine sand or cornmeal.
You now have Bannock.
Store it in a plastic bag, or tupperware or glass jar.
Keep it cool but not refrigerated.
To make the bread while camping, you add about 1 cup of milk or water (or any liquid), stir it up, then form cakes to cook on the grill, a rock, or in the ash. The cakes can be any size but what works best is something a little smaller around than the palm of your hand, and about the same thickness.
You will learn to pour in the liquid slowly, and stop just when things hold together. Then knead it a bit. When you first start making it, it'll be sticky. You need to learn to STOP the liquid just before it gets to that sticky stage, but even though sticky, it'll still make good bread or cakes... just cover your hands with some of the other bannock or flour so the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
To make a BETTER tasting bannock, and if you do not anticipate carrying milk in the field, you can add about 1/4 cup dry milk flakes to the DRY stuff before you mix in the shortening. IF you do NOT add milk flakes, the bannock will last forever really... if you DO add milk flakes, it'll be fine over a weekend trip, but could spoil in hot weather after a few days. You just need to keep it cool.
Try making this ahead at home.
You can bake it on a stone like you make Welshcakes on - don't all UK folk have these? ::laughing:: or on a cast iron skillet.
You can also add it to the ashes to make ashcakes. Just watch it carefully, turn it when it puffs up good, then brush it off and eat it.
You'll be surprised how great this method works once you learn WHICH ashes to use so not to burn the cakes.
With this same bannock you can do many types of breads and cakes.
You can add eggs and milk or water to it, make a thinner batter, and POUR it on a griddle for pancakes.
You can make it like I said, then drop by spoonfuls into stew for dumplings.
Drop into boiling stew, cover with a lid, turn down the heat and cook for about 12 minutes.
You can add cornmeal to make cornpones.
You can add sugar to make donuts.
Play with it on your next trip!
It's a great thing to know how to make!
