Traditional Scottish Recipes

[Whittler Kev]

I was looking for a different Bannock recipe and came across this site.
Thought I'd share
http://www.walkaboutcrafts.com/worldtour/scotland/recipe.htm
Just realised do English, Irish, Welsh as well
http://www.walkaboutcrafts.com/worldtour/index.htm

 

[Wayland]

I'm worried now...... They've got an adult hot Toddy.......

 

[rik_uk3]

http://www.ehow.com/how_2070780_deepfried-mars-bar.html

 

[Whittler Kev]

http://www.ehow.com/how_2070780_deepfried-mars-bar.html

I used to sell these on my rally stall - Anyone remember them?

 

[trekkingnut]

i made some the other day, with self raising flower, bit of baking soda, water and sultanas.... was absolutely amazing.... you can premix the whole lot in a sandwich bag and take it out in the field with you, then just add water and toast it off.....

 

[Gagnrad]

They take with them no purveyance of bread nor
wine, for their usage and soberness is such in time
of war that they will pass in the journey a great
long time with flesh half sodden, without bread,
and drink of the river water without wine; and
they neither care for pots nor pans, for they seethe
beasts in their own skins. They are ever sure to
find plenty of beasts in the country that they will
pass through ; therefore they carry with them none
other purveyance, but on their horse between the
saddle and the panel they truss a broad plate of
metal, and behind the saddle they will have a little
sack full of oatmeal, to the intent that when they
have eaten of the sodden flesh, then they lay this
plate on the fire and temper a little of the oatmeal ;
and when the plate is hot, they cast of the thin
paste thereon, and so make a little cake, in manner
of a cracknel or biscuit, and that they eat to com-
fort withal their stomachs. Wherefore it is no
great marvel though they make greater journeys
than other people do.

And in this manner were the Scots entered into
the said country, and wasted and burnt all about as
they went, and took great number of beasts.

http://www.archive.org/stream/froissartinbrita00froiuoft/froissartinbrita00froiuoft_djvu.txt

 

[pango]

I'm worried now...... They've got an adult hot Toddy.......

I was going to ask if there's such a thing as a Child's Hot Toddy and then realised that I got quite a few of them as a child, locally referred to as "A het Erse!"

I was amazed when looking for bannock recipes a few months ago to discover that most of the sites I opened were American or Canadian. Then again, that shouldn't have been a surprise... Lochaber, no more; Glengarry, no more; Strathnaver, no more; Knoydart, no more...........

 

[Gagnrad]

I was amazed when looking for bannock recipes a few months ago to discover that most of the sites I opened were American or Canadian.

Yes, it's from a Gaelic word (bannach), isn't it? (In England it would be a cake; in Wales, Bara Ceirich.) Of course Canada especially was quite heavily settled by Scots.

The recipe linked above must be a fairly modern take, because it includes bicarbonate of soda. Surprisingly, it doesn't include an acidulating agent, such as cream of tartar, so I guess it wouldn't rise very well. But traditionally these wouldn't be risen, anyway.

You'd just add a teaspoon of salt to every pound of oatmeal. Then you'd add around 2 tablespoons of melted bacon fat to some boiled water to dissolve it up, mix that in, and you'd be good to go.

The soldiers mentioned by Froissart would have used a little of whatever animal fat they had on hand as a binder.

 

[Toddy]

Bannocks are just daily bread..........and we still cook on those iron plates up here, we call them girdles.
Look up girdle scones, bannocks, oatcakes, farls, tattie scones, pancakes; they're all made on the girdle.

Some of the recipes on that site are a bit weird.

Bannocks were always risen, whether by soda and acid or buttermilk, or yeast or sourdough. Modern baking powder makes it easy.

There's another type of brose made from oatmeal, milk and whisky. Very nutritious and heartening

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Gagnrad]

Bannocks were always risen

No, they weren't. That's a modern thing.

whether by soda and acid or buttermilk, or yeast or sourdough. Modern baking powder makes it easy.

Yes, you can make a "soda bread" with bicarbonate of soda and an acidulating agent.

If raising with yeast, you have bread not unleavened cakes. They did used to put a little yeast in the West Riding oatcakes back in the 1930s. I don't know why; it wouldn't be traditional, and it certainly wouldn't raise them. Raising with yeast requires gluten in your grain. Otherwise, the dough can't hold up, and oats have some of the lowest gluten contents of any grains. This is why they're not used for bread, but for flat cakes (although people did sometimes used to mix some oats into wheat bread, etc.). Sourdough is not an alternative to bicarbonate of soda plus an acidulating agent. The sourdough process was used particularly with grains that are lower in gluten and therefore unsuitable for alcoholic fermentation with yeast, although it was also used for wheat bread. Sourdough cultures are still used with rye breads for just this reason.

"Modern baking powder" simply is bicarbonate of soda with some other salts in there. Bicarbonate of soda, with or without other salts, was simply not available before modern industrial processes made it so.

 

[Toddy]

I've just seen your reply.

You are mistaken. Bannocks were always risen, even if just by incorporating air into the folding of the dough so that the gluten holds it airy when cooked. (Handle lightly is the way we're taught to make them and scones )In our culture it means a cooked dough. Doesn't matter whether it's a bread or a cake, sweet or savoury. Whether made from bere meal or wheat (and we have evidence for wheat in Scotland at least 500 bce), it is risen in some form. We also have querns, indicative of ground grain, and we have evidence for beer. That means yeast culture was understood. The old adage the best brewer was likely the best baker came about for a reason
Our oatcakes are not risen, they are crisp, I suppose like a thicker version of the cornmeal nacho.

As for rising agents, have a look at hartshorn. It's still used by patissiers; it is an ammonium raising agent when mixed with vinegar or acid. Again, a traditional rising agent along with the sourdough, sour milk and the yeasts.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Sanji]

Bannocks are just daily bread..........and we still cook on those iron plates up here, we call them girdles.
Look up girdle scones, bannocks, oatcakes, farls, tattie scones, pancakes; they're all made on the girdle.

We still have a girdle that we obtained after the death of my grandmother , might try attempt making bannock/Pancakes on it

 

[locum76]

Bannocks are just daily bread..........and we still cook on those iron plates up here, we call them girdles.
Look up girdle scones, bannocks, oatcakes, farls, tattie scones, pancakes; they're all made on the girdle.

Indeed, what's with putting bannock on a pedestal?

 

[Toddy]

No idea
Bushcrafters have kind of adopted the name for all sorts of campfire breads though

Did someone not start a thread recently on sharing best bannock recipes ?
I used to be very fond of a cheese and mustard one

M