Your best Bannock recipe?

[dump of the stig]

I had my first go today and it didn't work out so great, crusty and rock hard (tho not burnt)
on the outside, mush in the centre, I stuck too uncle Rays recipe word for word, 2 handfuls of flour
1 hand full of milk powder, t-spoon of baking powder.
Any good ones out there?
as I would very much like to make this a staple for my next big trip.
cheers for any help

 

[copper_head]

2 cups plain flour, 1 cup milk powder, 1 tsp baking powder, tbsp garlic powder, 2 tsp dried sage.

Spread it thick with butter, nom nom nom

 

[greensurfingbear]

I had my first go today and it didn't work out so great, crusty and rock hard (tho not burnt)
on the outside, mush in the centre, I stuck too uncle Rays recipe word for word, 2 handfuls of flour
1 hand full of milk powder, t-spoon of baking powder.
Any good ones out there?
as I would very much like to make this a staple for my next big trip.
cheers for any help

Sounds like it might have been to thick as proportions sound ok?


Orric

 

[dump of the stig]

2 cups plain flour, 1 cup milk powder, 1 tsp baking powder, tbsp garlic powder, 2 tsp dried sage.

Spread it thick with butter, nom nom nom

Arrr man, mine did not look like that for a start!, I asked my sister and she said the baking powder was quit old!
maybe that's the reason why it was just a big hard biscuit with a soggy insides? yours looks more than edible :-/
I know this obviously varies with the fire but ball park figure how long it take to get results like that?

 

[Bluffer]

Look at your cookpot and fire as well mate, I use a low heat and a thick cookpot.

As well as maybe being too thick, another reason that yours was uncooked in the centre could be the fire/stove was too hot or your cookpot wasn't distributing the heat effectively, so it would cook too quickly on the outside before the centre is done?

Since I was shown how to make damper on a course I've been making it quite a lot at home and it has taken many weeks of experimenting to get it just right, so keep trying even when it seems to be going wrong!

 

[copper_head]

As bluffer and Orric say, keep the dough thin (5cm I guess) and cook slowly in the embers of your fire. You can also make an oven type arrangement by using two billys one inside the other with small stones to create a gap between bottom of of the interior billy.

 

[greensurfingbear]

Since I was shown how to make damper on a course I've been making it quite a lot at home and it has taken many weeks of experimenting to get it just right, so keep trying even when it seems to be going wrong!

I make it home when we run out of sliced bread. I actually prefer it so we 'accidentally' run out on a regular basis lol.

Try throwing in some cinnamon and raisins then butter while still hot and then dribble with honey!! Hmm mouth is watering at the though of it!

It's a matter of practice mate. Once you crack it you'll get it every time



Orric

 

[dump of the stig]

thanks chaps, I like the idea of pans inside each other, giving it another go tomorrow, think ill give
the wrapped around a stick method a spin as well, got to make it work, getting bored with pancakes
PS. I did have it about an inch and a bit thick to start with so ill sort that, just there was no rise.
Ill get there.

 

[santaman2000]

Arrr man, mine did not look like that for a start!, I asked my sister and she said the baking powder was quit old!
maybe that's the reason why it was just a big hard biscuit with a soggy insides?........

Ummmm. If your biscuits are hard then you're doing something wrong there too. Biscuits are supposed to be light and flaky. Here's a good recipe with video (about 3 minutes) www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/biscuits-recipe Don't let the start of the video fool you, she's baking them over an open fire (it just happens to be a fireplace in a cabin)

The only difference between Paula's recipe and mine is that I don't use sugar and instead of the Sweet Milk she uses (ya'll probably call it whole milk) I use buttermilk (and if you use buttermilk you'll need to remember that you also need to add a little baking "soda" in addition to the baking "powder." I also sub gluten free flour if I'm making them for my daughter as she's a celiac.

 

[rik_uk3]

All the recipes are much the same, where failure occurs its the cook that has messed up. You really can't go wrong with Bannock bread once you have practised making it. Don't blame the ingredients, blame the cook.

 

[Toddy]

Does anyone have a good recipe that doesn't use milk powder ?

I manage other breads fine, but over the fire bannock's just a bit blah without it, but I feel really sick with milk. Using ground almonds helps but it's crisper and more cake like.

cheers,
M

 

[Bluffer]

Through trial and error, I've found that my favourite is self-raising flour bound together with minimal water, then pressed flat and fried on a very low heat with minimal oil.

I've not yet added milk or milk powder. I've sometimes added sultanas but use too many of them and it becomes too sweet. I've also tried using wholemeal flour and white/wholemeal mixtures, but that didn't work out well.

I'm probably making something that other folk won't recognise as damper/bannock but it seems to be popular when I make it. A test for me will be making it for a small group (3-4) and I plan to use a small dutchpot which fits on my Trangia 25, watch this space to see how that works out?!

 

[Home Guard]

Through trial and error, I've found that my favourite is self-raising flour bound together with minimal water, then pressed flat and fried on a very low heat with minimal oil.

I've not yet added milk or milk powder. I've sometimes added sultanas but use too many of them and it becomes too sweet. I've also tried using wholemeal flour and white/wholemeal mixtures, but that didn't work out well.

I'm probably making something that other folk won't recognise as damper/bannock but it seems to be popular when I make it. A test for me will be making it for a small group (3-4) and I plan to use a small dutchpot which fits on my Trangia 25, watch this space to see how that works out?!

That's my kind of recipe, nice and simple. I might give this a try next week or something, but substitute Milk for the Water, to give a little bit more of a bannocky flavour. I also wanna try it with oats and raisins as a nice breakfast. Like a doughy eccles cake.

 

[robevs73]

Here's two tips on Bannock making , use selfraising flour and a pinch of backing powder and mix don't kneed the mixture.
Trust me it makes a difference I have made a lot of bannock and not just for myself.

 

[jacko1066]

My recipe is very simple to everyone else's, 2 cups flour, 1 cup powdered milk (full fat seems better for some reason) 1 teaspoon of baking powder, pinch of salt and some brown sugar.

I then usually cool it in a frying pan, the best way is to oven cook it but whichever way you do decide to cook it I have always found the slower I do it the better it comes out.

I normally put either some Tesco value dried fruit and some value chopped nuts, and a shed load of cinniman.

Or cheese onion or cheese an bacon works well especially with a nice cuppa soup!

Hope it works out for you mate

Cheers
Steve

 

[rik_uk3]

Fry it in bacon fat

 

[g4ghb]

I regularly make a flat bread on a griddle on the top of our wood burner. My 'mix' is simple and nothing is is measured

self raising flour
good glug of olive oil
salt (pinch or so)
water

mix to a dough consistency, and spread on griddle about 3/4" (20mm) thick. cook till it has risen and the top is not still doughy, turn over and finish off the other side

you can adapt by adding herbs, sugar and cinnamon etc (sometime I add some extra baking powder for that extra puff)

works the same over the open fire too! - plus you can see how it is cooking.

 

[British Red]

Its absolutely needs some fat or oil - butter, olive oil - suet if you are packing dry ingredients. Flour, milk powder, baking soda salt and fat. Add sugar or syrup and dried fruit for sweet, nuts and seeds, herbs, garlic etc. for savoury. Beat in an egg for pancakes.


bannock by British Red, on Flickr

 

[dump of the stig]

see this wouldnt frustrate me as much if I wasn't a qualified chef having done a 6 month work placement at
a 3 Michelin star hotel for 6 months shadowing the head saucier :-/. pastry chefing and baking was never my thing
and using an open fire throws up some real challenges. Ill do you an amazing sauce just no bread to mop it up
with

 

[British Red]

Its just dough mate

If its crunchy outside and raw inside, temperature is too high (as you know ) cook on less heat for longer. Trouble is of course its all "by eye" - only practice sorts that out !