Tag Archives: Native Canadian

How to Cook Outdoors: Cree Bannock

How to Cook Outdoors: Indian Bannock

Bannock, as many of you will already know, is a traditional Scottish bread that has become a perennial favourite of the outdoorsman. Its popularity has much to do with its relative simplicity when it comes to the ingredients required and the method of preparation. When cooked correctly, the end result is a filling, warming bread that is packed with energy to sustain you on the trail.

There are numerous ways of cooking bannock, with each region commonly having its own take on the standard method. In Australia (where it is referred to as ‘damper’) it is sometimes cooked straight on the embers of the fire; in the far North it is more often cooked in a frying pan. In Northern America, the dish was quickly adopted by indigenous peoples after it was introduced by fur traders. In order to free up cooking equipment for other jobs, the Cree and other First Nations utilised a less common technique of cooking their bannock skewered on a stick, and this is the method we have followed here.

The dish shown in this article served three people.

Ingredients:

  • 4 x handfuls of flour
  • 2 x handfuls of milk powder
  • 4 x teaspoons of baking powder
  • Sugar (to taste)
  • Water
  • 1 x handful of mixed fruit
  • Butter

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