Authentic Native Cree Bannock Bread

Want a real taste of the Canadian North? Try this popular local recipe for authentic Native Cree bannock bread made with either currants or raisins!

First gather the following ingredients:

6 Cups of flour
1 Cup of lard
3 Tablespoons of baking powder
1 Tablespoon of salt
2 Cups of currants or raisins
3 1/2 Cups of water
You’ll also need a medium sized mixing bowl.

In the bowl, mix the flour and lard together by hand. Then add the baking powder, salt and the currants or raisins. Once this is done, add the water and work the ingredients into a dough.

Next, you have two options: the camp fire or the oven. To cook over a camp fire, divide the dough into four lumps and firmly wrap each lump around the end of a four foot stick and prop securely over the fire until golden brown. To cook in an oven, spread the dough out into a 16" square cake pan. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Delicious!

Bannock Recipe

4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons oil

Add enough water to achieve a bread dough consistency

You can replace a portion of the white flour with an equivalent amount of whole grain flour of choice, and include some dried fruit of choice, wheat germ, bran, and nuts of choice. The bannock can also be seasoned with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Mix ingredients well and knead for approximately ten minutes. Grease and heat a fry pan. Form the dough into cakes about 1/2 inch thick and dust lightly with flour. Lay the bannock cakes in the frying pan and hold them over the heat.

Shake the pan at intervals to prevent the bannock from sticking to the pan. Once a bottom crust has formed and the dough has hardened enough to hold together, you can turn the bannock cakes.

Cooking takes 12-15 minutes. Test whether or not the bannock is ready by inserting a clean toothpick or sliver into the loaf. If it comes out clean, the bannock is ready to eat.

If you don't have a fry pan you can make a thicker dough by adding less water. Roll the dough into a long ribbon, no wider than an inch. Wind this around a preheated green hardwood stick and cook over a fire, turning occasionally, until the bannock is cooked.