3 Indian Fry Bread Recipes (Bannock) - The Prepared Page (2024)

FAQs

What are the three ways that bannock can be prepared? ›

There are many versions of bannock and different nations make more than one version. Bannock can be baked in a pan or on a stone (camping), shallow pan-fried, or deep-fried.

Bannock is a fry bread

Bannock is a type of fry bread, which originates from Scotland but was eventually adopted by the Indigenous peoples of Canada, particularly the Métis of western Canada. Bannock stems from the Gaelic word bannach, which means “morsel,” a short and sweet but accurate description.

Bannock is usually unleavened, oval-shaped and flat. The version that we know today came from Scotland. In its most rudimentary form, it is made of flour, water, and fat or lard. Milk, salt, and sugar are often added, depending on the recipe.

Having to adapt to new sources of subsistence, many tribes learned to cook with traditional U.S. Army rations. Using the provided white wheat flour, Native cooks hand-flattened and deep-fried the dough into a distinctive, golden bread. Fry bread has many variants.

There are three mixing methods used for yeast doughs: the straight dough method, the modified straight dough method, and the sponge method.

Three common mixing methods are the muffin mixing method, the creaming method and the biscuit mixing method. The muffin method suits muffins, loaf breads, pancakes, and waffles. Biscuits and scones benefit from the biscuit method, while the creaming method offers an alternative for muffins and certain bread types.

The Bannock and their Shoshone allies often had to fight the warlike Blackfoot for control of buffalo-hunting grounds. The Bannock spent most of the fall and winter on the hunt. During the hunting season they lived in tepees made out of a frame of wooden poles covered with buffalo hides.

Bannock is essentially a giant scone. The texture is pretty much the same. Except before you bake it you assign some grooves to it and then you cut it all up to eat with your spreads of choice. Just like a scone, Bannock is rather versatile.

Classic bannock has a smoky, almost nutty flavour blended with a buttery taste, while dessert bannock can have flavours resembling a donut or shortbread.

This is the part where you don't want to knead the dough too much because if you do… your bannock will become real hard. So make sure that you knead the dough only about 3-4 times, it should not take too long to do.

What is bannock for kids? ›

Bannock is a flour-water combination bread, fried over a fire, that originated with Indigenous Peoples. Bannock is a staple food of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, and variations of this recipe are part of traditional meals all across the country.

Bannock, for those not in the know, is a bread so simple, it can be made while camping. It doesn't require much more than flour and water and can look like a big round loaf, like scones, or like pancakes.

Tips for Making Delicious Native American Fry Bread

Don't over-knead—Be careful not to knead the dough too much because the bread will be hard and tough.

A frybread taco, Indian taco, or Navajo taco, is a frybread topped with various items, normally venison or beef, as well as other toppings commonly found in tacos. It is served both in homes and at gatherings such a pow-wows and potlatches as well as at state fairs and other festivals.

In some places the two are interchangeable terms for the same fried bread, but bannock was originally a staple of European fur traders and was usually baked like a scone though it can be fried.

Quick breads are prepared by the blending-, creaming-, or biscuit-method which determines the final texture and crumb of the finished product. The blending-method, also known as the muffin-method, combines the wet ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in a second bowl before mixing together.

Traditional Bannock and Shoshone cultures emphasized equestrian buffalo hunting and a seminomadic life. The Bannock also engaged in summer migrations westward to the Shoshone Falls, where they gathered salmon, small game, and berries.

The advantages of bannock are obvious. Besides, tasting delicious, it is a quick and simple carbohydrate-rich food. Bannock soon became a staple for First Nations, voyageurs, fur traders and prospectors. Many would just mix the dough right into their flour bag, and toss it onto a pan whenever the need arose.