Traditional bannock is a centuries old recipe that can be made over the campfire. It's also easy to make bannock in the oven, making this a versatile recipe to have in your arsenal.
Who can say no to a quick biscuit bread that is easy to make, tastes delicious with a variety of toppings, and makes good use of leftovers?
Bannock is a simple bread, traditionally made in aboriginal cultures. The potato variation is a Canadian heritage recipe, of which there seem to be two main recipes – a richer version incorporating a full cup of potatoes, butter, and milk, and the recipe you will find below, which incorporates a smaller amount of butter, and uses water as the liquid.
This bannock recipe was a staple in my house growing up, usually served as Sunday morning breakfast following a Saturday night meal with mashed potatoes. When sweet potatoes became popular, my mother quickly devised a sweet potato variation. Both are delicious spread with butter or fruit preserves. I have also toasted it with garlic butter and served it alongside stew or topped it with berries and cream as a riff on shortcake.
If you aren’t a fan of white flour, it can be made with other varieties, including a gluten-free blend. Although the texture isn’t as light and fluffy, it’s still good-tasting bread.
Any type of sugar can be used, as well as honey or maple syrup, but brown sugar or maple syrup are especially nice in the sweet potato variation.
Potato Bannock Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsp sugar (or 3 Tbsp honey or maple syrup)
- 2 Tbsp butter, softened
- ¾ cup mashed potatoes, cooled
- 1 cup cold water
Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter and potatoes. Stir in cold water with a fork and knead in the bowl until the dough comes together. If dough is too wet, add a little more flour. If too dry, add a little more water.
Spread about 1.5 inches thick on a flour-dusted baking sheet, stone, or in a cast iron skillet.
Bake at 450 degrees for 17 – 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Serve warm with butter or fruit preserves.
The bannock keeps well at room temperature in a sealed container for several days.
Sweet potato bannock variation:
Add 1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Substitute mashed sweet potato for the potato.
Campfire Bannock Recipe
To cook bannock over a campfire you can use a cast iron Dutch Oven. For this size recipe a 10″ or 12″ inch Dutch oven would work best and you'd use about 20 coals on the lid and 10 coals on the bottom, adjusting for outside temperature and weather.
To prepare bannock over the campfire, place it in a cast iron skillet and bake over a set of good hot coals, flip the bread over when the bottom is beginning to brown to bake the other side.
Potato Bannock Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsp sugar or 3 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp butter softened
- ¾ cup mashed potatoes cooled
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter and potatoes. Stir in cold water with a fork and knead in the bowl until the dough comes together. If dough is too wet, add a little more flour. If too dry, add a little more water.
- Spread about 1.5 inches thick on a flour-dusted baking sheet or stone.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 17 – 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Serve warm with butter or fruit preserves.
- The bannock keeps well at room temperature in a sealed container for several days.
Sweet potato variation:
- Add 1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Substitute mashed sweet potato for the potato.
Want more historical recipes like this traditional bannock recipe with potatoes? Grab our favorite 4 money saving recipes from the 1920's!
I have never heard of this which surprises me. My mother’s family was a very potato based Irish family.
I can’t wait to try this. Any meal that combines bread and potatoes is my husband’s kind of meal.
Thanks for giving me a new way to use up the leftovers.
Bannock is a Scottish word and a Scottish place and a Scottish food. It can be very plain for travel or fancied up for company at home.
It came to Canada with the fur trade. Once the aboriginal people traded for flour, they adopted the food of the traders. That is not to say that they did not have some form of food made from another source such as ground cattails. So it has become a traditional Aboriginal food since the fur trade, but it is not an original Aboriginal food. Thanks for the recipes.
Thanks for the history, Linda. I loved learning it has Celtic origin as I have Irish from my grandfather’s side of the family. I find the history behind these old foods just fascinating.
All aboriginal peoples have their own version of the bread (which went by other names but now we seem to refer to them all as bannock), but yes, the wheat-flour version came to Canada with the Scots. The potato variation seems to have originated on the East Coast (where I live), and could very well have been created by Scottish settlers (but I can’t find a direct history of this.) Thanks for sharing the history with us!
Andrea, I love the potato version! When I look at historic recipes many of them use potato water or potatoes in their baked goods, even in pies. It lends something special. Thanks so much for sharing this special family recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Potatoes are abundant where I currently live, and are featured in many recipes. I think the best recipes are meant for sharing. 🙂