Subscribe to RSS FeedBannock. Fast food Back Country style
Fast Food - Back Country Style!
Out on the trail, good wholesome food, easily prepared, is what every rider needs.
Contributed by Jack Breaks
Bannock has been a trail staple for at least 200 years. It is a mixture of flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder used by trappers, prospectors, and bush travelers since Europeans first brought wheat to North America. Bannock can be carried on the trail as a dry mix, adding water just before cooking. Because of this, it keeps for weeks without refrigeration. Empty 4 liter milk jugs or 2 liter plastic beverage containers work well for transporting bannock on a pack animal. They are waterproof and durable. Once I was on a pack trip when a size three horseshoe squashed one of these containers flat, but there was no damage to either the container or it’s contents.
A variety of preparation methods can be used, making this one food very versatile. Besides the regular method of pan-frying, bannock can be made into dumplings for stew, used as pancake batter, or batter for deep frying. Raisins or dried fruit can be added, even chocolate chips if you have them. Here is my favourite recipe for 4 liters of the basic mix:
- 16 cups white flour
- 1 cup baking powder
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 1 cup sugar
Or for smaller groups try
- 4 cups white flour
- 1/4 cup baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
Pour some of the mix into a container and mix with water until dough is formed. Spoon biscuit sized balls of dough into a hot fry pan with a little oil or bacon grease in the bottom. Flatten the balls slightly and cook until golden brown on one side and then turn. Cooking in a fry pan with bacon and onions also tastes great! The mix can be varied by using about 50% whole wheat flour instead of all white flour.
Jack Breaks is one of our founding members, an educator of back country horsemanship skills, one of the co-authors of the CHA Trail Guide Manual that we use as a companion book to our 4-level Rider Education program and the creator and developer of the BCHBC Website.