Skillet Bannock
Fried flatbread from cornmeal, oats, and flour. Hot bread at camp without yeast.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 4.7 oz
- cal / oz
- 111
- protein
- 16 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 11 min
- water
- 160 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| All-purpose flour | 2/3 cup | can substitute half with whole wheat |
|---|---|---|
| Cornmeal | 2/3 cup | |
| Quick oats | 2/3 cup | not steel cut |
| Powdered milk | 2 tbsp | |
| Sugar | 2 tbsp | |
| Baking powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| Cold water | 2/3 cup | |
| Oil for cooking | 2 tbsp | carried separately |
Method
- At home, combine flour, cornmeal, oats, powdered milk, sugar, and baking powder in a quart freezer bag. Seal and shake to mix thoroughly.
- At camp, pour half the water into the bag and start kneading from the outside, working the bag with your hands.
- Add water in small amounts until the dough is stiff—you want bread dough, not pancake batter.
- Heat oil in your skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
- Flour your hands lightly with extra flour if you have it, or use a little dry mix from the top of the bag.
- Pull off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball, flatten it with your palms into a thin disk roughly 1/8 inch thick.
- Fry in the hot oil until golden brown on the first side, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Flip and fry the other side until golden, another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
Bannock works because cornmeal and oats do what flour can’t do alone: they add structure and weight without requiring yeast or long rising. Powdered milk helps bind the dough, and frying in oil is faster than baking while producing an exterior that actually crisps instead of steaming.
All the work happens at home. The dry mix keeps for months in a sealed bag and weighs almost nothing per serving. At camp, you add cold water, knead through the bag, and fry. No bowls, no precision, no time. Slightly thick dough yields a flatbread that holds together; too-thin dough becomes more pancake-like, which is still edible but different.
Packing
Mix dry ingredients into a quart freezer bag at home. Carry oil in a small squeeze bottle or dropper. A cast iron skillet is traditional, but any skillet works. If you don't have extra flour for your hands, set aside a small handful of the dry mix.
Variations
- Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to the dry mix for a sweeter flatbread.
- Stir 1/4 cup of dried fruit—cranberry or apple—into the dry mix.
- Serve warm with jam, honey, or peanut butter.
- Make it savory by omitting sugar and adding salt, herbs, and a tablespoon of dried onion to the dry mix.
https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/corn-meal-bannock.116477