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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Taste of Scotland: Bannocks

with daughter in Forres, Scotland

My great-great-great-great grandfather, James, came to the States from Ireland, with his Scottish wife Catherine, in the 1770s. After some 240 years, of course, the Scotch-Irish blood in my veins is pretty well diluted by infusions of English, German, and who knows what.  Nevertheless, I feel some pull (probably purely imaginary) of the old sod on occasion.  I have only been able to visit a few times, but I can also connect through food.  I've written before about discovering the yumminess of freshly made shortbread during our visit to Holyroodhouse.  Another tasty treat with Scottish roots is bannock, an easy quick bread.

My recipe varies from a truly traditional Scottish bannock, or oatcake, in that it contains wheat flour in addition to oats.  This recipe is not original to me, but I have had it for many years and have no idea where I got it.  I wish I could claim that it had passed down in my family since my ancestor came over in the eighteenth century, but that simply isn't true.



Bannocks


1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal (quick cooking also works)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk

Combine dry ingredients, cut in butter.  Add buttermilk; mix lightly with fork until dough clings together. 

Turn out on lightly floured board and knead gently several times.  Pat out to make two 6-inch rounds.  Cut each round into 6 or 8 wedges.

Coat griddle or frying pan with vegetable oil or shortening.  Cook over low heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Turn over and cook the other side until golden and the inside no longer appears moist.





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32 comments:

  1. Great recipe & story! Thanks fos sharing! xoxo

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  2. Ooooh yum! I want to make this! It looks awesome!

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  3. There is something terribly romantic about being Scottish, that is until you read the real history as opposed to the fiction! I am a Stewart with more English blood than Scottish probably, but feel the same kind of ties as you. I am so glad to see bannocks. Being a fan of Diana Gabaldon, I've read about them, but never seen or tasted them. Now I can do both! Thanks Lynette!

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  4. I agree with Laurie, something about them Scotts is awfully tragic (therefore, romantic). I'm also a fan of Scottish culture, mroe than English, and these bannocks which I had never heard about look really yummy. I love that Lynette always has a story up her sleeve that she weaves with food to make a lovely post. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  5. That looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. That sure sounds tasty and I must try it out! Hopefully I won't mix up the ingredients like last time :D

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  7. I have no idea about my ancestry. At this point I figure I might as well just pick a country, master making a cool food from there, and declare to everyone who asks that I lost my accent. Might even be Scottish too! lol This recipe looks quite tasty and you take a lovely photograph of it.

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  8. Oooo! Looks delicious! Great pictures!

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  9. The story is interesting, and I had not heard of bannocks. I'd like to make them. Visiting from the Bunny Hop.

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  10. Oh my, my hubby and I visited ireland, but we'd love to visit Scotland someday. I'd love to try bannocks. Thanks for the recipe.

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  11. Looks great....is it similar to a southern biscuit in taste? Probably a little different with the oats in it. I would love to go to Ireland one day. Cute pic of you and your daughter!

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  12. What a neat recipe! Thanks for sharing. I always enjoy learning the history behind recipes, too.

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  13. This is something I'd just love to try!

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  14. Ohh god im starvinnnngggg here!!!
    And thanks for sharing will def try making them :D

    Thanks again!

    ANDWHATELSEISTHERE
    SHOP

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  15. Okay. That looks so good! I'm dying to try it. Especially since I'm at least part Scot!

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  16. This looks like something my husband would love. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  17. Thanks for always having awesome posts. I love heading over here! http://woolmerhofslouisiana.blogspot.com/2012/06/sunshine-award.html

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  18. Hi...I'm bj over from Bunny Jean's. I can't WAIT to try these and my hubby is out cooking steaks...I have buttermilk needing to be used so I think these are gonna be perfect with our steaks.
    I'll let you know how we like them. :)
    xo bj

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  19. Another great blog post. Thanks so much for sharing :)

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  20. Loved reading about your Scottish roots:)The bannocks look delish, would be wonderful to serve for breakfast. Thanks for the recipe and for visiting. I enjoyed your company. Have a lovely evening!~Poppy

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  21. I just made them....delicious!! Thanks for the recipe.

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  22. I thought I was a true Scot but I confess I've never made one of these bannocks in my life! When I started reading your post I was expecting to find Selkirk Bannocks, which is what I'm more familiar with, but they're a big bready loaf with dried fruit in and these are something quite different. They look good though, I'd like to try making them.

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    1. Who knows, Lorna? They might not be very authentic. You would know that much better than I!

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  23. That's an interesting recipe. Love how you arranged them with the berries. It all looks so yummy!

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  24. I love all things Scottish, and I am Scottish and Scotch-Ulster on both sides of my family! :D Thank-you so, so much for posting this recipe. My great-grandmother used to cook bannocks, and this post is bringing tears to my eyes, I tell ya! I will cook these.

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  25. I never knew that "Bannock" Was Scottish - I always thought that it was a North American Indian thing. Looks wonderful!!

    Angie

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