Christopher Wright/ October 4, 2023/ Recipes, Transitions/ 0 comments

When you live in a bus, RV, or other mobile option sacrifices have to be made. One sacrifice our family made was when it comes to baking.

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I’ve used our little oven on the bus maybe three times, and I’ve been disappointed every time. For one, it’s so much smaller! A typical at-home oven is about 5 cubic feet, while a typical RV oven is almost half at 2.8. Because of this, all your old cookie sheets and baking pans will no longer work. For two, temperature control is a whole lot of guess and checking, more so since the numbers on our oven dial wore off when the stove was wiped down with a bit of soap and water! For three, the heat it does make is wet heat. Burning propane produces 4 cubic feet of water vapor for every cubic foot of gas. In the small cavity of the RV oven, this can wreak havoc on baked goods. And four, it uses a lot of propane. Even if you’re not boondocking but on hookups, propane is a limiting factor and can be expensive.

Introducing the Humble Bannock

I touched on the humble and versatile bannock a while ago, but it deserves so much more attention. Originally from Scotland, the bannock is a simple biscuit-like bread that’s baked on a skillet. There are even stories of Scots baking their bannocks on a large flat stone cast into the campfire!

Today, I’m going to share our favorite bannock recipe, followed by three of our favorite variations.

Basic Bannock

Process:

1. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet.
2. Mix the batter-like dough well with a wooden spoon or dough whisk.
3. On a well-heated, (about 400* F), griddle, pancake griddle, black stone, or rock, lightly oiled if not non-stick, scoop out and deposit about 1/4-cup-worth of the dough onto the cooking surface. Space bannocks about a quarter-inch apart.
4. Cover the cooking bannocks with a sheet of foil for about 5 minutes.
5. Carefully flip each bannock and re-cover them for another 5 minutes. If they still have some “bounce” to them and don’t seem done in the middle, you can repeat this process a few times.

Results:

This will leave you with an inexpensive side bread to have with soups, stews, or to round out a meal. The bannock is a little dry, but otherwise delightful.

Biscuit Bannock

Process:

1. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet.
2. Mix the batter-like dough well with a wooden spoon or dough whisk.
3. On a well-heated, (about 400* F), griddle, pancake griddle, black stone, or rock, lightly oiled if not non-stick, scoop out and deposit about 1/4-cup-worth of the dough onto the cooking surface. Space bannocks about a quarter-inch apart.
4. Cover the cooking bannocks with a sheet of foil for about 5 minutes.
5. Carefully flip each bannock and re-cover them for another 5 minutes. If they still have some “bounce” to them and don’t seem done in the middle, you can repeat this process a few times.

Results:

These bannocks will be much more moist than the basic and have a richer flavor. They pair perfectly with country sausage gravy or split and spread with butter and jam for a “fair scone” like experience.

Bannock Cookies

Process:

1. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet. (Don’t include the chocolate chips yet.)
2. Mix the batter-like dough well with a wooden spoon or dough whisk.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. On a well-heated, (about 400* F), griddle, pancake griddle, black stone, or rock, lightly oiled if not non-stick, scoop out and deposit about 1/4-cup-worth of the dough onto the cooking surface. Space bannocks about a quarter-inch apart.
5. Cover the cooking bannocks with a sheet of foil for about 5 minutes.
6. Carefully flip each bannock and re-cover them for another 5 minutes. If they still have some “bounce” to them and don’t seem done in the middle, you can repeat this process a few times.

Results:

The brown sugar and vanilla make the bannock almost cake-like, and delicately sweet around the chocolate. It’s a perfect little dessert to enjoy with some hot coffee.

Pizza Bannock

Process:

1. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet.
2. Mix the batter-like dough well with a wooden spoon or dough whisk.
3. In another bowl, mix the filling ingredients until well combined. You want to make sure the pepperoni is well distributed.
4. Scoop out a generous ¼ cup of the dough, and in a well-floured hand, work it into a disk as large as you can manage, then scoop ¼ cup of filling onto the disk.
5. Work the dough around the filling to make a little dumpling.
6. On a well-heated, (about 400* F), griddle, pancake griddle, black stone, or rock, lightly oiled if not non-stick, deposit the pizza bannock onto the cooking surface. Space bannocks about a quarter-inch apart.
7. Cover the cooking bannocks with a sheet of foil for about 5 minutes.
8. Carefully flip each bannock and re-cover them for another 5 minutes.
9. These will cook faster as the bread part is much thinner. Don’t worry if they leak a little, as the oils in the filling will help the edges crisp up.

Results:

As Mom put it, it’s like homemade pizza pockets! and everyone knows homemade beats store-bought every time.

Parting thoughts

A simple framework, with so many options. Modifying this recipe is as easy as throwing in a handful of cheese or your favorite herbs to pair these bannocks with the dish you’re making. Happy eating!