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Greno Woods
Sheffield, England, S35 8RS
United Kingdom

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At Howl we specialise in journeying skills, the Bushcraft we practice and teach is that of the traveler. There is a wonderful simplicity that comes from taking a trip in the outdoors, a pragmatism gleaned from necessity. We draw from this experience in the field to teach a set of skills and knowledge based in expedience and realism, skills that actually get used while outdoors. We provide an insight into the Natural world, opening up a vast array of natural resources and knowledge to help you travel with less reliance on the contents of your rucksack: it’s what you carry in your mind that matters.

 

 We teach these practical skills in a friendly and open way, our hope being to enable you to make your adventures into the Great Outdoors memorable and enjoyable. We'll help you cultivate a positive attitude, a confidence in yourself, and a connection with the natural world through which you travel.

We promote the utmost respect for the environment, the ability to pass unnoticed through the woods brings with it a deeper understanding of the wilderness, and our part in it. It is this philosophy which forms the very core of our work.

We promote the utmost respect for the environment, the ability to pass unnoticed through the woods brings with it a deeper understanding of the wilderness, and our part in it. It is this philosophy which forms the very core of our work.

Bannock: A backwoods staple

Howl Bushcraft Blog

Bannock: A backwoods staple

Jamie Dakota

I thought I’d share with a simple recipe that forms the basis of a staple bread in the wilds, needing only three primary ingredients which can be long stored and transported in such quantities as to sustain you during extended periods away from resupply.

how to cook bannock

 

A Bannock is quite simply an expedient bread cooked flatly on a griddle or skillet. I had intended for this article to demonstrate how you might cook this bread by an open fire, but the British weather being lovely as usual my photography looked very grey and dull. So for now we’ll concentrate on the ingredients and I’ll follow this up with a campfire cooking display on a brighter day! If you’d like to see me cook a similar, more cake-like, bannock we made a video this summer:

Ingredients: Optional: 

  • Plain flour 
  • Milk Powder Ginger
  • Baking Powder Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Raisins
  • Rum!
bannock ingredients

Method:

  • I use a metal army mug to measure the key ingredients: 1 mug of flour, 2/3 a mug of milk powder to which I add 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Vary the optional ingredients to your own personal tastes and of course…experiment! especially with foraged fruits.
  • Set a pan, lightly oiled, to warm by the fire. In a bowl or billy can add the dry ingredients.
  • If you’ve been travelling or the ingredients have been packed tightly, be sure to sieve them through your fingers to aerate them.
  • Slowly add water bit by bit, mixing with a spoon until you have a soft dough a little thicker than a cake dough.
  • Now take your dough into your hands and gently shape it into a ball.
  • It’s important here not to knead the dough, as this will push the air out of it.
  • Remove your pan from the fire and spread the bannock evenly out across the surface of the pan to around 1 ½ inches thick.
  • Place this near the fire at the ‘5-second hand heat’ temperature.
  • Cook until golden brown, check with a clean stick poked into the bannock to ensure it’s cooked through.
bushcraft bannock cast iron

Just as I remove the bannock from the fire I’ll dash a shot of rum over the bread…you’d have to smell it for yourself!

If you’d like to learn how to cook bread and other backwoods staples see our Itinerant Bushcraft Weekend Course.

I hope you found this short article useful, what do you add to your backwoods breads?

All the best

Jamie

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categories food
tags bannock, bread, bushcraft cooking