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Canadian

Bannock

Non-vegetarian

A quick, unyeasted bread of flour, baking powder, fat and water, pan-fried or baked until golden. A staple across First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in Canada, eaten warm with butter, jam or stew.

Bannock is a Canadian bread from Canada, ready in about 30 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and baking powder. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Serves
6
Level
Beginner
Calories
311

Ingredients

6 wedges

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the flour, raising agent, salt and sugar (opens in a new tab). Rub in the lard (opens in a new tab) until crumbly.

    • 4 min

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the water to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead a few times only, then pat into a round about 2 cm thick.

    • 3 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook the bannock, covered, until golden underneath, about 10 minutes, then flip and cook the other side until it sounds hollow when tapped. (Or bake it on a greased tray at 200 °C for 20–25 minutes.)

  4. Step 4

    Cut into wedges and serve warm with butter (opens in a new tab) and jam (opens in a new tab).

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Canada · Commonly attributedThe name comes from a Scottish oat bread brought by fur traders; the wheat-flour version became a staple of Indigenous cooking across Canada, which also had earlier breads of its own.More food from Canada
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Snack · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Oven-baked
Taste
mild, savoury, buttery
Diet
No nut ingredients
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Beef-free
Without the optional extras: Dairy-free, No added sugarWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Pork-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Portable / lunchbox · Child-friendly
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Baking powder · Lard
Techniques
Baking · Pan-frying · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

311 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 104 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 50%
  • Fat 43%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy311 kcal299 kcal
Protein5.2 g5 g
Carbohydrate38.8 g37.3 g
Net carbohydrate37.4 g36 g
Sugars0.1 g0.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.4 g1.3 g
Fat14.8 g14.2 g
Saturated fat3.5 g3.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol7 mg7 mg
Sodium528 mg508 mg
Salt equivalent1.3 g1.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
54 mg
Calcium
142 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
12 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
146 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: sugar, butter, jam.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Common mistakes

  • Kneading too much, which makes bannock dense.

Serve with

  • Serve with stew, soup or chili, or split and filled with bacon and eggs.

Storage

  • Best the day it is made; keeps 2 days wrapped.

Variations

  • Fried bannock: Small pieces deep-fried until puffed, often dusted with sugar or served as 'Indian tacos'.
  • Campfire bannock: Dough wrapped around a stick and cooked over a fire.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 10 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Bake · about 20 min

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  3. Start to finish: about 30 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
All-purpose flourFlour300 g100%
LardFat45 g15%
Baking powderRaising agent13 g4.4%
SaltSalt5 g1.5%
Total flour
300 g
Hydration
—
With milk, eggs…
0%
Wholegrain
0%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

  • Salt 1.5% — normal for bread.
  • Fat 15% — a rich, tender dough.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

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