I love Bannock. And not just because it’s a Canadian Classic by way of Scotland. This variant leverages the boundless potential of the ‘plain’ original. Jalapeño Cheddar goes with just about anything savoury you might have in mind. And it’s a great dipper!
There’s no bread that’s easier to make than Bannock. You can make the most basic version with just three ingredients. And bake it on a hot rock from the campfire ring…
Tremendous potential
But for me, it’s the tremendous – are I suggest, ‘boundless? – potential of this universal crusty-chewy ‘pancake’…
Curiously, for all its potential, I’ve never ventured too far over toward savoury territory- until now. The Jalapeño variant we’re looking at today has the perfect crumb texture, crispy crust and infinitely-adjustable spicy flavour profile to suit any requirement. And every palate on your family-and-friends dinner list.
And the recipe we’re hooking you up with has all kinds of Bannock background as well as some invaluable tips for prepping and ‘baking’ it.
What you need
This ‘deluxe’ Bannock recipe calls for a few more ingredients than the original version on which the Scottish-émigré fur traders of the Hudson’s Bay Company relied in their bush travels 300 years ago. But the extra stuff is definitely worth it!
Foremost along the added goodies sis a good-sized handful of grated flavourful, medium-aged Cheddar cheese – yellow, white or marble; it doesn’t matter. Then there’s the Japapeños. Fresh, sautéed just until they start to give off their trademark aroma. Add flour, salt, oil and water, and you’re ready to go.
Phab photos…
The generous complement of photos that comes with this recipe post are going to be important to you the First two or three times through making this Bannock. Words can only go so far to describe the texture, colour or other qualitative characteristics of any recipe – particularly a dough.
I also recommend you pay special attention to the sections in the text dealing with how to ‘bake’ the buns. It’s more a steaming process. And there will be carry-on cooking to finish the interior of the ‘loaf’…
My take…
These bannocks can star in any number of roles, from burger buns to French Dip ‘handles’ to the ideal Chili-spoon filler. Perfect alongside anything Tex-Mex!
As always… Bannock is sensitive to salt. You need enough to fully develop its flavour. But it’s easy to overdo it. If you can taste ‘salt’ in the finished product, you went too far. This aspect of the prep might take you a couple of tries to get just right…
Maggie J.