Bannock Bread (Traditional Scottish Bread)

In Scotland, before the 19th century, bannocks were cooked on a bannock stane (Scots for stone), a large, flat, rounded piece of sandstone, placed directly onto a fire, used as a cooking surface. Most modern bannocks are cooked in a pan or skillet and made with baking powder as a leavening agent, giving them a light and airy texture. Bannocks were known as flat cakes or bread baked from grains, although if you visit the town of Selkirk in the Scottish Borders their Bannocks are more like fruit loaves.

This is a very quick bread and great with any traditional soup recipe, especially a good Cullen Skink, which you can find my recipe here – https://cookingwithluce.wordpress.com/2020/11/09/cullen-skink/

Makes 1 small (6 piece) cake

120g of Scottish Oats – I blitz Scottish Porridge Oats into a fine flour.

80g Plain Flour

2 tsps Baking Powder

Pinch Salt

150ml Buttermilk

  1. In a bowl or mixer combine the flour, oats, salt and baking powder
  2. Slowly mix in the Buttermilk, little at a time until the flour has combined, lay on a floured surface and shape the dough to about 1″ thick and about the same circular diameter as your pan. Indent the dough about 0.5 – 1cm in, as if you were cutting a pizza shape.
  3. Heat a little oil in a pan or skillet on medium heat (you don’t want it too hot or it won’t cook through properly), place dough into pan and cook gently for about 15 minutes on 1 side then flip over and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
  4. Remove and place on a bread board, allow to cool for a few minutes then serve.

I usually have this bread with Soup but you could also spread a little butter or Jam and would be just as nice.

Bannock Bread