This recipe is thanks to my very lovely Scottish friend Lisa-Marie. She had been tweeting about Bannock and being curious I asked her to tell me more. Before that tweet I had never heard of such a thing but being such a brilliant friend I had an email with an explanation and recipe in my inbox within 10 minutes.
Now that’s commitment to the Scottish baked products.
Bannock is essentially a giant scone. The texture is pretty much the same. Except before you bake it you assign some grooves to it and then you cut it all up to eat with your spreads of choice.
Just like a scone, Bannock is rather versatile. You can serve it up with butter, jam and cream like they do down in Devon and Cornwall.
Or you can got savoury and add cubes of cheddar and apple to the mixture before baking.
The great thing about Bannock is it is soooooooooo simple to make and bakes super quick. If you need a baking quickie this weekend then make this.
Bannock (serves 8)
- 250g Self-Raising Flour
- 90g Butter, cubed
- 1tsp Salt
- 1½ tbsp Caster Sugar
- 200ml Milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- Preheat the oven to 180C (fan) and prepare a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Rub together the flour and butter in a large bowl until you geta breadcrumb-like consistency.
- Addthe salt and sugar to the mixture and stir.
- Slowly add the milk to the mixture as you continue stirring. Combine well until you get a sticky dough.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and with floured hands carefully shape into a flat-ish dome shape.
- Take a knife and score into 8 wedges going at least halfway into the dough.
- Place the dough onto the baking sheet and give it a light brush with the beaten egg.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven. Remove when it is a deep golden colour.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Optional extras: You could add a sprinkle of cheese and dried herbs to make this a savoury bannock. Or stir in some currants, raisins or dried fruit.
Enjoy!
