Bannock, Canadian skillet bread
A simple unleavened bread cooked in a cast iron skillet. Made across Canada for centuries — crisp outside, tender within, perfect with butter and jam.
Method
01
Make the dough.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add cold water gradually, mixing with a fork, until a shaggy dough just comes together. Do not overwork.
02
Shape.
Turn out onto a floured surface. Pat — do not roll — into a round disk about 2cm thick.
03
Cook in skillet.
Heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Place the bannock directly in the dry pan. Cook 12 minutes per side until a deep golden crust forms and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
Note. Resist pressing down or moving it — the crust needs undisturbed contact with the pan.
04
Serve.
Break or slice. Eat warm with butter and jam, or alongside eggs and bacon.
A note. Bannock has been made across Canada and by Indigenous peoples for centuries — cooked over a fire, on a griddle, or in an oven. This skillet version is the fastest and produces the crustiest result.
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