A long weekend, camp coffee and my bannock recipe

My homemade bannock recipe is a breakfast staple and loved by all. It’s perfect for making ahead of time and bringing along to the campfire.

It’s the Friday before the long weekend and for once, I don’t have any lavish entertaining plans in the works. Instead I’m slotting in some down time for our family, preferably around the backyard fire pit.

Back to school week wiped us all out. The house looks like a tornado swept through it and everyone is a little emotional with all the changes. While it will be good to get into a routine next week, I’m taking the next three days to slow things down.

I want to savour the simple pleasures in life this weekend, like a cup of coffee brewed outdoors and a skillet of tender bannock cooked over an open fire.

As often as I can, I bring my morning cup of coffee outside. I love waking up slowly with the sun on my face. On the very best of days I’m sipping it slowly on the end of a dock or perched on a log next to the campfire. Most days I’m just on my back patio and that is fine, too.

I love to inspire folks to head out into the fresh air and have some fun. Of course, my kind of fun includes cooking something! In this case, my beloved bannock recipe. It’s a camping staple if there ever was one, easy to cook over a fire or on a camp stove, whichever you prefer.

If I have a plate of warm bannock and jam to accompany my morning coffee, all the better. My homemade bannock is a breakfast staple and loved by all.

This just-add-milk mix (or water, in a pinch), is perfect for making ahead of time and bringing along to the campfire in a ziplock bag. I go ahead and mix up the dough right in the bag – why dirty a bowl?

There are still plenty of picnic and camping days left this year; I’m excited to pass along this recipe to make your mornings just a little better.

Do-Ahead Bannock

My camping bannock is a breakfast staple and loved by all. This just-add-milk mix (or water, in a pinch), is perfect for making ahead of time and bringing along to the campsite in a ziplock bag.

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Course: Breakfast & Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Vegetarian

Essential Ingredient: flour

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 527kcal

Ingredients

For the dry mix

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

For Cooking

• 1 cup milk a scant cup
• 1/2 cup canola oil for frying
• salted butter for serving

Instructions

• Dump the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a sturdy resealable bag. Seal well and shake the mix together thoroughly. May be made in advance (see Notes).
  2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Add almost 1 cup of milk to the bag of dry mix (water also works). Seal the bag and squish it around gently just to combine. Do not over mix.
  1 cup milk
• Preheat a cast iron skillet over a campfire. Add about 2 Tablespoons of oil to the pan and heat until it begins to bubble a bit.
  1/2 cup canola oil
• Using clean hands, floured if possible, scoop a golf-ball size of dough from the bag and flatten it slightly. Drop it into the pan and repeat with the bannock dough until the pan is full, but not overcrowded.
• Cook bannock over medium-low heat until dark golden on one side, then flip and finish browning. Don’t cook it over too high of heat or it will darken before the interior is cooked through.
• Serve warm, with butter, jam, and coffee, of course.
  salted butter

Notes

Dry mix may be made up to two weeks in advance or stored in the freezer for up to three months.

Nutrition

Calories: 527kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 321mg | Potassium: 451mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 3mg

To me, coffee tastes even better when brewed out of doors. There’s a bit of an art to it, don’t you think?

This long weekend, I hope you make the effort to get outside into nature. Maybe you’ll simply bring your breakfast out onto the patio and enjoy a slow morning in the sunshine. Or perhaps you’ll go all out and host a harvest dinner for friends featuring seasonal ingredients.

The U-picks orchards should be opening soon for apple picking; that’s always a fun option for a Sunday afternoon. Don’t forget to pack a picnic, or at least a thermos of coffee and a tin of homemade bannock.

Frigid temperatures will be here before we know it; there’s already a chill in the air. September is is the perfect month to linger around a campfire (the bugs are gone!) and make a few memories as a family.