One of Scotland's Oldest Breads

Bannocks have been baked in Scotland since at least the 8th century. The name itself traces back through Old Celtic English to the Latin word for bread, which tells you just how deep the roots go. Long before ovens were commonplace, these flat rounds of oatmeal dough were cooked directly on a flat stone set in front of the fire. That stone was called the bannock stane, and in many Highland homes it was as essential a piece of kit as the pot hanging over the flames.

The original bannocks would have been made with bere, a form of barley that was widely grown across Scotland before oats took over as the staple grain. Robert Burns namechecked them in 1794 in his song "Bannocks O' Bear Meal," tying them to Jacobite loyalty and Highland identity. For a simple flatbread made of little more than grain and water, they carried a fair bit of meaning.

It's worth keeping the Selkirk Bannock out of your mind when you're making this recipe. That's a completely different thing: a rich, fruited yeast bread from the Borders. What we're making here is the older, plainer original. Think of it more like a griddle scone crossed with soda bread.

Getting Your Bannocks Right

The key to a good bannock is not overworking the dough. Once your buttermilk hits the dry mix and the baking soda starts doing its job, you'll see the dough begin to aerate slightly. Handle it too much and you knock that out, leaving you with something dense and a bit sad. Bring it together, turn it out, shape it gently, and get it onto the heat.

A cast-iron skillet or griddle is the ideal cooking surface. If you don't have one, a heavy-bottomed frying pan works fine. The heat should be medium, not high. Too hot and the outside scorches before the middle cooks through. You're looking for a deep golden-brown base, and the top will start to look dry and set around the edges when it's ready to flip. Give it one turn only, cook the second side until lightly coloured, then tap the underside. A hollow sound means it's done.

No buttermilk in the fridge? Stir a tablespoon of lemon juice into 250ml of full-fat milk and leave it for 20 to 30 minutes. It will thicken and curdle slightly, which is exactly what you want. That slight sourness is part of the flavour.

How to Serve Them

Freshly cooked bannocks are best eaten warm, split and spread with plenty of butter. They go alongside soup better than almost any other bread, particularly something like Cullen Skink or a good cock-a-leekie. At breakfast they're brilliant with eggs and bacon, or just with jam if you're keeping it simple.

Once you're comfortable with the basic recipe, there's plenty of room to experiment. A handful of grated mature cheddar worked into the dough before cooking is excellent. Crispy bacon bits, a pinch of dried chilli, or some fresh thyme all work well. The recipe is old enough that it has absorbed every variation you can throw at it.

Ingredients

• 330g fine oatmeal (ground oats, not rolled oats)
• 265g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
• 375ml buttermilk (or full-fat milk soured with 1 tbsp lemon juice, rested for 30 minutes)
• A little vegetable oil or lard, for greasing the pan

Method

1. If you're making your own buttermilk, do this first. Stir one tablespoon of lemon juice into 250ml of full-fat milk, then top up to 375ml with a splash more milk. Give it a stir, cover it, and leave it somewhere warm for 30 minutes. It will thicken and look slightly curdled. That's fine.
2. Combine the oatmeal, plain flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir them together well so the salt is evenly distributed throughout the dry mix.
   
3. Measure out your buttermilk into a jug and add the bicarbonate of soda. Stir it briefly. It will bubble and froth up a little. That reaction is your raising agent activating, so move fairly quickly from here.
   
4. Pour roughly three-quarters of the buttermilk into the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon or your hand to bring the dough together. Add more buttermilk gradually until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. You may not need every last drop. If the dough gets too wet, work in a little extra flour, a tablespoon at a time.
   
5. Dust a clean work surface with flour and turn the dough out. Divide it into two equal pieces. Working quickly and with a light touch, shape each piece into a round roughly 2.5cm thick and sized to fit your pan. Score the top of each round into four quarters with a knife, cutting about halfway through. Do not knead the dough. The less you handle it, the better.
   
6. Place a cast-iron skillet or heavy frying pan over a medium-low heat and grease it lightly with oil or lard. Let it heat up for a couple of minutes. The pan should be hot but not smoking.
   
7. Carefully lay one bannock round into the pan. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes on the first side. The base should develop a deep golden-brown colour and the top should look dry and set around the edges. If the base is colouring too quickly, turn the heat down.
8. Flip the bannock carefully using a wide spatula. Cook the second side for a further 8 to 10 minutes until golden. To check it's cooked through, tap the base with your knuckles. It should sound hollow. If the centre feels soft and doughy when you press it gently, give it a couple more minutes.
   
9. Transfer the cooked bannock to a wire rack and cook the second round in the same way. Serve warm, split in half and spread with butter. Bannocks are best eaten on the day they're made, though they can be refreshed under a grill the next day if needed.