Bannock/Biscuits

This one is from my grandmother. Nova Scotia, and particularly Cape Breton, is known for Scottish heritage. My grandmother spoke Gaelic and made bannock. Not the same bannock made by some Indigenous peoples (which is often fried), this is essentially a big cake-like version of a scone, baked in a pan.

The bannock recipe, with some sugar added, is the basis for Grandma’s strawberry shortcake too – and it’s way better than any other base I’ve tried.

This is the same recipe to make biscuits (or tea biscuits), which is what Nova Scotians call scones.

Ingredients

4 cups flour
10 tsp baking powder
1 teas salt
3/4 cup shortening or lard
2 cups milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening or lard.  Add milk.  

For bannock: 
Spread dough into a greased 9x13" pan
Bake for 20 minutes, or until tester comes out clean

For biscuits:
Fold the dough over a few times to create layers
Roll out with flour
Cut into biscuits
Bake for 10-12 minutes

Variations

Before adding the milk, add one or more of:

Grated firm/hard cheese (cheddar, parmesan, gruyere)
Crumbled bacon
Ham, cut in small pieces
Cut green onion
Fresh herbs (chives, parsley, basil)
Cinnamon and sugar
Lemon zest and sugar

I use this recipe all the time – a quick batch of warm biscuits with some soup is a great rainy day meal.

Cut bannock into squares and use similarly, with some jam or cheese.

With cinnamon and sugar, it makes a nice sweetish pastry. With ham, cheese, and chives, it’s a hearty lunch addition. Great for using that last bit of ham, bacon, or other lunch meats.

(Photos to come! This is such a regular recipe for me, that I forget to take pictures!)

The verdict

Yep, this is a solid recipe. Grandma knew what she was about.