Post by Moon Seeker on Mar 2, 2009 14:25:41 GMT -5
Ever since I first started traveling with the Inuit in the Arctic more than 25 years ago, bannock or frybread has been part of my daily wilderness diet. So my artist- in-residence winter tenure in upper Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park would not have been complete without it.
I always carried half a round of bannock in my daypack, to go with another staple — slices of Spam [Go ahead, make a joke. I’ll eat your Spam too, and see how famished and energy-weak you are by trek’s end. Spam is great as a main supper course too, fried or baked with trimmings. Eat it.]
My bannock was a big hit too with the kids at Ontonagon High School, 17 miles east of my winter hideaway, where I was asked to present a photographic lecture.
The hardy and friendly souls who showed up at a Saturday evening lantern ski/snowshoe/ bonfire event down by Lake Superior likewise enjoyed passing
the frybread. Call it a wilderness communion.
I used the recipe from the National Outdoor Leadership School [NOLS]. I liked the “yeasty” flavor, but equal amounts of baking powder or baking soda instead of dry yeast work fine as well:
2 tsp. dry yeast [or baking powder or baking soda]
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
¾ C. warm water
2 C. flour [choice of brand, bleached/unbleached, affects
flavor]
Cooking oil [brands incorporating Omega 3 are healthier]
Mix all ingredients except flour and oil and let stand fi ve minutes.
Add flour and knead until smooth. [Add sprinkles of warm water to the dough if it is too dry when working.] Flatten into a tortilla a half-inch thick. Fry each side till golden brown in oil on medium heat and center is done.
A cast-iron skillet is best, but any skillet or a fire-heated flat rock on the trail will do.
For Indian frybread, skip the rising time and fry immediately after kneading. Optional: Add raisins or other dried fruit for flavor and sweetness, and cinnamon for extra zest. In extreme conditions, use lard instead of oil for the extra fat energy.
— Steve Pollick
toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090302/COLUMNIST22/903020320/-1/SPORTS03
I always carried half a round of bannock in my daypack, to go with another staple — slices of Spam [Go ahead, make a joke. I’ll eat your Spam too, and see how famished and energy-weak you are by trek’s end. Spam is great as a main supper course too, fried or baked with trimmings. Eat it.]
My bannock was a big hit too with the kids at Ontonagon High School, 17 miles east of my winter hideaway, where I was asked to present a photographic lecture.
The hardy and friendly souls who showed up at a Saturday evening lantern ski/snowshoe/ bonfire event down by Lake Superior likewise enjoyed passing
the frybread. Call it a wilderness communion.
I used the recipe from the National Outdoor Leadership School [NOLS]. I liked the “yeasty” flavor, but equal amounts of baking powder or baking soda instead of dry yeast work fine as well:
2 tsp. dry yeast [or baking powder or baking soda]
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
¾ C. warm water
2 C. flour [choice of brand, bleached/unbleached, affects
flavor]
Cooking oil [brands incorporating Omega 3 are healthier]
Mix all ingredients except flour and oil and let stand fi ve minutes.
Add flour and knead until smooth. [Add sprinkles of warm water to the dough if it is too dry when working.] Flatten into a tortilla a half-inch thick. Fry each side till golden brown in oil on medium heat and center is done.
A cast-iron skillet is best, but any skillet or a fire-heated flat rock on the trail will do.
For Indian frybread, skip the rising time and fry immediately after kneading. Optional: Add raisins or other dried fruit for flavor and sweetness, and cinnamon for extra zest. In extreme conditions, use lard instead of oil for the extra fat energy.
— Steve Pollick
toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090302/COLUMNIST22/903020320/-1/SPORTS03