How to Make Scottish Bannocks from Outlander

Longtime readers know that I'm a huge fan of Outlander, both the TV series on STARZ and the book series by Diana Gabaldon. Set in Scotland and America in the 18th and 20th centuries, the cuisine of the locales and time periods has provided me with many opportunities to discover new recipes to try. I even write a column for Outlander Cast (a fan website) called How They Made It that explores the food and drink of Outlander.

Scottish bannocks are one such item that's new to me. Before discovering the Outlander series on STARZ, I had never heard of them, but they're mentioned many times in the Outlander books. I went down a rabbit hole to find out more about them.

Bannocks, a History

(What are bannocks?)

Bannocks are a type of unleavened oat-based flatbread, cooked on a griddle (girdle, in Scotland) or baked in the oven. They are said to have originated in Scotland, but the First Nations in Canada also lay claim to them, the main difference being the type of grain flour used (wheat or corn).

Even Native Americans have their version of unleavened bread, Indian Fry bread, that's deep fried rather than baked. It's interesting to me how many cultures have the same type of bread, just different based on local grains.

I grew up eating pita and tortillas; later I discovered naan, roti, lavash and the like; and my girls baked Indian Fry bread at school. These are all examples of regional native flat breads that developed separately but with a common purpose.

What you need

The ingredients for a bannock recipe aren't fancy, as one would expect: flour, baking powder, salt, butter, and water.

(But wait, what about the oats?)

As these are Scottish oatcakes, you'd expect...well...oatmeal. However, there is a difference in the definition of oatmeal based on which side of the Pond you're on. For our purposes, I'm using rolled outs.

You can use your unfed sourdough starter to make sourdough bannocks. Just replace some of the flour and water with the starter (more on that later).

Finding the best bannock recipe

I've seen many different bannocks recipes (both more vintage and more modern), including several from Theresa Carle-Sanders' Outlander Kitchen website and cookbook. Some use oat flour, others use steel cut oats (aka pinhead oats in the UK).

The recipe that I settled on is from a lady in Scotland who shared it on an Outlander Facebook group. It's great how our group supports one another. Also, I love how Europeans use weight measurements instead of pesky volume measurements. There's no need to convert anything (well, except for temperatures because I'm still an American and we use Fahrenheit instead of Celsius in our ovens).

How to make bannocks

Step 1: Make the dough

Mix the oatmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl (photo 1).

Step 2: Shape the bannocks

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out to desired thickness, between ⅛ to ¼-inches (photo 4). Thicker bannocks will be chewier, while thinner bannocks will be crispier.

Step 3: Bake the bannocks

For this easy bannock recipe, the oatcakes are baked in the oven. See the FAQs for instructions for cooking them on a griddle.

Place the cut dough pieces on a half sheet baking pan that's lined with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake at 350˚F for 20 to 23 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time (photo 8).

Questions asked and answered

Here are some questions you might have...

Pro Tip: What is Oatmeal?

Updated in Jan 2019: Speaking of Outlander and how to make bannocks, I wrote a blog post for OutlanderCast about using an 18th century vs. modern bannock recipe. Suffice to say I learned a thing...or two...or three, especially about the language barriers between the US & UK. It's worth a quick read (and a laugh). Where a recipe is written matters...a lot.

Spoiler Alert: Oats in the US and UK are not the same thing. Oatmeal in the UK is what we call oat flour in the US. Along the same lines, rolled oats in the US are porridge oats, and steel cut oats are pinhead oats over the Pond.

The upshot is that using rolled oats (like I do in this recipe) gives the bannock a chewier texture. Use oat flour for the rolled oats for a crisper bannock, or make your own oat flour by pulsing them in the food processor to a fine powder beforehand.

Sweet or savory, bannocks are great

Both traditional bannocks and sourdough bannocks are wonderful. They have a softer texture than a cracker, but aren't bendy. I like the dry earthy oat flavor that's contrasted by the melted butter. The sourdough version has a slight sourdough tang under it all.

You can enjoy bannocks with sweet toppings like butter and jam, or savory toppings like blue cheese and smoked salmon. I like to eat them for breakfast with eggs, but they're also nice for an afternoon snack.

Bannocks can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. They also keep well in the freezer stored in an airtight bag, and defrost on the counter for a few minutes before reheating (if desired).

Discovering Outlander has led me down many paths, and the culinary dishes I encounter because of it are so fun. I love making scottish bannocks, along with scottish shortbread and cranachan (a raspberry & oat trifle made with scotch).

I wonder what I'll discover next?