A Recipe for St. Michael’s Bannock

Ingredients:

1⅓ c. barley flour

1⅓ c. oat meal

1⅓ c. rye meal

1 c. flour 

½ tsp. salt 

A fistful of dark dried fruit (currants, raisins, blackberries, blueberries)

2 scant tsp. baking soda 

2½-3 c. buttermilk 

3 tbsp. honey or brown sugar 

Ring/Coin (Optional)

2 eggs 

1 c. cream 

4 tbsp. melted butter 

Mix the barley flour, oat meal, and rye meal. Add flour, salt, and fruit. Mix the baking soda and buttermilk (begin with 2 ½ c.) and then add to the dry mixture. Stir in honey and ring/coin. Turn out onto floured board and mix (as with all breads, don’t over-mix), adding more buttermilk if too dry, or more flour if too sticky. 

Divide dough in half. Roll each half on a floured board into an 8″ circle (about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick). At this point, you may carve a cross on the face of the bannock, or other such churchly symbol.

While heating a lightly greased skillet, mix the eggs, cream, and melted butter. Spread onto one of the bannocks and place the bannock, egg-side down, in the skillet and cook til the egg-side is browned. Put the egg mixture on the top side, flip the bannock and cook until the second side is golden. Repeat this application of the egg wash and flipping and cooking until each side has been cooked three times. Do the same with the second bannock. Serve warm with butter and honey.

And there you go! St. Michael’s Bannock. It is basically a scone. A sacred scone.