Celebrate May With Bannocks? What’s a Bannock?

May Day, or Beltane, is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the growing season. It’s generally celebrated on May First, which on the calendar is halfway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Rituals are performed to ensure fertility in the form of good crops, lots of baby animals and baby humans as well. Traditionally huge bonfires would be lit as part of the ritual celebration. I’ll let you read more about it here and here because I’m only interested in Beltane as it concerns the bannock and its connection to a series of books that will soon be coming to life on television.

I’m talking about the Outlander series of books by Diana Gabaldon. I’ve been re-reading them in anticipation of the eighth installment of the series publishing in June and the airing of the television show of the same name on STARZ later this Summer.{Update 2020: the television series is now on it’s fifth season and the book series has grown to 8 major novels plus various short stories and novellas set in the Outlander “universe.”}

You guys, I’ve been reading these books since my mother handed me a copy of the first one in 1992 while I was pregnant with my youngest child saying, “I think you might like this.” I’m a total fangirl, I even wrote to Diana because we were both on CompuServe at one time AND SHE WROTE ME BACK! I’m not alone in my romantic musings about the Scottish Highlands as a casual glance at the comments on Diana’s website and Facebook fan page would indicate.

In case you haven’t read them, the premise of the books is this: In 1945 Claire Randall, a WWII army nurse, and her husband Frank are on vacation in the Scottish Highlands. While examining a stone circle (similar to Stonehenge) the day after watching the local Druids welcome the sun on Beltane, Claire is transported back in time to 1743 where circumstances more or less force her into marriage to a young highlander named Jamie Fraser. This particular volume is told in Claire’s voice and she’s as well drawn a character as any you will find in literature. Through Claire’s eyes we experience her adjustment to 18th century life, her desire to return to her husband Frank, and her growing affection for Jamie.

So then, what’s a bannock?

The books are generally historical fiction or even historical romance despite the time travel element. When food is mentioned in the novels it’s often very plain as befits the times and Jamie and Claire’s circumstances. Oats and barley were the primary grains grown in Scotland and the bannock is a type of bread made from oats. At its simplest it’s more of an oatcake, but there are leavened varieties and recipes for bannocks made from wheat flour can be found on the internet. Those look like a small round loaf of bread.

You see, Claire is known to keep a spare bannock or two in their room so Jamie can have something to snack on in the evenings. I imagine those bannocks were of the sturdier variety.

My bannock recipe comes from About.com. I baked mine instead of frying them on a griddle. To sweeten the bannocks, I diced up a handful of dates and soaked them in the hot water called for in the recipe. Raisins would work, too. In fact I saw something called a Selkirk Bannock which was studded with raisins.

Oats are gluten free, but are often cross contaminated with gluten containing grains. Check the labels if that’s of concern to you. To make a vegan bannock I used coconut oil for the fat, but I imagine a Scottish housewife would have used butter, bacon grease or lard.

My bannocks didn’t rise at all, they were more like a breakfast cookie. I could have easily formed them into thicker biscuit shapes had I wanted. I served my bannocks with sliced oranges and a cup of tea for a filling breakfast. I enjoyed the subtle sweetness of the oats and the dates. Rick ate his piece spread with peanut butter. They would be awesome spread with butter or cream cheese or drizzled with honey if you wanted.

Here’s hoping for an abundant summer!

Bannocks {Oat Cakes}

This recipe is vegan and gluten free.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Course: Bread

Servings: 4

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats briefly whirled in a blender to make oat meal (about 1 1/2 cups)
• generous pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter melted
• 5 dates pitted and chopped and soaked briefly in
• 1/2 cup hot water

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C
• Measure the oats into a blender and pulse it a few times to break them into a mix of pieces and flour. This helps make a product that will form a dough.
• Combine the oats, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl and pour the coconut oil over top.
• Add the water and dates and stir to form a stiff dough.
• Turn out onto a greased baking sheet and pat or roll into a circular shape of the desired thickness, I did 1/4". (To roll, place a piece of waxed paper over the dough to prevent sticking)
• Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, turning the pan every 15 minutes or so.
• The bannocks are done when the top is dry and the edges start to brown.
• Cut into wedges to serve.

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Wake Up Oatmeal Cups are a similar recipe that may appeal to you as well. If you have a genuine bannock recipe, please share the link in the comments.