Cooking with Kids: Fried Bannock Recipe

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As part of our Canada unit study, we prepared the fried bannock recipe found in Cooking Class Global Feast: 44 Recipes That Celebrate the World’s Culture. It was our family’s first time trying bannock bread, and we all agreed it was delicious!

We opted to fry it in a skillet, but I’m excited to try cooking it over a campfire this summer. The kids enjoyed kneading and shaping the dough, and we were all amazed at how quickly the bread just “poofs” up during the cooking process. Gotta love baking powder! Trust me, it’s a really cool recipe to make with kids!

Fried Bannock Bread

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Cooking Class Global Feast

As part of the Global Explorers Club, we’re using the cookbook Cooking Class Global Feast!: 44 Recipes That Celebrate the World’s Cultures to help us explore food from around the world.

Check it out >

Tools you’ll need for the fried bannock recipe

  • Mixing bowl
  • Pizza cutter
  • Measuring cup
  • Parchment paper or silicone mat
  • Whisk
  • Skillet

Just a few ingredients

  • Flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Water
  • Maple syrup

Tips for Making the Fried Bannock Recipe

  1. When working alongside children in the kitchen, it’s always a good idea to measure all the ingredients beforehand.
  2. If you have multiple children who will be cooking alongside you, take turns when making the dough and then split the dough evenly among your kids.
  3. If you opt to make the fried bannock recipe, be aware it will involve very, very HOT cooking oil. Once the kids cut their dough into fist-sized pieces, I placed the bannock into the frying pan to avoid any splatters. The kids observed how the dough rose during the cooking process from a safe distance the first time we prepared this recipe.
  4. To make this recipe more child-friendly, you may choose to bake the bannock bread instead.

What is Fried Bannock?

Fried bannock is a type of bread made using a combination of flour, water, and some type of lard, fat, or oil. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, “Bannock is a form of bread that served as a staple in the diets of early settlers and fur traders. Most Indigenous nations in North America have some version of bannock. Inuit call it palauga, Mi’kmaq luskinikn, and Ojibwe ba‘wezhiganag.”

Learn more about the history of bannock below:

Learn more about

Bannock Bread and Fry Bread

How Long Do You Fry Bannock?

You’ll want to fry the bannock bread until it’s golden brown on both sides.

The first time we prepared the recipe we fried it a little too long and it turned more brown on some sides than golden brown. No worries though because it still tasted yummy!

The second time we followed the fried bannock recipe it went more smoothly, and we were able to achieve a nice golden brown color on all sides.

How to Make Fried Bannock Recipe

Step 1: Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Then add warm water.

A child adds water to the ingredients for fried bannock bread.

Step 2: Stir the ingredients together until the dough begins to form a ball. We opted to use a large whisk, and it was very easy to see when the dough became more ball-like.

A child mixes the ingredients for fried bannock bread together in a mixing bowl.
When the bannock bread ingredients begin to form a ball, it's ready to begin kneading.

Step 3: Split the dough evenly among your children on a lightly floured surface. We used parchment paper, but a silicone pastry mat would also work.

A child begins to knead the bannock bread dough on a lightly floured surface.

Step 4: Children may begin to knead the dough into an oval-shaped loaf. This step was a lot of fun for my kids. The dough provides a great sensory experience!

A child continues to knead the bannock bread dough.
The bannock bread dough is ready to cut.

Step 5: Cut the dough into fist-sized pieces.

A child cuts bannock bread dough with a kid-safe pizza cutter.

Step 6: At this point I placed the fist-sized pieces of dough into a large skillet filled with 1/4-inch vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Fry the bannock bread until golden brown on each side.

Note: Since this step involves hot oil, please use caution. You know your child best. I recommend allowing younger children to observe the cooking process from a safe distance. Older children who have more experience may complete this step under supervision. Use tongs to carefully turn the bannock bread while it’s cooking.  

Step 7: Once the fried bannock is golden brown on both sides, remove to a plate. Serve alongside maple syrup and/or butter. Of course, I highly recommend using 100% maple syrup, a popular Canadian export. Did you know up to 75% of the world’s maple syrup comes from Canada?

Fried bannock bread with maple syrup and maple cream cookies during our study of Canada as part of the Global Explorers Club.

The kids enjoyed dipping the fried bannock into the maple syrup. The fried bannock bread’s absolutely delicious served warm and makes for a cozy wintertime treat.

A child dips fried bannock bread into maple syrup.

You can find the complete fried bannock recipe in Cooking Class Global Feast: 44 Recipes That Celebrate the World’s Cultures. In addition to all the cooking fun your family will enjoy using this cookbook, you’ll also receive the following extras:

  • Country flag stickers that can be used to make toothpick flags
  • A global food passport
  • Flash cards that teach you how to say “I’m hungry” in different languages around the world

If you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Did you fry it, bake it, or cook it over a campfire? Please share your experiences below!

Check out more resources for Canada:

the global explorers club

Canada

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