I came across “bannocks” while browsing the “Quick Breads” chapter of The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham. I had never heard of them before and, of course, that was all I needed to pick them from this chapter for our Cook the Book project.

Turns out, bannocks are primarily of Scottish origin and are quite similar to scones. In fact, from what I’ve read on Wikipedia, the two terms can sometimes be interchangeably, or bannocks cut into wedges can be called scones. It all depends on the region.

Well, to tell you the truth, no matter how you decide to call those, they are pretty awesome. Bannocks are extremely fast and easy to make (in fact, I don’t think I’ve made any type of bread that fast before) and very tasty too. And, while the recipe comes from a breakfast book, they are perfect for literally any time of the day. I believe they’ll also make a great, easy to carry, energy snack for all runners out there 😉

Initially, I had decided to make the cheese version, but ended up dividing my dough and making the original as well (with no cheese). Verdict: both the hubby and I found the Cheddar version (pictured as piled wedges) tastier as the cheese helps balance out the oats and gives another dimension to the taste.

Ingredients:

(for 8 bannocks)

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/4tsp salt
• 4tbsp cold butter, but into small pieces (I used unsalted)
• 1cup shredded (sharp) Cheddar cheese
• ½ cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 ° F and slightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together rolled oats, oat flour, Cheddar, and salt. Add butter and mix you’re your hands until the mixture turns into coarse crumble. Add water and keep mixing until it is absorbed.
3. Dust a flat surface with a bit of oat flour and transfer dough to it. Keep kneading until smooth, then cut in half and form two balls. Press and pat down each ball to form a ¼-inch circle. Cut each into 4 wedges. Place onto baking sheet and into the oven until golden (about 20 minutes).

I really hope you enjoy these bannocks. They have definitely inspired me to research and cook more Scottish recipes! But, before I do that, let’s not forget the other awesome recipes presented this week by the ladies doing this project with me 😉

• Rachel, Ode To Goodness
• Natasha, Claro Southwick
• Aimee, Homemade Trade
• Sammy, Rêve du Jour
• Emily, The Bon Appétit Diaries