Have the kids help measure out the following dry ingredients into their own bowl or ziplock bag.

1 cup flour (you choose: white, buckwheat, namaste, gluten free), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

These dry ingredients can be easily transported to the cooking site for use when camping. Or setup ready to drop into the hot and greased frypan for use right away.

When ready add 2 tablespoons of oil (olive) and slowly add 1/3rd to 1/2 cup of water to your dry ingredients and mix to find a stiff dough (keep some dry dough mix in your bag or bowl to add if it is too runny.

My preferred cooking method is to have the kids make a coil of dough and wrap it around a stick. They get to cook their own and fully participate not just watch me pan fry. If you do choose to pan fry, you can use a nalgene bottle in the backcountry as a rolling pin and cup to cut out biscuit size pieces to pan fry or simply just grab a gob and place it into the hot oil. Find the right temperature (distance from coals) so the biscuit is cooked through and not just burnt on the bottom.

Use maple sugar, local honey, elderberry jam or smoother some other delicious wildcrafted topping to enjoy your fresh baked bannock! And remember it’s bad luck to cut bannock and better to break it into pieces to share with friends.

To make a large Bannock for a group (8 servings) use the following recipe. Ingredients: 4 cups flour, 4 tsp. baking powder, 1/2tsp. salt, 1/2tsp sugar, 1/3 cup of oil and enough water to make a stiff dough. Mix the dry ingredients together before adding the wet and shaping it into a large pancake. Place in a hot and greased frying pan over medium heat for ten minutes (covered), then flip and cook for five minutes. A wood sliver should come out clean when done. Tradition is to break apart to eat as cutting it brings bad luck.

David Alexander is author of the Buzz Into Action & Hop Into Action Science Curricula.  He specializes in making nature accessible to people and wildlife.  You can follow him at www.natureintoaction.com