Blueberry Bannock
Despite the number of foods which are often bothersome to IC bladders there are actually many cuisines of the world which can be very bladder friendly, one of them is traditional First Nation’s People’s cooking. If you venture south in the States you may encounter problematic ingredients like chillies and tomatoes, but in the northern regions you find a cuisine that is rich in indigenous berries, fish, vegetables, herbs, and game.
I spent a lot of my childhood living in an area of British Columbia, Canada called the Okanagan Valley. Just north of it lies the Shuswap Valley, a gorgeous lake and river encrusted spot that looks like a bit like a desert with pine trees. The recipe below is a traditional bannock bread from the Shuswap, its First Nation’s name is “epangishimog pakwejigan”.
If you are new to bannock, it is a flat bread similar in some way to the Middle Eastern bread “Naan” but not as light or airy as an Italian focaccia bread.
What I love about bannock - besides it’s dense, heartiness – is that it doesn’t not require any milk or eggs, perfect if you are sensitive to these ingredients (as many IBSers and some ICers are) or any sugar beyond that of the blueberries.
You can omit the blueberries if you like and replace them with cubes of apple or pear, or leave them out entirely for a plain bannock. Though it’s not traditional by all means go ahead and add a drop of vanilla or whatever spices you’d like.
Blueberry Bannock
1 cup of fresh blueberries, cleaned and toped (if they have stems)
about 3 cups of all purpose flour or whole wheat flour (organic and/or unbleached if possible)
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt (I’ve cut this down from the original which called for far more, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference)
1 ½ cups water
Preheat your oven to 400° F (200° C), or slightly higher if your oven veers on the cool side. In a large bowl gently mix the flour, baking powder and salt together until well incorporated (you can sift it a couple of times if you wish).
Gently fold in the blueberries taking care to keep them intact. Next add the water and gently mix to form a doughy batter.
Spread the batter into a lightly greased 10-inch (or thereabouts) pie dish (I use a metal one) and bake for about 20 minutes. You want the top to be lightly golden, but not dark brown (sort of like a scone).
Cut like a pie and serve warm or cold. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for about 3 months in a freezer-proof container.
Makes 8 slices