Frying pan bread

[Loyalist Dave]

Agreed, they had access to wheat, if they bothered to pack it to take for rondy I will let people who know more about such things speculate. Rondy period is not my time frame.

Rye was also popular in a lot of places where there were some Germanic settlers.
Oats were often cultivated where Scottish settlers lived.

LD

 

[Red Owl]

I thought that "saleratus," was the old term for baking powder. In any event when the mountain men got to Taos, the locals were growing both wheat and corn so wheat was around for sure, but I think they used it a lot for "white lightning". In any event wheat ground into flour doesn't seem to be a common supply item for some reason. Maybe they thought corn meal had a higher food value or it was easier to use on the trail..

 

[user 34486]

Frying pan bread is simply referring to bread cooked in a pan rather than an oven, which is essentially the same thing, maybe deeper, and sans handle. The medium itself consists of any dough recipe of the time made from available ingredients. It was extremely common in the 19th c and most examples come to us from the Civil War during which copious amounts of wheat and corn flour breads were baked in the types of cast spider skillets prevalent. It was baked in full skillet sized cakes or in smaller rolls.

The following is from the NPS living history at Manassas portraying the Wilcox's Brigade 1862 winter quarters encampment earlier this year. Dough was mixed and kneaded on a rubber blanket, then rolled into fist sized balls and loaded into a lidded skillet which was put over coals. The first run was over cooked but a second try yielded great results. The prior weekend I did the same with a cornbread cooked into the solid cake seen in some early war photography. I regretfully don't have the reenacted photo of the TX winter quarters camp of Brandy Station showing the soldier (me) holding the pan and the resulting cake.

 

[Red Owl]

The corn "bread" is easy. I mix about 70% corn meal and 30% wheat flour and some baking powder and cook about 5-7 minutes a side. I think "corn dodgers" were sort of the same thing.

 

[fireman1]

The corn "bread" is easy. I mix about 70% corn meal and 30% wheat flour and some baking powder and cook about 5-7 minutes a side. I think "corn dodgers" were sort of the same thing.

"bold talk for a one eyed fat man."

 

[Red Owl]

Yeah-loved that movie. It was what motivated me to go out and buy a Navy 36- my first black powder firearm.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Regarding frying pan bread, or bannock, if found a couple of old photographs of Metis or native people preparing it. The images appear to be protected, so I won't try to reproduce them here, but will provide a couple of links to the Virtual Museum of Metis History and Culture, where the pictures are posted:

"Frying Bannock"

"Stonehacker's [sic] Prepare Bannock"

They are showing us how to bake it in the frying pan!

Notchy Bob

 

[Rifleman1776]

cast iron is a little heavy for the trail.

My iron mule never had trouble carrying cast iron to camp. I did use a Dutch oven but most of my cooking was in the sheet metal fry pans. I usually was able to make a one pan meal and eat directly from it.

 

[SwanShot]

To quote an Australian folk song.
We camp in huts without any doors'
We sleep upon the dirty floors,
With a pannican of flour and a sheet of bark,
Wollop up a damper in the dark.

A pannican is a one pint enameled mug.
Wollop: In this case to knead and fold.
Damper: flour water and a pinch of salt. Cooked slow in fry pan

 

[Whughett]

Never had the flour type. But cornbread can be skillet fried as well. A staple while growing up on in a farm in Ohio.
The same only different …..!
Also referred to as Johnny Cakes in some parts.