Bannock Bites: An Elegant Thanksgiving Appetizer

This Thanksgiving, we are celebrating the Canadian way with a delicious Thanksgiving feast! I have created an entire Canadian-themed Thanksgiving menu from appetizers to a show stopping dessert that incorporates recipes from various cultures and backgrounds from across Canada. We are kicking things off with my Bannock Bites, which give a nod to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and some of their popular traditional foods.

Before I dive into the recipe, I want to acknowledge that the bannock recipe I used came from @grandma_sherry55 on TikTok. Her version is simple, reliable, and makes the most tender and fluffy bannock I have ever tried! It was a joy to bring her recipe into my kitchen and build on it with these seasonal toppings.

Read on down below to learn a bit more about bannock and to see how I serve these Bannock Bites two ways.

Exploring the History of Bannock

Bannock is a food with a complicated history in Canada. While many people now think of it as synonymous with Indigenous cooking, bannock itself is not originally Indigenous. It came from Scotland (where they are called toutons), and were traditionally made with oats and baked on a stone.

When colonizers and European settlers arrived in Canada, they disrupted Indigenous peoples’ access to their traditional food sources. Instead, rations like flour, lard, sugar, and baking powder were provided. Out of necessity, Indigenous communities adapted these ingredients into bannock.

Despite its colonial origins, bannock has been embraced and reimagined by Indigenous peoples across the country. Today, it’s prepared in various ways including fried, baked, or cooked over a fire. Sometimes it is topped with taco-style ingredients (for the famous Bannock Tacos), or simply eaten with wild berry jams or molasses (a famous way to eat them in Newfoundland too).

For me, it was important to honour this history and also to pair bannock with foods that Indigenous peoples across Canada have eaten for millennia: wild salmon from the West Coast, Saskatoon berries, and cranberries. By layering these ingredients onto bannock, I wanted to create something delicious while paying tribute to the traditions and people that came long before us, as well as the land and sea where our ingredients come from.

Smoked Salmon, Saskatoon Berry Jam & Cream Cheese

For the first topping, I wanted to highlight flavours that feel distinctly Canadian and connected to the land and ocean. For Indigenous Peoples along the West Coast, salmon has been a traditional food and a symbol of culture for millennia. I paired smoked salmon with a base of plain cream cheese and finished it with a spoonful of Saskatoon berry jam. The berries bring a tart-sweet pop of flavour that balances the richness of the salmon and cream cheese perfectly!

Cranberry Chutney & Boursin Cheese

The second topping leans into the festive flavours of the season while still honouring a traditional ingredient. Cranberries have been harvested and enjoyed by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, valued for their tart flavour and use in various foods and medicines. I used them here to make a tangy homemade chutney, then spooned it over a base of Quebec-made Cranberry and Pepper Boursin cheese. The soft, slightly spicy cheese adds richness and creaminess that balances out the tart cranberry chutney!

Enjoy Bannock Bites at your Thanksgiving Table this Year

I hope that you enjoy this easy and versatile Bannock Bites recipe at your Thanksgiving feast this year. Not only are they delicious, they honour the history of Indigenous People in Canada, and the land and sea where our everyday ingredients come from. You can find the full recipe below and, if you want a step-by-step tutorial, watch me make them on YouTube (or watch the iconic Grandma Sherry make them on TikTok!).

Stay tuned for more delicious Canadian Thanksgiving-inspired recipes to complete this meal shortly! Thanks for reading and enjoy the best of the season, every day!

Get the Recipe: Bannock Bites Two Ways

Bannock Bites Two Ways

Melissa

These elegant Bannock Bites rounds are soft, golden, and perfect for Thanksgiving entertaining. Topped with Smoked Salmon and Saskatoon Berry Jam or a Homemade Cranberry Chutney and Boursin cheese, this recipe honours Indigenous food traditions and seasonal Canadian ingredients. This bannock recipe was adapted from @grandma_sherry55 on TikTok.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Canadian

Servings 12

Calories 123 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Bannock:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus extra for kneading
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups peanut oil for frying

For the Cranberry Chutney and Bannock Toppings:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons yellow onion finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cranberries fresh or frozen
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 package Cranberry and Black Pepper Boursin Cheese

For the Smoked Salmon Bannock Toppings:

• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 6 to 12 slices smoked salmon rolled into rosettes
• 1/4 cup Saskatoon berry jam (see substitution suggestions in the Recipe Notes)
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

 

To Make and Fry the Bannock:

• Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a large bowl and mix to combine. Create a well in the centre and add the water. Slowly incorporate the water into the dough until to comes together.
• Dust your work surface with flour and dump the dough out. Use your hands to knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes, until it is smooth and not sticky. Form the dough into a disc, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• After the dough has rested, use your knuckles to spread the dough out into a round that is 1 centimetre-thick. Cut the bannock bites out into 5-centimetre (2-inch) rounds using a floured cookie cutter. Roll the excess dough back into a ball, let it rest for 15 minutes, then cut out the remaining rounds. This will ensure that all your bannock is tender. Use a sharp paring knife to cut a 1-centimetre slit in the centre of each bannock bite.
• Add the peanut oil to a deep, wide pan set over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the bannock to the oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes per side. You will know they are fully cooked when they sound hollow when tapped on and are golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and drain.

To Make the Cranberry Chutney:

• Add the olive oil to a small pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and ginger and saute for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the cranberries, brown sugar, and cinnamon and mix to combine. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Once the cranberries have released a lot of water, add the golden raisins and mix to combine. reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Once the majority of the water has evaporated, add the apple cider vinegar and mix to combine. Cook for 1 minute, them remove from the heat and let cool.

To Assemble:

• Once the bannock have cooled slightly, top them with the respective ingredients.
• For the Smoked Salmon Bannock Bite, spread a 1/2 teaspoon of cream cheese to each bannock and top with a rosette of smoked salmon, 1/4 teaspoon of Saskatoon berry jam, and a small sprig of parsley.
• For the Cranberry Chutney and Boursin Bannock Bite, add 1 teaspoon of Boursin and 1 teaspoon of the cranberry chutney.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Video

Notes

• If you can’t access Saskatoon berry jam, you can substitute it with blueberry or blackberry jam
• You can make the bannock a day in advance and store it in an air tight container at room temperature. Simply warm it for 10 minutes in a low heat oven, then add your toppings and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 123kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 182mgPotassium: 77mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 81IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg

Keyword bannock bites, canadian recipe, cranberry chutney, smoked salmon appetizer, thanksgiving appetizer, thanksgiving recipe

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