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Basic Bonnag

Basic Bonnag is a traditional Manx recipe (from the Isle of Man) for a classic wheat flour sodabread that used to be a staple on the island. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Manx version of: Basic Bonnag.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

50 minutes

Total Time:

70 minutes

Makes:

2 loaves

Rating:

Tags : Dessert RecipesMilk RecipesBaking RecipesBritish RecipesManx Recipes

This is the basic wheat flour bonnag that would have been made in the Isle of Man after about 1910 when imported wheat became commonplace on the island. Sour milk is milk that has been soured with lemon juice.

Bonnag is a traditional Manx bread which, it is believed, has been around for hundreds of years. It is traditionally served with butter or some people like it dry, we like to give our guests the opportunity to try it many different ways. We also offer our guests fresh homemade marmalade, jam and a popular one Manx honey.

Bonnag and Scottish Bannock share an etymology and are similar in preparation. However, it does seem that the original spelling of bonnag was 'sonnag' and it was only after the introduction of modern baking soda did the bonnag spelling enter the vernacular. The Isle of Man's original grains would have been barley and oats not wheat.

The original Bonnag was a barley cake, about the size of a breakfast plate, cooked on a griddle. This was prevalent until the 1860s when chemical leavening (originally bicarbonate of soda with buttermilk and then double action baking soda) became popular and the traditional bonnags were replaced by the more cake-like forms of today, though barley was probably stillt the main grain.

Dried fruit also became prevalent in the mid 19th century and by the 1890s bonnag had become fruited breads leavened with soda with wheat flour becoming more common than barley. Indeed, the increased gluten in wheat flour is needed for a bonnag to rise properly. Though to be fair, imported wheat did not fully replace barley as the island's staple grain until the 1910s.

Manx slim cakes hearken back to the original method of making bonnag as a flat griddle cake.

Ingredients:

450g (1 lb) flour
25g (1 oz) fat (lard or butter or a blend)
pinch of salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
fruit and sugar if liked
600ml sour milk (about)
extra milk to bring everything together

Method:

Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the sour milk.

In a bowl, whisk together the barley meal, cream of tartar and salt until well combined.

Dice the fat, add to the other ingredients and rub in until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the sour milk then add just enough milk to bring the ingredients together as a moderately soft dough.

Divide into two or three equal portions and shape these into round or oblong shaped loaves. Arrange on a greased baking tray then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 50 minutes.

These are best eaten warm, sliced and spread with plenty of butter.