Bannock is a variety of flat quick bread or any large, round article baked or cooked from grain. A bannock is usually cut into sections before serving. The word “bannock” comes from Northern and Scots dialects. The Oxford Traditional bannock recipe Dictionary states the term stems from panicium, a Latin word for “baked dough”, or from panis, meaning bread.
Its historic use was primarily in Ireland, Scotland and Northern England. Bannock varieties can be named or differentiated according to various characteristics: the flour or meal from which they are made, whether they are leavened or not, whether they have certain special ingredients, how they are baked or cooked, and the names of rituals or festivals in which they are used. Selkirk bannock from Scotland is well-known and named after the town in the Scottish borders where it is traditionally made. It is a spongy, buttery variety, sometimes compared to a fruitcake, made from wheat flour and containing a very large quantity of raisins.