Missiiagan-Pakwejigan (Sunflower Bannock)

This is Indigenous bannock made the traditional way, with just sunflower seeds, water, salt, corn flour, and oil. No wheat flour, no yeast, no dairy. The sunflower seeds simmer for 1 ½ hours until they’re soft enough to crush into a thick paste that becomes the base of the dough.

The long simmer transforms raw sunflower seeds into something completely different. They break down, absorb water, and soften into a mashable consistency. Crushing them by hand creates a rough, nutty paste with real texture, not the smooth uniformity of a food processor.

Corn flour gets worked in a tablespoon at a time to thicken the paste into a dough you can shape with your hands. The amount of corn flour needed varies depending on how much water the seeds absorbed, so add gradually until you can form flat 5-inch pancakes that hold their shape.

Pan-frying in corn oil gives each bannock a crispy golden exterior with a dense, satisfying interior.

Kitchen Tips

• Simmer covered for the full 1 ½ hours. The seeds need that time to fully soften. Undercooked seeds won’t crush into a smooth paste.
• Let the paste cool slightly before shaping. Hot dough sticks to your hands and burns.
• Flatten the pancakes thin and even for crispy results. Thick bannock stays doughy in the center.
• Drain well on paper towels after frying. The seeds absorb oil readily.

Variations

• Pumpkin seed bannock: Replace sunflower seeds with raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for a slightly different flavor.
• Herb addition: Mix dried sage or wild onion into the dough for a more aromatic flatbread.