“Elrond’s Bannocks”: Food Inspired by Middle-Earth

“Elrond’s Bannocks”: Food Inspired by Middle-Earth by Astrid Tuttle Winegar

Our culinary story continues in The Hobbit. Tolkien’s version of elves feature prominently in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They are immortal, tall, and elegant, though they seem mocking and merry in their initial meeting with Bilbo and company in The Hobbit. Jackson’s film version of elves portrays them as positively arrogant in their slender elegance. Never compare Tolkien’s elves to J. K. Rowling’s house-elves—Tolkien’s are not subservient or small in stature. And certainly NEVER think of the Keebler Elves as similar to Tolkien’s elves in any way, ever. Ever. EVER.

After the troll adventure, Gandalf leads Bilbo and company to Rivendell, a lovely place protected by the ancient Elrond. Along the way, they meet a few musical elves who sing, “The bannocks are baking!”

Elrond’s Bannocks

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon old-fashioned oats
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon each:
salt
baking powder
cinnamon
¼ cup water
¼ cup salted butter

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray or grease lightly. In a large food processor, pulse the 2 cups oats and the other dry ingredients until the oats are ground to a powder. In a 1-cup glass measure, combine the water and butter. Microwave in 20 second intervals to melt the butter. Add this to processor and pulse until well mixed. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple times. Pat to a ½” thick circle, about 8″ in diameter. Lightly spray the top of the dough with water and evenly sprinkle the 1 tablespoon oats all over. Press oats lightly into the dough. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on the baking sheet 1″ apart. Bake 12-14 minutes, until they are barely brown on the bottom. Let stand on pan 5 minutes. Serve with plenty of butter, honey, and jam. Cover; keep at room temperature. Makes 8.

Light and delicate, yet sturdy enough to support lots of butter and honey, these are called Bannocks of the Forest in my cookbook.

Astrid Tuttle Winegar

Astrid Tuttle Winegar is the author of Cooking for Halflings & Monsters: 111 Comfy, Cozy Recipes for Fantasy-Loving Souls, which is currently available exclusively in e-book form on the Amazon Kindle, but will soon be released by Oloris Publishing! Stay tuned for details. For now, she is mostly telling a culinary Middle-earth story here on Legendarium. Astrid has loved C. S. Lewis since childhood, J. R. R. Tolkien since middle and high school, all Star things, both Trek and Wars, all things Whedon, and many other things besides… She lives in the enchanted city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband and dog. She blogs occasionally at . You can check out (and like!) her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/astridtuttlewinegar?ref=hl or visit her Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/astridwinegar.