Fort Simpson (Sep 15/06) - Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, milk and a bit of shortening, cook over a heat source and you have bannock.

While the basic principles of making bannock sound easy enough, a competition held in Fort Simpson illustrated that there is a lot more to making the perfect piece of the traditional food.

Melaw Antoine, left, and Felix Isiah add more flour to their slightly sticky bannock mixtures during the contest. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

On Sept. 7 a bannock making contest was held at the Papal site as part of the closing festivities for the Keepers of the Water gathering. With first prize set at $300 there was plenty of incentive for the 10 participants to get their recipes just right.

"These are the best bannock makers in the whole of the world," said Gerry Antoine, the contest organizer, as he introduced the contestants.

To start the contest off, the participants pulled out their bowls and added the ingredients that were provided. Large bags of flour and other dry and wet items were passed around the table. Conversations and quips flew back and forth in both English and Slavey often making people laugh.

Despite the light moments the pressure was on. While the 10 bakers concentrated on their dough they were surrounded by a thick crowd of people who'd come to watch the event.

"They want bannock, not hard tacks," said Antoine over the noise of the crowd, referring to the three judges.

When time was called the participants put their dough

into cast-iron frying pans and jockeyed for the best positions at the grills.

Left behind at the table Melaw Antoine and Felix Isiah were still working to get their dough consistency right.

For Isiah the task was challenging because he'd never made bannock before.

"It was just a lot of fun," said Isiah after the contest.

With too much water in his mix, Isiah added more flour to compensate. He was also the only person to add raisins to his bannock.

"Bannock isn't bannock without raisins," said Isiah to explain his choice.

Isiah wasn't the only male to step forward at the contest. Sam Elleze and Jonas Antoine also competed.

Antoine impressed the crowd with his attention to detail all the while sporting a white apron. At the grill, Antoine heated a spoon to add Tenderflake to his pan so the dough wouldn't burn. When the time was right he checked the middle of the bannock with a small stick.

Everyone was given 12 minutes to cook their bannock before the judges Francois Paulette, elder Caroline Bonnetrouge and Gracyn Tanche started taste testing. Decisions were made on texture, taste and whether the bannock was well baked, said Paulette.

After much deliberation, the judges named Mary Jane Cazon the winner. She was followed by Jonas Antoine. Brenda Deneyoua and Sam Elleze tied for third place.

Mary Jane Cazon credits her win to her mother Dora Nayally who taught her how to make bannock when she was young. In addition to adding the traditional ingredients of flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and milk, Cazon also added a little Tenderflake and olive oil.

The secret to the perfect texture is to not over knead the dough, she said.

When she cooks the bannock, Cazon adds both Tenderflake and olive oil to the pan. If you use only olive oil it will burn, she said. Entering the contest, Cazon didn't expect to win. "I just joined for the fun of it. I was really surprised I won," said Cazon.