Educate your pallet & try the various simple bread recipies, with perserves, savoury toppings or just plain butter..
Barmbrack Bread
INGREDIENTS: 4 cups flour. 2 eggs. Well beaten 1/4 teasp. nutmeg. l 1/2 cups sultana raisins. pinch of salt 1cup currants 2 Tablespoon Butter 1/3rd.cup chpped candied peel . 1 cake yeast (3/4 ounce) 2 Tablespoons sugar l 1/4 cups milk.
METHOD: Sift
Flour and nutmeg together. Rub butter into the flour. Cream the yeast
in a cup with a teaspoon of sugar. Add the rest of the sugar to the
flour mixture and mix well.Warm the milk to body temperature. Add tothe
liquid yeast and most of the well beaten eggs. Beat the liquid
ingredients into the dry ingredients until the batter is stiff but
elastic. Fold in the raisins, currants and fruit peel. Turn into an 8
inch x 4 inch deep cake pan so that the dough only fills half the pan.
Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for about an hour or until it
doubles in size. Brush the top with a little of the beaten eggs to give
a glaze. Bake at 400 for approx. 1 hour, or until a skewer pushed into
center of cake comes out clean.
Irish soda bread
INGREDIENTS: 4 cups all-purpose flour 4 tablespoons white sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup margarine, softened 1 cup buttermilk 1 egg 1/4 cup butter, melted 1/4 cup buttermilk
METHOD: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large
baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda,
baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form
dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl,
combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this
mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes. Makes 1 (1-1/2 pound) loaf. Servings Per Recipe: 20
Irish brown bread INGREDIENTS: 6 ounces Plain flour 1 teaspoon Level cream of tartar 10 ounces Wheat meal 2 ounces Butter 4 ounces Caster sugar 1 Egg 2 teaspoons Level salt 2 teaspoons Level baking soda Buttermilk or sour milk
METHOD: Chuck
all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix. Add milk and egg to give
you a fairly soft dough. Bake in two loaf tins, or whatever at
375-400F, gas mark 6 or 7.
Wheaten Bread
INGREDIENTS: 4 cups Stone Ground Whole wheat flour 2 cups White flour 1-1/2 teaspoons Salt 1-1/2 teaspoons Baking soda 2 cups Buttermilk or sweet milk 2 tablespoons Butter 2 tablespoons Sugar
PREPARATION & METHOD: Mix the whole wheat flour thoroughly with the white flour. Rub the butter into the flours. Add the salt, and soda.
Make
a well in the center and gradually mix in the liquid. Stir with a
wooden spoon. You may need less, or more liquid - it depends on the
absorbent quality of the flour. the dough should be soft but manageable.
Knead the dough into a ball in the mixing bowl with your floured hands.
Put
in on a lightly floured baking sheet and with the palm of your hand
flatten out in a circle 1-1/2 inches thick. with a knife dipped in
flour, make a cross through the center of the bread so that it will
easily break into quarters when it is baked.
Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake a further 15 minutes.
If
the crust seems too hard, wrap the baked bread in a damp tea cloth.
Leave the loaf standing upright until it is cool. The bread should not
be cut until it has set - about 6 hours after it comes out of the oven.
Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie Crust 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/4 cup frozen solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 3 tablespoons (or more) ice water 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Filling 3 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick 2/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Topping 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes Vanilla ice cream For the crust: Mix flour, salt, and sugar in large bowl. Add butter and shortening; rub in with fingertips until coarse meal forms. Mix 3 tablespoons ice water and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Drizzle over flour mixture; stir with fork until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch; turn edge under and crimp decoratively. Refrigerate while preparing filling and topping. For filling: Mix all ingredients in large bowl to coat apples.
For topping: Blend first 5 ingredients in processor. Add chilled butter cubes; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles wet sand. Toss filling to redistribute juices; transfer to crust, mounding in center. Pack topping over and around apples. Bake pie on baking sheet until topping is golden, about 40 minutes (cover top with foil if browning too quickly). Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until apples in center are tender when pierced and filling is bubbling thickly at edges, about 45 minutes longer. Cool until warm, about 1 hour. Serve with ice cream.