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BREADIn former years the Irish housewife made fresh soda bread every day. Some of the oats, barley and wheat harvested during August and September were stored in the loft. They were spread out on the loft floor, and every month bags were filled with grain and brought to the mill where they were finely ground to be used in breads – oatenmeal, wheatenmeal and bran.
YEAST BREADPreparation time: 15 minutesCooking time: 30–40 minutes Proving time: 1 hour Oven position: top Oven temperature: gas 6, 200°C, 400°F Ingredients: 1/2oz fresh yeast (or 1 level teaspoon dried yeast) 15g 1 level tablespoon 1oz sugar 25g 11/2 level tablespoons 2 tablespoons tepid water 1lb flour 500g 4 cups 1/2 teaspoon salt 1oz butter or margarine 25g 11/2 tablespoons 10 fl oz milk 275ml 11/4 cups Method: Put yeast, sugar and tepid water into a cup and stir to a cream, leave in a warm place for 10 minutes. Have the mixing bowl warm. Sieve the flour and salt into it and keep in warm place. Cut margarine or butter into small pieces, put with milk into a saucepan and heat over a gentle heat until the milk is tepid. Pour yeast mixture into the flour. Add almost all the milk and mix thoroughly together until the dough is firm and elastic, adding more tepid milk if necessary. Turn dough onto a floured board and knead for 5 to 10 minutes until smooth. When the dough is smooth place in a floured bowl and cover with a damp cloth or tea towel. Leave for 25 minutes in a warm place. When the dough has risen to double its size, knead again for five minutes. Put into a floured loaf tin, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 30 to 35 minutes. Brush top of loaf with a little milk mixture. Place in oven. Bake for 30–40 minutes until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. When baked set out on a wire rack to cool. SODA APPLE CAKEThis is a very old recipe for a cake that was typically made in the autumn – a way of using up the apples in the big country orchards. Surplus cooking apples were picked off the trees, each carefully wrapped in newspapers and stored away in a big box. Apples that had been very bitter in September would mature and become nice and sweet by Christmas.Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 40–45 minutes Oven position: top Oven temperature: gas 6, 200°C, 400°F Ingredients: 1lb flour 500g 4 cups pinch of salt 1 level teaspoon breadsoda 10 fl oz buttermilk 275ml 11/4 cups 2–3 smallish apples peeled and sliced 1/2oz sugar 15g 1 level tablespoon Method: Sieve flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add almost all the milk, mix to a loose dough, adding more liquid if necessary. Turn on to a floured board and knead until smooth. Cut mixture in half and roll each half out to fit round 9-inch tin. Flour the tin lightly. Place one circle of dough in the tin, arrange apples on dough, sprinkle with sugar, cover with remaining dough. Put tin in the oven. When baked, turn cake on to a wire rack to cool. To vary: Add some mixed spice or cinnamon; dried fruit, like raisins or currants, may also be sprinkled on top of the apples. |
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