Potato Wheaten Bread

I love all the local (Irish)  breads. From those made on the griddle  wheaten and soda farls, potato bread and pancakes to the oven soda and wheaten (brown soda) bread. I am a great fan of potato bread, called lovingly by locals as"Tatie Bread", which is a flat unleavened bread made with potato and flour. I got to wondering what it would be like to combine the potato with the oven soda and wheaten. Naturally I had to give it a go.

I made two versions One Wheaten Potato loaf (top) and the other my hubby has called the Ulster Fry loaf as the flavours are just like our traditional Ulster Breakfast Fry in a slice. They were both a great success I have to report. At their best straight from the oven and if any left after a day or two, just heaven toasted with lots of butter. Well I didn't say they were healthy did I?

Wheaten Potato


Ingredients

500 gms/ 1lb 2 oz Wholemeal/whole wheat flour
250 gms/9 oz approximately of cooked mashed potato
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 teasp of salt
300mls milk
1 egg beaten
50gms/2 oz butter chopped.

Method

Pre heat oven to 200.C/180.C fan/400.F/Gas6

Put the potatoes into a large jug and gradually beat in the milk until you get a mixture resembling wall paper paste.
Tip in most of the egg reserving a little for glazing.
Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt into a large bowl
Rub in the butter with your finger tips
Add the milk and potato mixture and stir until you have a soft dough.
Empty onto a floured work top and knead gently to shape with well floured hands as  it is a a sticky mixture. The potatoes make it so.
I bake mine in a well buttered 7 inch brownie pan but you could use a round cake pan
Slash a cross on the top of the dough
Glaze with the remaining egg
Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.

For the Ulster Fry Bread replace the wholemeal flour with plain /all purpose flour and add two or three pieces of finely chopped fried smoked bacon  and two finely chopped scallions/spring onions to the mix. Omit the salt as the bacon adds enough.

Notes

I have given the method by hand but I make this in the Food Processor which makes life a lot quicker,easier and less sticky . Just whizz the dry ingredients then whizz in the chopped butter then add the milk mixture and whizz again.

If you don't have cream of tartar use buttermilk or milk soured with lemon juice as the bicarbonate of soda needs the acid.

For those of you who have never seen an Ulster Fry this is it. Not my photo as I usually only make a 'fry' when we have guests and a delay would not be tolerated. I wouldn't take the risk.

Photo courtesy of Ardtrabane House ,Giants Causeway, Co. Antrim

More Soda Bread

Well it is Saint Patrick's day and Soda bread is an Irish tradition so this is my contribution. It is a slightly different version from my usual recipe. Well I need to be adventurous now and again. This was not a huge change but the results blew me away as I was expecting the usual disaster to happen. The change was.............I used Bread flour instead of the usual plain. Tah Dah! Risque no? It made a great difference to the texture and it had a lovely crispy crust. I wanted a savoury loaf so I added cheese and spring onions. Totally delicious. Perfect toasted with some cheese. The spring onions added a little traditional green to the occasion. I made it in a long cob shape instead of the tradional round. I slashed the top diagonally three times to replace the usual cross too let the fairies out. I don't think Saint Patrick will worry about this slight deviation do you?

Ingredients

250gms/ strong white (bread) flour
250gms/strong wholemeal ( bread) flour
50 gms butter
400mls approx buttermilk or milk soured with the juice of a lemon
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
Good pich of cayenne pepper
100gms grated cheddar
5-6 spring onions chopped

Method

Pre heat oven to 180.C/160.C fan/gas 4/355.F

Grease a baking sheet

Mix the flours, salt, cayenne pepper, soda bic and cream of tartar together.
Rub in the butter until well dispersed.
Stir in the cheese and onions.
make a well in the centre and add the egg then the buttermilk.
Mix until well combined. Don't add all of the liquid at first. The mix should combine easily but not be too sticky. It's easier to add a little more liquid at a time should it be too dry than take it away if too wet.
Place the dough on a floured work top and shape gently into what ever shape you want.
Place on the baking sheet
Slash the top deeply and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Test with a skewer to see if it is ready.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Savoury Wheaten Bread

Wheaten Bread again, or soda bread or brown soda bread. Whatever title you are comfortable with. I am constantly trying new variations of this theme. It's such easy quick bread to make. It can be made into scones or formed into a loaf. It can be left plain, made sweet or as I have done this time, savoury. The idea came to me one evening when I wanted some tasty bread to accompany dinner. Something quick and easy was the order of the day. I remembered Rachel Allen had made a soda focaccia in a swiss roll tin so I thought I would try my own version. Just perfect as it baked while dinner cooked and we had it warm from the oven. So quick and easy. This is definitely one I will make often. I had some next day for lunch with some strong cheddar. Delicious.

Ingredients

Olive oil
225g/8oz plain flour
225g/8oz wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
100g /4 oz parmesan cheese
100g /4oz feta cheese chopped and crumbled slightly
8-10 sun dried tomatoes in olive oil chopped
2 good tablespoons caramelised onions (I make and use Nigella Lawson's onion mush)
400ml (14 fl oz) Buttermilk

To Top

25g/1oz melted butter
a clove of squished garlic or garlic paste
finely chopped fresh or some dried parsley

Method

Preheat oven to 200. C /180.C Fan/400 F/ gas 6
Brush a Swiss roll tin or baking tray generously with olive oil.
Place the flour and baking soda into a big bowl and add the salt and lots of ground pepper
Stir in the cheese, tomatoes and onion
Make a well in the centre. Pour in most of the buttermilk, and mix until you have a soft dough. Not wet but soft. If you feel it is a bit wet just add a little more flour
Tip out onto a floured surface and roll it out gently to about 35 x 20 cm (14 x 8 in) and transfer it to the oiled tray.
Dimple the surface of the dough with your fingers
Brush the top with the melted butter garlic and parsley mix .
Put it in the oven and cook for about 20 - 25 minutes.
When cooked, it should feel firm in the centre and be golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack and cool for a couple of minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

Garlic Soda Bread

The other night I decided to make a pasta dish for dinner. It was quick and simple. My only problem was I needed bread. To sit down to pasta or rice for dinner without bread to me would be unthinkable. I don't know why it should be so but it is. I usually make my own version of Nigella Lawson's Garlic and Parsley Hearth Breads. but it was late and I really couldn't be bothered faffing around waiting for yeast to rise. I then wondered if I could make a sort of flat bread using my soda bread recipe. For those of you who are not familiar, soda bread is common in Ireland and is so called because the levening agent is Bicarbonate of Soda or Baking Soda. It's a mix, stir and pop in the oven bread. No rising time. It is really a scone mixture. The reason this bread is part of the Irish culinary heritage is simple enough. In this land where the influence of the Gulf Stream prevents either great extremes of heat in the summer or cold in the winter, the hard wheats, which need such extremes to grow, don't prosper .It's such wheats that make flour with a high gluten content, producing bread which rises high and responds well to being leavened with yeast. Soft wheats, though, have always grown well enough here. In Ireland, "plain" soda bread is as likely to be eaten as an accompaniment to a main meal (to soak up the gravy) as it's likely to appear at breakfast. It comes in two main colours, brown (also called wheaten bread) and white. I digress. I was not sure if this idea would work or not but I glanced through Rachel Allen's 'Bake' I saw she had done something similar and it looked good. I just sort of combined Nigella's Hearth Bread Recipe with the Soda Bread. I have to report it was a runaway success. I will definitely make it again. Do you know it was still nice the next day split and popped in the toaster.

Ingredients.

3-4 tablespoons Olive Oil
250gms /9oz plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon Salt
125-200ml /6-7 fl ozbuttermilk

Topping

Crushed squished or jarred garlic
Chopped parsley
Olive oil to mix
Maldon salt to sprinkle

Method


Finely chop a little parsley and mix with some of the oil oil and garlic. Use enough that will spread generously across the top of the dough.

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 8.

Brush an 20cmx20cm/8"x8" square sandwich tin generously with olive oil.

Sieve the plain flour,baking soda and salt into a large bowl

Make a well in the centre, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pour in most of the buttermilk.

Mix until it comes together to form a soft but not sticky dough.

Tip onto a floured surface and roll out to fit the tin

Set the dough in the oiled tin and dimple it all over with your fingers

Brush the top with the prepared garlic and parsley topping and sprinkle with a little maldon salt if desired

Bake for 20-25 minutes Just keep checking as all ovens are different.

When ready it will be golden brown, should feel firm in the centre and a skewer will come out clean.

Transfer it to a wire rack and cool for a couple of minutes.

Cut into squares and serve.

Notes
This gave me about nine squares of bread which was more than enough for two. If you want more you could double it up and use a bigger tin such as a swiss roll tin.

Hallowe'en Soda Bread

I decided to make some Soda Bread today. Nothing unusual about that as it is a big local speciality and has been made in Irish households for generations. It is so quick and easy to make and is a wonderful recipe to corrupt. Today I took a notion to add apple to it. I think the 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' has finally taken hold. That, and the fact I had some cooking apples, lent a hand in this. I also added some cinnamon and then as an afterthought I used maple syrup instead of sugar. The smell of it baking was wonderful. I was amazed at the taste. When I took it out of the oven I could hardly wait to get at it. Warm and dripping with butter I was immensely pleased with my innovation. Such a pity one can't copy and paste taste and smell.

12oz/350gms plain flour
1 teasp bicarbonate of soda
1 cooking apple
1 teasp cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Handful of raisins
Approx. 1/2 a pint/300mls Butter Milk
1oz/25gms Butter
1 teasp Bicarbonate of Soda/Baking Soda
1 teasp. salt

Greased and floured round sandwich tin

Oven temp 350F 180.C Gas 4

Peel core and chop the apple.
Cook in a covered saucepan with the butter and cinnamon until very soft and mushy.
In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.
Stir in the apple mixture
Add the maple syrup
Add enough buttermilk to form a soft but easily handled dough. It should not be runny.
Knead lightly and quickly into a round and place in prepared tin.
(It is essential you use light hands)
Cut a deep cross in the bread.


Bake for approx 40 Minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cover in a tea towel while cooling to soften the crust.

Cut a huge piece when taken out of the oven, slather it in butter and enjoy.