Short Bread

Dating back to the 12th Century, short bread became well know in the 16th century when petty cots - a variation with caraway seeds - was the prefered dessert of Mary, Queen of Scots. For a long time this was a rare desert because is was expensive. Baked at a low temperature to avoid browning, when cooked, it is nearly white, or a light golden brown with a perfect crumbly texture. There are three classic shapes: wedges from a round shape (petticoat tails), roud biscuits (shortbread rounds) or long cuts (fingers).

INGREDIENTS:

180 g white flour
6 ml salt
60 g sugar
120 g butter
30 g brown sugar for dusting



1. Mix the flour with salt and sugar, than mix in the butter.





2. Press the mixture into a round pan (diameter approx 20 cm).



3. Preheat the oven to 150 ° C.

4. Cut dough into slices placed in the pan when done. Prick with a fork from place to place.





6. Bake at 150 ° C for 50 minutes.

7. Let cool for 10 minutes and then cut and take out the slices.



Printer friendly downlodable recipe in English, at this link:

Short Bread En

Bara Brith

Bara Birth is welsh for ``Speckled Bread``. This welsh dried fruit cake was The original Bara Brith was made by adding a handful of dried fruit into the last bread dough of the day (on a bread baking day) and then after baking it was coated in honey. Sometimes served as a tea cake, this is actually a bread and is perfect served with salty butter or cedar cheese.


INGREDIENTS:

450 g white flour
6 ml salt
20 ml dry yeast
180 ml ​​milk
120 g brown sugar
130g butter
300 g currants
60 g orange and lemon peel
1 egg




1. Dissolve the yeast in warm milk with a teaspoon of sugar. Leave to ferment for 15 minutes.



2. Sift flour into a large bowl.

3. Cut 100 g butter into little strips or cubes.

4. Mix butter with flour and then stir in sugar composition, dried fruit, and lemon zest.



5.Add the yeast and the egg, beaten.



6. Knead until dough becomes elastic and smooth. Let rise for 90 minutes.





7. Lightly knead the dough once and spread in a sheet the lengths of the tin and three times wide.



8. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

9. Butter a baking tray. Fold in the dough sheet in three and put the tray with dough wrist at the bottom of the tin.





10. Bake for 50 minutes at 190 ° C degrees. Let cool before serving.



Printer friendly downlodable recipe in English, at this link:

Bara Brith En