|
| LARDY
CAKE |
RECIPE
BY TALLYRAND |
 |
Oh
lardy, lardy lardy!
Every now and again I come across or am reminded of
a food, an ingredient or a dish that has my mouth watering,
that suddenly reminds of a by gone era or makes me think
. . . "God, how can I have forgotton all about
this amazing food?"
This
week's recipe came to me as I was wandering around a
supermarket and I saw all those hot cross buns in the
shops for Easter. Kind of a 'EUREKA" moment really
- minding my own business and suddenly the light went
on . . . Lardy cake! Lardy cake! Lardy cake! So I proceeded
to curtail my other shopping and went hunting the ingredients.
Lardy
cake comes from Wiltshire, in the south west region
of the UK, but there are also similar recipes from other
regions. Fourses cake in Sussex, Lardy Johns in Sussex
and I am sure there are many more, but the Lardy cake
seems to be the most well known.
It
is a 'comfort food' and not meant to be something eaten
every day - the ingredient that makes it so is the lard.
The refined fat of the pig or lard. Sure you could leave
it out but then you would just have just another fruit
bun or cake. Lardy cake is about lard, lard, lard! So
if you are on a diet, watching your cholesterol levels
or a vegetarian . . . switch off now! But if you are
not sick of the sight of hot cross buns, read on, read
on . . . and then take my tip, eat them straight out
of the oven!
To
find out more about working with yeast <click
here>
Ingredients
for Lardy Cake
| milk
and water mix |
300
|
ml |
| fresh
yeast |
20
|
gm |
| castor
sugar |
20
|
gm |
| strong
flour |
500
|
gm |
| butter |
75
|
gm |
| cinnamon |
1/2
|
tsp |
| mixed
spice |
1/2
|
tsp |
| |
|
|
| lard |
150
|
gm |
| castor
sugar |
100
|
gm |
| currants |
100
|
gm |
| sultanas |
100
|
gm |
| mixed
peel |
50
|
gm |
How to make Lardy Cake
- Warm
the milk, water and butter to blood temperature (37°C);
it should feel neither warm nor cold when you put
your finger in it.
- Sprinkle
in the sugar and yeast and stir to dissolve and disperse
- Sprinkle
in 2/3's to 3/4's of the sieved flour and combine
to a light batter: this is known as a 'sponge'
- Place
in a warm place to prove until double its size
- Turn
out onto a lightly floured bench and knead in sufficient
flour to form a soft dough
- Knead
for approximately 10 minutes to develop the gluten
strands and a soft, elastic dough is obtained
- Roll
out to a large square/rectangle that is approximately1/2
cm thick
- Spread
out the lard evenly
- Sprinkle
with the sugar and fruits
- Fold
in half and roll out to 1/2 cm thick
- Fold
into three (known as a triple fold) and roll out to
½ cm thick
- Make
another triple and roll out to 4 - 5 cm thick
- Cut
into required shapes and sizes, and place onto a lightly
greased and floured tray
- Cover
with a damp towel and leave in a warm place until
proved to double its size
- Score
the top of each with a criss-cross pattern with a
knife, then bake for approximately 30 minutes at 170°C
(until well risen and golden brown)
- Brush
with egg-wash and place back in the oven for 2 - 3
minutes to glaze
- Serve
immediately or leave to cool on a wire rack
Chef's
Tip for Lardy Cake:
If
you cannot purchase fresh yeast, replace with 1 1/2
teaspoons of dried yeast
Do
not prove to over double its size or the mix will
ruin and the final cakes will have a sour taste to
them
I
suggest you follow the recipe for your first time
and then reduce or increase the amount of lard, fruits,
spices and sugar to suit your own tastes
|
Chef's
terminology:
|
| |
lt |
=
|
litres |
|
tsp |
= |
teaspoon |
| |
ml |
=
|
millelitres |
|
tbs |
= |
tablespoon |
| |
kg |
=
|
kilograms |
|
sq |
= |
sufficient
quantity (add to taste) |
| |
gm |
=
|
grams |
|
pc |
= |
piece,
meaning a whole one of |
|
Enjoy
your Lardy Cake and bon appetit . . . . .
Recipe
from professional
Chef Tallyrand
|
