Fresh from the oven

One of the “tags” that I regularly use to search through blogs is “Recipes”.  The other day I happened upon “A Moveable Feast” and the recipe for Delicious and Quick Irish Bread.  My patience for yeast bread lingers just barely  long enough to make cinnamon rolls.  Otherwise that bread machine comes in quite handy.  Therefore, when I chanced upon this recipe I knew I had to try it.

It is delicious.  It is quick.  It is a keeper of a recipe.  It was like making one giant biscuit which I proceeded to devour in two sittings.  (Did I ever tell you that I really like to eat?!?)  Recipe and such after the jump…

I adapted the ingredients for this recipe to more standard “American” measurements:

• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/3 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cold butter (diced in small pieces)
• 3 tablespoons of sour cream
• 1/2 egg
• 1 tablespoon of milk

To quote (if I may) A Moveable Feast,  

“Take the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and sift them together in a bowl.  Throw in the butter with these ingredients and combine it by rubbing the butter in the powdery mixture between your thumb, index finger, and middle finger.  The motion is like you’re feeling the texture of a fiber.  After a few minutes the butter will all but “disappear” into the powdery mixture and the contents of the bowl will look sandy. 

Next, add the sour cream and mix it in - I like to do this with a fork.  Then, combine the half egg and milk, and add them to the mixture.  Kneed the ingredients together just until all the ingredients are combined (and no longer). 

Form your lovely loaf into a sphere and then push it flat.  Slash an “X” across the top of your loaf.  Then put it on a wax paper lined-baking tray and into an over preheated at 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.  By now, your bread should be nice and golden on the outside.  Wait for it to cool, but not too much ’cause we all love warm bread, and then serve with herb butter or just regular butter.  What a great way to start a day!”

I used 4 T of plain yogurt because I was out of sour cream, and it worked wonderfully.  I ate half of it hot out of the oven, slathered with butter, and the other half the next morning (1/4 in milk and 1/4 with butter and jelly).  Next time, I think I’ll double the recipe and make one loaf and several biscuits!