Spotted Dog Cakelike Raisin Bread
Entered for zwt, found posted by katherine on docharo.com as a traditional irish recipe. irish flour is preferred; if unavailable use unbleached or plain white flour or any soft, low-gluten flour. king arthur sells an irish style flour. Do not use bread flour or seminola flour. katherine showed 1 level teaspoon as the imperial measurement for bread soda and salt. Do not use homogenized buttermilk; you can use whole milk that has gone a little sour, or in a pinch you can add 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar to fresh milk, but the bread will turn out a little heavier. also, don't knead; work quickly with your fingers and get the loaf in the oven asap. this bread doesn't last long, it goes stale quickly. The next day it could be toasted.
Steps
Preheat oven to 450f / 230c / gas mark 6.
Do not start until oven is ready.
Then ignore the doorbell , telephone and cell phone until your bread is in the oven.
For best results , measure everything before you begin.
Sieve the flour , bread soda , salt and about 2 teaspoons of sugar into a large bowl and mix in the fruit.
Whisk about 1 1 / 3 cup of the milk together with the egg.
Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in almost all of the milk and egg mixture.
Quickly and with a light touch , use your fingers to quickly and lightly bring the flour in from the edges and mix with the milk , until all the ingredients come together into a dough.
Use your hands , not a spoon or mixer.
Work quickly and lightly.
The dough should be soft rather than wet or sticky.
If it is too dry add a little more of the milk and egg mix or the of the remaining buttermilk.
Once it has come together , do not knead , just place it on a floured wooden board , pick up a handful of flour and.
Ingredients
flour, baking soda, salt, caster sugar, egg, buttermilk, sultana raisins