|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Banbury is a town in Oxfordshire. Its most popular cakes are flavored with rum. They are best served with butter and jam.
Original recipe:
Take four pounds of currants, and wash and picke them very cleane,
and drie them in a cloth: then take three egges and put away one yolke
and beate them, and straine them with good barme, putting thereto cloves,
mace, cinamon and nutmegges: then take a pinte of creame, and as much mornings
milke and set it on the fire till the cold bee taken away: then take flower
and put in good store of cold butter and suger. Then put in your egges,
barme and meale and worke them all together an houre or more: then save
a part of the past, and the rest breake in peeces and worke in your currants:
which done, mould your cake of what quantity you please: and then with
that past which hath not any currants cover it very thinne both underneath
and aloft. And so bake it according to the ginesse.
Gervase Markham
The English Hous-wife
Because ale barm is no longer available, yeast is used as a substitute.
The modern version:
In a saucepan, scald cream. Add butter, brown sugar and salt. Stir to dissolve. Pour mixture into a large bowl and cool to lukewarm.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the yeast, eggs and spices to the cream mixture.
In a large bowl, combine 4 cups flour and currants, stirring until currants are lightly coated. Add to the cream mixture. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and set in a warm place for dough to rise until double, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down dough then knead it again for a few minutes. Shape dough into 2 1/2 inch balls and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Bake at 375 F about 25 minutes or until tops are golden. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. Frost with icing.
Main
MenuCulinary
Menu
