Treacle Bread from Guest Author Connie Berry, plus #Giveaway!

 

Molly MacRae here, delighted to welcome Connie Berry to Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. Connie writes the brilliant Kate Hamilton Mysteries set in the U.K. After reading Connie’s books, I long to hop a plane to Britain. After reading this recipe, I immediately wanted to hop to the kitchen. After you read and drool over the recipe, be sure to answer Connie’s trivia question for a chance to win a signed copy of her latest Kate Hamilton Mystery—The Shadow of Memory. Here’s Connie:

 

While in the village of Long Barston in Suffolk, American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton has the great fortune to board with Vivian Bunn, the elderly, opinionated, and endearing seventy-something who lives in Rose Cottage on the Finchley Hall estate. Besides Kate’s cozy room under the thatch, she enjoys Vivian’s lavish and legendary cooking and baking. Treacle bread is one of Vivian’s specialties.

 What is treacle, you ask? If you Google it, you’ll find that both treacle and molasses are the byproducts of refining sugar. The thickest version in the UK is known as “black treacle,” which has a characteristic sweet bitterness and a slightly burnt flavor. A similar product in the States is known as unsulphured or blackstrap molasses, which is thicker, darker, and a little sweeter than the British equivalent. Interestingly, up to the seventeenth century, treacle was used medicinally as an antidote to poison and snakebite. Now both versions are used primarily in cooking and baking.

 Here's Vivian Bunn’s recipe:

Vivian Bunn’s Treacle Bread

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter brought to room temperature

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 cups coarse wholemeal flour (or whole wheat if you must, but the texture will be different)

1/2 cup black treacle (if you can find it) or unsulphured molasses

3/4 cup European-style hard cider (or a malty beer)

3 packages active dry yeast

4 teaspoons kosher salt

 

Method:

1. Butter two 8” x 4” loaf pans and dust lightly with all-purpose flour. 

2. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water, the cider or beer, and the treacle or molasses. Bring to about 80⸰ F (warm room temperature). Sprinkle all the yeast on top and stir gently. Let stand about 5 minutes until bubbly. 

3. Combine both flours and salt in a large bowl. Add the liquid yeast mixture and beat until well    combined (5 minutes or so). You may use a paddle blender, but Vivian prefers a sturdy wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until doubled, about 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours. 

4. The dough should be coarse and sticky. Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour hands and divide dough in two equal parts. Roll up each half into a log and place in the prepared loaf pans. 

5. Cover with plastic and let stand in a warm spot until doubled again, about an hour. Halfway through, place a baking sheet in oven and preheat to 350⸰ F. 

6. Place two pans  in oven and bake for 30 minutes. 

7. Remove loaves from pans and transfer to hot baking sheet. Bake another 30 minutes. 

8. Loaves are done when an instant thermometer registers about 185⸰. 

9. Cool on wire racks. 

10. Serve with unsalted butter.

 

Bread is a staple food all over the world. Here’s a trivia question:

Which country used bread as a currency in ancient times—China, Egypt, or Italy?

If you know the correct answer, comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of The Shadow of Memory. I'll choose a winner, at random, on Sunday 7/31. 

And head over to my website to sign up for my monthly newsletter. Right now I’m giving away vintage cocktail recipes! Website: www.connieberry.com

You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter. 

Facebook: www.facebook/connieberryauthor               

Twitter: @conniecberry