Stilton and Walnut Soda Bread...sort of
A couple of people have told me that they like the idea of making their own bread but they didn't have a bread machine and they couldn't spare the time to make it from scratch. A good alternative is soda bread. Unlike yeasted breads which require, uh, yeast, to give them their airiness, soda breads rely on the action between baking soda and some sort of acid to give the bread its rise.
Soda breads are also wonderfully easy; you can do a plain Irish soda bread or you can fill it with whatever taste combination suits your fancy. My family likes cheesy soda breads and I have included a link below for one of my go-tos. Today's loaf is Paul Hollywood's recipe for Stilton cheese and walnut.
The walnuts were easy. I always buy nuts and keep them in my fridge or freezer so they stay fresh. Stilton is a little harder to come by; Whole Foods probably has it but I really don't want to go there. I substituted Roquefort instead; hence the title of the post.
Here is today's cast; I didn't have buttermilk so I got out the 2% milk and some lemon juice.
I measured about 4-1/2 T. of lemon juice into a measuring cup, which came out to a scant 1/4 cup, then added milk to make 1 cup.
In less than a minute, the lemon juice had soured and curdled the milk. Instant buttermilk replacement!
The dry ingredients were combined and I made a well in the center. At this point I should have added the Roquefort and walnuts but I assumed they went in last. Oh well.
I added half the buttermilk to the well and after a couple of turns I realized my mistake.
The cheese and walnuts went in at this point and I continued to mix and add buttermilk at intervals. Another change I made is I did not have quite enough Roquefort. I made up the weight in grated Parmesan because it was easy to grab but in hindsight, Parm is a much dryer cheese than Roquefort. It made for a dryer mixture.
I tipped the mixture onto a lightly floured countertop and pushed the dough into a ball. Normally soda bread dough is a bit sticky but this one, thanks to the Parm, was stiffer and dryer.
I used my new lamé (thanks, Adelina!) to make two long slashes across the top. It was a little difficult because of the dough's heaviness and the occasional walnut that intruded into the blade's path.
The bread was placed in a 400 oven for 30-35 minutes. After 35 minutes it was a good color but I wasn't sure if it was baked all the way through. A filled dough doesn't make the same hollow noise when you tap it and the abundance of cheese meant the inside that I could see looked moist.
I let it cool and then split it open along the seams. There was a definite bit of doughiness that needed longer cooking so when we were ready to eat, I separated the loaf into fourths and popped it back into the oven for about 10 minutes.
The top got crustier and the exposed surfaces finished baking nicely. The texture was almost scone-like. And the smell! You can't beat cheese for sheer yum!
The verdict from the guys: Chris said he liked that less Roquefort was used because the full amount would have been too much. We agreed that a moister cheese than Parm would have made the loaf less dense but the flavor was very good.
Definitely more experimentation to do on this one! Four turtle rating from me!
Here are the promised links:
Stilton and Walnut Soda Bread
Cheesy Soda Bread
A family favorite!
Soda breads are also wonderfully easy; you can do a plain Irish soda bread or you can fill it with whatever taste combination suits your fancy. My family likes cheesy soda breads and I have included a link below for one of my go-tos. Today's loaf is Paul Hollywood's recipe for Stilton cheese and walnut.
The walnuts were easy. I always buy nuts and keep them in my fridge or freezer so they stay fresh. Stilton is a little harder to come by; Whole Foods probably has it but I really don't want to go there. I substituted Roquefort instead; hence the title of the post.
Here is today's cast; I didn't have buttermilk so I got out the 2% milk and some lemon juice.
I measured about 4-1/2 T. of lemon juice into a measuring cup, which came out to a scant 1/4 cup, then added milk to make 1 cup.
In less than a minute, the lemon juice had soured and curdled the milk. Instant buttermilk replacement!
The dry ingredients were combined and I made a well in the center. At this point I should have added the Roquefort and walnuts but I assumed they went in last. Oh well.
I added half the buttermilk to the well and after a couple of turns I realized my mistake.
The cheese and walnuts went in at this point and I continued to mix and add buttermilk at intervals. Another change I made is I did not have quite enough Roquefort. I made up the weight in grated Parmesan because it was easy to grab but in hindsight, Parm is a much dryer cheese than Roquefort. It made for a dryer mixture.
I tipped the mixture onto a lightly floured countertop and pushed the dough into a ball. Normally soda bread dough is a bit sticky but this one, thanks to the Parm, was stiffer and dryer.
I used my new lamé (thanks, Adelina!) to make two long slashes across the top. It was a little difficult because of the dough's heaviness and the occasional walnut that intruded into the blade's path.
The bread was placed in a 400 oven for 30-35 minutes. After 35 minutes it was a good color but I wasn't sure if it was baked all the way through. A filled dough doesn't make the same hollow noise when you tap it and the abundance of cheese meant the inside that I could see looked moist.
I let it cool and then split it open along the seams. There was a definite bit of doughiness that needed longer cooking so when we were ready to eat, I separated the loaf into fourths and popped it back into the oven for about 10 minutes.
The top got crustier and the exposed surfaces finished baking nicely. The texture was almost scone-like. And the smell! You can't beat cheese for sheer yum!
The verdict from the guys: Chris said he liked that less Roquefort was used because the full amount would have been too much. We agreed that a moister cheese than Parm would have made the loaf less dense but the flavor was very good.
Definitely more experimentation to do on this one! Four turtle rating from me!
Here are the promised links:
Stilton and Walnut Soda Bread
Cheesy Soda Bread
A family favorite!
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