Indulge in the delightful flavors of Ballymaloe's renowned brown yeast bread, a staple in the world of Irish cuisine. This traditional bread boasts a unique combination of hearty whole wheat flour and the nutty sweetness of molasses, resulting in a loaf that is both flavorful and nutritious. With a crispy crust and a soft, tender crumb, it's a perfect accompaniment to a variety of dishes. Discover the secrets of this beloved recipe, passed down through generations of Irish bakers, and embark on a culinary journey that will leave your taste buds dancing with joy.
In this article, we present a collection of Ballymaloe brown yeast bread recipes, each offering a slightly different take on this classic. From the simplicity of the basic recipe to the decadent indulgence of the Guinness and chocolate bread, there's a recipe here to suit every palate. Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting your bread-making adventure, our detailed instructions and helpful tips will guide you through the process, ensuring a perfect loaf every time. So gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and prepare to be amazed by the magic of Ballymaloe brown yeast bread.
BALLYMALOE BROWN BREAD
You can get Irish-style flour from the mill in Ireland (linked in the post) or from King Arthur Flour. Should you live elsewhere, check out my tips for finding foods online where you are. If you don't want to mail away for it, you might try replacing up to 4 tablespoons of the whole-wheat flour with wheat germ and see if you like the results. Otherwise, try to get good quality whole-wheat flour, preferably stone-ground. If you wish to use all whole-wheat flour, you can omit the white flour and use whole-wheat flour in its place. Tim told me they found they prefer it with just a little bit of white flour in the loaf. Because I wanted to replicate the bread at home just the way they do it there, I measured the ingredients by weight and used fresh yeast, which is sold in some grocery stores and often at natural foods markets. Molasses is widely available in the U.S., although they use treacle at Ballymaloe which is almost the same thing. (In France, it's called Mélasse.) I didn't try it with active dry yeast because I was so satisfied with the results using the fresh yeast but according to the Ballymaloe original recipe," Dried yeast may be used instead of baker's (fresh) yeast. Follow the same method but use only half the weight given for fresh yeast. Allow longer to rise. Fast active dry yeast may also be used, follow the instructions on the packet." There are some additional notes from another baker at the end of this recipe.
Provided by David
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Mix the flours with the salt in a medium bowl.
- Pour 150ml of water into a small bowl and stir in the molasses, then crumble in the fresh yeast, stirring a couple of times. Let stand until it starts to foam on top, about 10 minutes.
- Pour the yeast mixture and the remaining 275ml water into the flour and stir until a batter is formed, which will have the consistency of oatmeal. (If using standard whole-wheat flour, the dough will be sticky, and rather wet.) Let stand 10 minutes.
- Spray a nonstick 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan with nonstick spray and cut a piece of parchment or wax paper to line the bottom of the pan. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula or if it's sticky, dampen your hand and use that then drape a kitchen towel over the top (so it's not pressing down on the dough, but just lightly over the top) and let rise in a warm place until the dough reaches the top of the pan, about 20 minutes - although it can vary so just keep an eye on it.
- Before the dough has almost reached the top of the pan, preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC). When the dough has reached the top of the pan, bake the bread for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, decrease the heat to 400ºF (200ºC). Run a knife around the outside of the bread to release it from the pan, tip the loaf out of the pan, remove the parchment paper, and place the loaf upside down directly on the baking rack and let bake another 15 minutes, or until done. The bread is ready when you tap the bottom and it sounds hollow. If using an instant-read thermometer, the temperature should read 190ºF (88ºC). Let the bread cool on a wire rack before slicing.
- The bread is best eaten fresh, smeared with lots of good butter, or toasted for breakfast, with jam and butter. It's also nice for open-faced sandwiches, and would be a fine accompaniment to a cheese board, too.
BALLYMALOE BROWN BREAD
Provided by Eric Treuille
Categories Bread Bake St. Patrick's Day Healthy Molasses Whole Wheat
Yield Yield: 1 loaf
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Grease an 8in x 2 1/2in (20cm x 10cm x 6cm) loaf pan and warm it in a preheated oven 250¿F/120¿C, for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the yeast into 2/3 cup (150ml) of the water in a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Add the molasses. Leave for 10 minutes, until frothy. Add the remaining water and stir.
- Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast. Stir in the flour to form a thick batter.
- Use your hands to mix the batter gently in the bowl for 1 minute, until it begins to leave the sides of the bowl clean and forms a soft, sticky dough.
- Place the dough in the prepared pan and cover with a dish towel. Proof until the dough is 1/2in (1 cm) above the top of the pan, about 25-30 minutes.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 425¿F/220¿C for 30 minutes, then lower the oven to 400¿F/200¿C and bake for 15 minutes.
- Turn the loaf out of the pan and onto a baking sheet. Return the bread, bottom side up, to the oven. Bake for a further 10 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding when tapped underneath. Let cool on a wire rack.
- Proofing: 25-30 minutes. Oven temperature: 425¿F/220¿C. Baking: 55 minutes Yeast alternative: 1oz (30g) cake yeast
BALLYMALOE BROWN YEAST BREAD
Provided by Food Network
Time 1h15m
Yield 1 loaf
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- When making Ballymaloe brown yeast bread, remember that yeast is a living organism. In order to grow, it requires warmth, moisture and nourishment. The yeast feeds on the sugar and produces bubbles of carbon dioxide which causes the bread to rise. Heat of over 122 degrees F/50 degrees C will kill yeast. Have the ingredients and equipment at blood heat. White or brown sugar, honey golden syrup, treacle or molasses may be used. Each will give a slightly different flavour to the bread. At Ballymaloe we use treacle. The dough rises more rapidly with 1 ounce (25 grams) yeast than with 3/4 ounce (20 grams) yeast.
- We use a stone ground wholemeal. Different flours produce breads of different textures and flavour. The amount of natural moisture in the flour varies according to atmospheric conditions. The quantity of water should be altered accordingly. The dough should be just too wet to knead - in fact it does not require kneading. The main ingredients - wholemeal flour, treacle and yeast are highly nutritious.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F/230 degrees C/gas mark 8.
- Mix the flour with the salt. In a small bowl or mixing cup, mix the treacle with 15 fluid ounces/ scant 2 cups (425 milliliters) water and crumble in the yeast.
- Sit the bowl for a few minutes in a warm place to allow the yeast to start to work. Grease a 5 by 8-inch (13 by 20 centimeters) loaf tin with sunflower oil. Meanwhile, check to see if the yeast is rising. After about 4 or 5 minutes it will have a creamy and slightly frothy appearance on top.
- When ready, stir and pour it, with all the remaining 10 fluid ounces/1 1/4 cups (275 milliliters) water into the flour to make a loose, wet dough. The mixture should be too wet to knead. Put the mixture into the greased tin. Sprinkle the top of the loaves with sesame seeds, if you like. Put the tin in a warm place somewhere close to the cooker or near a radiator perhaps. Cover the tins with a tea towel to prevent a skin from forming. Just as the bread comes to the top of the tin, remove the tea towel and pop the loaves in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C/gas mark 6 for another 40 to 50 minutes, or until it looks nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped. The bread will rise a little further in the oven. This is called "oven spring". If, however, the bread rises to the top of the tin before it goes into the oven it will continue to rise and flow over the edges.
- We usually remove the loaves from the tins about 10 minutes before the end of cooking and put them back into the oven to crisp all round, but if you like a softer crust there's no need to do this.
BALLYMALOE BROWN BREAD (ZWT-8)
A staple of Irish meals, brown bread can be served alongside soups & stews, often w/slices of Cheddar or smeared w/butter or a thick fruit jam. This adapted version comes from Colman Andrews' The Country Cooking of Ireland, an award-winning resource for regional recipes. Colman learned it from Tim Allen (a former instructor at the Ballymaloe Cookery School) & the orig recipe comes from baker Doris Grant. I found it another 1 of my Grandparents.com newsletters & think the baking tips mentioned in the directions are helpful for experienced bread makers, but esp so for bread makers less-experienced like myself. (Rising times were included in the prep time) *Enjoy!*
Provided by twissis
Categories Yeast Breads
Time 1h45m
Yield 1 Large Loaf, 1 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Dissolve the molasses or treacle in 2/3 cup warm water in a sml bowl. (Around 100F is ideal) Grant calls it "blood heat" & notes the easiest way to obtain this temp (w/o a thermometer) is: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add 3 cups of cold water. Stir in the yeast & set aside for 8-10 minutes (or until the yeast begins to froth).
- Put the flour into a lrg bowl & mix in the salt.
- Lightly grease a lrg non-stick loaf pan w/oil.
- Make a well in the flour, pour in the yeast mixture & let it sit for a minute. Pour in about 1 1/4 cups warm water (see above), then form your hand into a rigid claw & stir the liquid into the flour slowly but steadily in a spiral motion (starting in the middle & working outwards to the rim of the bowl). The dough should be soft & too wet to knead (add water as necessary).
- Let the dough rest in bowl in a warm place for about 15 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to the greased loaf pan, cover loosely w/a damp towel & set in a warm place to rise for about 20 minutes. ("The bread should be what we call 'proud,'" says Tim Allen, "just beginning to peer over the top of the pan.")
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Bake the bread for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temp to 400F & bake for 35-45 minutes more. If you like a crisp crust, remove the bread from the pan about 10 minutes before it is done, then return it to the oven (placing it upside down directly on the oven rack to finish cooking).
Nutrition Facts : Calories 2151.5, Fat 17.2, SaturatedFat 2.9, Sodium 2354.4, Carbohydrate 448.5, Fiber 71.8, Sugar 6.2, Protein 90.7
Tips:
- Activate the yeast properly: Ensure the water is lukewarm (around 110°F) and mix it with sugar to activate the yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes foamy. This step is crucial for the bread to rise properly.
- Use high-quality ingredients: Good quality flour, butter, and milk will result in a tastier and more flavorful bread. If possible, use organic or locally sourced ingredients.
- Knead the dough properly: Kneading the dough develops the gluten, which gives the bread its structure and texture. Knead for at least 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place: The dough should rise in a warm place (around 75-80°F) until it doubles in size. This usually takes about 1 hour.
- Bake the bread at a high temperature: A high baking temperature (around 425°F) will give the bread a crispy crust and a fluffy interior.
Conclusion:
The Ballymaloe Brown Yeast Bread is a delicious and versatile bread that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's easy to make and only requires a few simple ingredients. With its hearty flavor and wholesome texture, this bread is sure to become a favorite in your household. So, gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and let's get baking!
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