Post by braided-rug on Jul 4, 2006 22:43:53 GMT 10
Today I saw a picture of Cornish Saffron Cake in The Age newspaper and it looked delicious.
This is a recipe from the net.
Cornish saffron cake
The Cornish once traded tin for saffron with the Phoenicians. The saffron was sold in drachms.
1lb plain flour
6oz butter, margarine or lard
6oz sugar
6oz currants, sultanas
1.5oz of mixed, diced, candied peel (lemon or orange)
0.25tsp salt
1oz yeast or 1 sachet of dried yeast
1 drachm saffron strands
warm milk and water to mix
drachms = 1/8 of an ounce
½ drachms = 1/16 of an ounce 1 drachms = 3.5 grams
½ drachms = 1.75 grams
Overnight put saffron to infuse by snipping the strands and cover with 1/4cup of boiling water and a small pinch of salt.
Cover with a saucer.
Put yeast into cup with a teaspoon of sugar and add 1/2cup of warm milk and water - not too hot but more than tepid so as not to kill the yeast.
Rub fat into the flour then add sugar and mix together.
When the yeast has risen in the cup, make a pit in the centre of the flour and sugar mix and pour in the yeast, covering with a sprinkle of flour (this keeps the temperature constant).
When this cracks and the yeast sponges through, warm the previously steeped saffron mixture a little and add together with fruit and peel and start combining all the ingredients together adding extra liquid as you go until the whole thing makes a soft dough without being too sticky.
Cover this with a clean tea-towel and leave in a warm (not too hot) place to rise.
This takes between 30-45 minutes.
Put into greased proof loaf tins, cover and leave to rise again until the mixture is level with the top of the tin.
Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees centigrade) for 3/4 - 1 hour.
Leave to cool on a wire rack
From: www.saffronspecialist.co.uk/Recipes/cornish-saffron-cake.htm
This is a recipe from the net.
Cornish saffron cake
The Cornish once traded tin for saffron with the Phoenicians. The saffron was sold in drachms.
1lb plain flour
6oz butter, margarine or lard
6oz sugar
6oz currants, sultanas
1.5oz of mixed, diced, candied peel (lemon or orange)
0.25tsp salt
1oz yeast or 1 sachet of dried yeast
1 drachm saffron strands
warm milk and water to mix
drachms = 1/8 of an ounce
½ drachms = 1/16 of an ounce 1 drachms = 3.5 grams
½ drachms = 1.75 grams
Overnight put saffron to infuse by snipping the strands and cover with 1/4cup of boiling water and a small pinch of salt.
Cover with a saucer.
Put yeast into cup with a teaspoon of sugar and add 1/2cup of warm milk and water - not too hot but more than tepid so as not to kill the yeast.
Rub fat into the flour then add sugar and mix together.
When the yeast has risen in the cup, make a pit in the centre of the flour and sugar mix and pour in the yeast, covering with a sprinkle of flour (this keeps the temperature constant).
When this cracks and the yeast sponges through, warm the previously steeped saffron mixture a little and add together with fruit and peel and start combining all the ingredients together adding extra liquid as you go until the whole thing makes a soft dough without being too sticky.
Cover this with a clean tea-towel and leave in a warm (not too hot) place to rise.
This takes between 30-45 minutes.
Put into greased proof loaf tins, cover and leave to rise again until the mixture is level with the top of the tin.
Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees centigrade) for 3/4 - 1 hour.
Leave to cool on a wire rack
From: www.saffronspecialist.co.uk/Recipes/cornish-saffron-cake.htm