Spotted Dog Recipes

WHOLE WHEAT SODA BREAD WITH RAISINS (SPOTTED DOG)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment. In a large bowl, mix together flours, soda, salt and brown sugar. Swish mixture around with your hands to distribute salt and soda through the bread. Add raisins and toss mixture together to coat raisins with flour.
• Beat egg and place in a measuring cup. Add buttermilk; the liquid in the cup should measure about 1 3/4 cups.
• Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour egg/buttermilk mixture into the well. Working from the center of the bowl in concentric clockwise circles, with fingers outstretched, stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture. (You can use a rubber spatula instead if you don't like getting dough on your hands.) This should take about a half a minute at most. Dough will be sticky and ragged.
• Dust your work surface with flour, clean and dry your hands and dust with flour. Scrape out dough and very quickly and gently pat it into a 1 1/2- to 2-inch-high round and tuck the bottom edges under. (Alternatively, place in a lightly buttered 10-inch round cake pan.) Place on parchment-covered baking sheet. Moisten a knife and cut a deep cross across top of bread.
• Place in oven and immediately turn the heat down to 400 degrees. Bake 40 minutes, until the loaf is dark brown and makes a hollow sound when tapped. Remove from oven, wrap loosely in a kitchen towel (to soften the crust) and place on a rack to cool.

SPOTTED DOG IRISH BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Grease a 12-inch cast iron skillet.
• Sift flour, sugar, and baking powder together in a large bowl.
• Beat eggs with milk in a separate bowl.
• Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until moistened; batter will be very thick.
• Fold in raisins until thoroughly combined.
• Spread batter into prepared cast iron skillet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bread has risen and is golden brown on top, about 1 hour.

SPOTTED DICK

Steps:

• Set a round wire rack in bottom of a large stockpot. Set a 5-cup pudding basin or ovenproof bowl (or two 3-cup basins) on rack. Fill pot with enough water to come about three-quarters of the way up sides of basin. Remove basin; dry, and butter inside. Set aside. Cover pot, and bring to a boil.
• Butter a 10-inch round of parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in butter until pieces are no larger than small peas. Stir in sugar, lemon zest, and currants. Stir in lemon juice, then eggs and milk; stir until combined.
• Transfer batter to prepared basin. Place parchment round, buttered side down, over basin. Make a pleat in center of parchment. Cover with an 11-inch round of foil. Make a pleat in center of foil to allow room for pudding to expand. Cut a piece of kitchen twine about 7 feet long. Wrap twine twice around basin over foil, just below lip. Knot to secure. Tie loose ends to twine on other side of basin, creating a handle.
• Carefully lower pudding into boiling water, and cover pot. Return to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and steam until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pudding registers 180 degrees, about 2 hours, adding boiling water occasionally to maintain level.
• Transfer pudding to a wire rack. Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of bowl to loosen; invert pudding onto a serving plate. Serve warm, with creme anglaise if desired.

SPOTTED DICK WITH BRANDIED CURRANTS

Steps:

• Creme Anglaise:In a medium saucepan, bring milk, cream, and vanilla seeds and pod to a simmer over medium heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt. While whisking, slowly add about half the hot milk mixture to temper, then return to saucepan with remaining milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing with a flexible spatula to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• Pudding:In a small saucepan, heat currants and brandy until warm; let stand at room temperature until most of the brandy has been absorbed, 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, set a round wire rack in bottom of a large stockpot. Set a 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl on rack. Fill pot with enough water to come about three-quarters of the way up sides of bowl. Remove bowl; dry, butter inside, and set aside. Cover pot and bring to a boil.
• Butter a 10-inch parchment round; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in cold butter until pieces are no larger than small peas. Stir in eggs, cream, lemon zest and juice, and currant-brandy mixture until combined.
• Transfer batter to prepared bowl. Place parchment round, buttered-side down, over bowl and top with foil to seal. Fold a long piece of foil into thirds and center bowl on foil. Pull ends of foil to top edge of bowl and carefully lower pudding into boiling water. Fold ends of foil down into pot and cover pot. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; steam until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pudding registers 180 degrees, about 1 hour 15 minutes, occasionally adding boiling water to maintain level, if necessary.
• Using foil sling, transfer pudding to a wire rack. Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of bowl to loosen; invert pudding onto a serving plate. Serve warm with creme anglaise.

SPOTTED DICK

Steps:

• Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the suet, currants, sugar, lemon and orange zest.
• Pour in 150ml milk and mix to a firm but moist dough, adding the extra milk if necessary.
• Shape into a fat roll about 20cm long. Place on a large rectangle of baking parchment. Wrap loosely to allow for the pudding to rise and tie the ends with string like a Christmas cracker.
• Place a steamer over a large pan of boiling water, add the pudding to the steamer, cover and steam for 1½ hours. Top up the pan with water from time to time.
• Remove from the steamer and allow to cool slightly before unwrapping. Serve sliced with custard.

SPOTTED DOG

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Stir in the currants, breaking them apart (the flour will coat them and keep them from clumping together). Mix in the suet.
• Add the milk and eggs, and work the mixture thoroughly with your hands.
• Scrape the batter into a greased six-cup pudding-basin. Tie a well-floured cloth over the pudding. Put the pudding in a pot of boiling water, cover, and steam for two hours. Unmold and serve hot, accompanied by custard sauce.

SPOTTED DOG

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add raisins and toss well. Form a well.
• Break an egg in a 2-cup glass measuring cup and beat lightly. Add buttermilk to bring the volume up to 1 1/2 cups. Pour into the well in the flour. Using one hand, with the fingers open and stiff, mix the flour into the liquid. The dough should be soft, but not very sticky. DO NOT overwork the dough!
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Wash and thoroughly dry your hands; with floured hands, knead bread two or three times to clean up any shaggy edges. Pat into a round about 2" thick. Transfer to a floured baking sheet. Cut a deep cross in the top of the round, allowing the ends of the cuts to drop into the sides of the loaf. Prick the triangles thus formed several times with the tip of the knife.
• Place loaf in oven and reduce heat to 400°F Bake 35-40 minutes, until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when thumped. Serve in thick slices with butter and jam, or with cheddar cheese.

SPOTTED DOG

Steps:

• Heat the brandy until it is just warm to the touch. Place the currants in a bowl and pour in the warmed brandy. Set aside for at least 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Butter four 1-cup pudding molds, custard cups or ramekins. Fill a baking dish (large enough to hold the molds) half-full with water. Place in oven.
• Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sifted flour and baking powder and beat, Add the currants and brandy and stir.
• Pour the batter into the molds, filling them three-fourths full. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place in the baking dish. Cook for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of a pudding comes out clean and they are puffed and golden,.
• Place the extra syrup in a small saucepan and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes, until warm.
• Serve the Spotted Dog warm wirh cream and the warmed syrup.