16
Sweet bread braid:
500 gr of white flour (2 cups + 1 tbsp)
250 ml warm milk (1 cup + 1 tsp)
1 cube (42 gr) of brewers yeast (1 tbsp)
6 tbsp of sugar
60 gr of olive oil (1 tbsp)
2 eggs
Salt
Mix all the ingredients together. Start by putting the yeast into the warm milk. Then ,follow with the other ingredients, stirring all the time to make a nice, even dough. Divide the dough into three equal parts, roll into long strips with the tips of your fingers, and then use them to create a braid, alternating the outside pieces under the middle piece.
Put the shaped bread on a baking tray with some baking paper. Drizzle it with sugar, preferably cane sugar. Leave it to rest for one hour.
Proceed to bake in a pre-heated oven at 170°C (approx. 335°F) for approximately 40 minutes.
Many people have tried a Plum-cake at least once. It is usually eaten at breakfast, or even as a snack, in many parts of the world, particularly Europe. Not everyone may know that one can make a savoury version. The result will be a soft and tasty bread suitable as a snack or to accompany a meal, served sliced.
Here is the simple recipe:
Savoury Plum Cake:
200 gr of Flour (3/4 cup)
3 eggs
salt and pepper
100 ml of cream (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp)
200gr of grated cheese (3/4 cup)
100 gr bacon (2 tbsp + 1 tsp)
60 gr of olive oil (1 tbsp)
one sachet of yeast (7 gr or 2 tsp)
To start making your savoury plum-cake, sieve into a bowl the flour and yeast. Then, add the grated cheese. Mix the ingredients together. Add the chopped bacon and the olive oil and stir. Take a plum cake baking tin (you can find them online), or a springform pan, the capacity should be of about 1 litre. Pour the mixture in it. Level it out using the back of a spoon and place in a pre-heated oven at 180°C (approx. 350°F) for 40-45 minutes.
When the plum-cake is cooked, let it cool before removing it from its tin. Then let it cool down completely.
To finish off these short summer recipes, here is another based on corn on the cob, another typical food for this festivity.
Lughnasadh steamed cobs
4 corn cobs
Fresh grated ginger
3 chopped garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of water
2 teaspoons of freshly chopped chilli peppers
Place the ginger, chilli peppers, and water in a bowl. Pass the corn cobs in these spices. Then, place them in your steaming basket and cook. Alternatively, you can create a sauce with ginger, garlic, and chilli peppers, exchanging the water with olive oil. Brush it onto your cobs after having steamed or grilled them.
*Note: The US measurements have been converted and may be slightly off. We recommend testing these recipes to find what works best for you. You can also purchase an inexpensive digital kitchen scale online, that weighs grams.