The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz [33]
Cool completely before cutting into 1-inch squares.
Makes 64 pieces
Irish Soda Bread
Mrs. Weasley always seems prepared when it comes to food. Harry can burst in on her in the middle of the night and she'll still be able to serve him a nice meal. Fresh bread is part of it when Dumbledore brings Harry to the Burrow after taking him to Professor Slughorn's (see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 5).
The Irish weren't very much into yeast breads (inadequate cooking utensils were the culprit), so they must have been very happy when baking soda arrived on the scene; they could quickly and easily make bread with it. And that's what they've been doing since the late 1800s. This is the bread to serve with soups and stews, and it makes awesome toast.
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter
1 large egg, beaten
1½ cups buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 425°F and grease and flour a 9-inch round baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it is completely rubbed in. The mixture will still be floury because of the much higher proportion of flour. With a wooden spoon stir or fold in the egg and buttermilk until a dough begins to form. Turn the dough onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead briefly just until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a round and dust the top with the extra flour. Place the dough into the prepared pan and score an X about ½-inch deep on the top of the dough.
Bake for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350°F and bake another 40 minutes until the bottom is dark golden brown.
Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Irish soda bread tastes best the day it is made but makes the best toast ever after the first day. Serve with soup or stew.
Makes 1 loaf
Treacle Pudding
Apparently, Harry loves anything treacle. He's always reaching for the treacle tart, and he seems to really like the treacle pudding Mrs. Weasley prepared for dessert the night before he left the Burrow for Hogwarts (see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 5).
Treacle is like molasses and is made during sugar refining. Black treacle is like dark molasses, and light treacle is also called golden syrup, which can be found in some supermarkets and specialty food stores. The light variety is so good that if you buy it you might find yourself sneaking spoonfuls every now and then.
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup golden syrup or light molasses
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
fi cup milk, at room temperature
½ cup golden syrup or light molasses, plus more for serving
Fill a large pot with water and place a shallow bowl upside down inside the pot. Bring the water to a boil. Butter and flour a 2½-quart round baking dish or glass bowl and its lid; set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and the 1/3 cup golden syrup or molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing at medium speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds after each. Add the lemon zest and juice and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing on the lowest speed just until incorporated and beginning and ending with the flour. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and