So yesterday I was looking through an old cook book and found a recipe for Yorkshire Tea Cakes and thought I would have a go.
Wow they are lovely, was going to take a pic, but there are only two left (hubby having taken some to work). My only criticism however would be that they were a bit too big and next time I make them I will make them smaller.
The recipe was very easy (the only difficult bit being the kneading).
Yorkshire Tea Cakes
1lb (450g) strong plain flour
1tsp (5ml) salt
1oz (25g) butter
1oz (25g) caster sugar
2oz (50g) currants or sultanas
2tsp dried yeast
1/2 pint (300ml) milk, lukewarm
extra milk for brushing
Firstly sift the flour into a bowl with the salt and rub in the butter. Then add the sugar and fruit and toss lightly together.
Dissolve 1tsp sugar in the lukewarm milk and sprinkle the yeast on top. Leave for about 10 minutes in a warm place until frothy.
After ten minutes I added the frothy milk to the dry ingredients and mixed well until I had a firm dough (you may need a little extra flour)
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and then knead for about 10 minutes (the dough should be smooth and elastic) put dough in a bowl and cover and then leave in a warm place until doubled in size (this took about an hour).
Once the dough had doubled in size, I turned it out onto a floured surface and kneaded lightly again and then cut the dough into six pieces (I would probably do 8 or even 10 next time). Shape them into balls and flatten to about 1cm thick. Then place on a lightly greased baking tray, brush the tops with milk and then cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place to rise until nearly doubled in size. This time it took about half an hour.
Then put in the oven at gas 6, 200 c or 400 f for about 20 minutes. Once cooked remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
These went down really well. I think when I make them next I will add a little mixed spice or even some nutmeg for a bit more flavour.
