English muffins: King Arthur yeast-preferment version
King Arthur’s six-piece English muffin batch uses a yeast preferment, two folds and a skillet or electric griddle; it is distinct from the sourdough-and-yeast version already catalogued.
Modern adaptation
Lardy cake
Lardy Cake Recipe · lardy cake · lardy bread
A yeast dough is folded around sweetened lard and dried fruit, then baked in tins until the bottom caramelizes.
Raw flour handling
The dough contains raw flour before baking. Do not taste it; keep it separate from ready-to-eat foods, then wash hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling.
Sources for this section
History
Hobbs House calls this a family recipe sold in its Gloucestershire shops. That contemporary bakery statement documents its own version and modern use, not lardy cake’s earliest origin.
Ingredients
Yield 2 cakes · Scaling: source batch only
Strong white bread flour
275 g
Lardfor dough
50 g
Warm waterfor dough
175 mL
Sea saltfor dough
pinch
Baker’s yeast
Amount not stated
5 g dried OR 10 g fresh; choose one form, not bothCaster sugarfor lard-and-sugar mix
250 g
Lardslightly softened, for filling
200 g
Raisins and sultanasfilling
Amount not stated
a handful; method later says raisins and currantsSugarsprinkle over filling at bottom of each tin
Amount not stated
a generous tablespoon per tinFlour for handlingwell-flour the rolling surface before shaping
Amount not stated
as needed; source gives no quantityMethod
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour and dough
Uncooked flour may carry harmful bacteria; do not taste the raw dough.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough. Keep flour and dough away from ready-to-eat foods, and wash hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling.
Control sourceThe source does not state a finished-storage duration or internal endpoint; its golden-color and base-browning cues are recipe directions, not validated limits.
- Line two 15 cm cake tins or enamel pie dishes with greaseproof paper. Weigh the flour, salt and 50 g dough lard into a large bowl. Mix the yeast into the warm water and stir into the bowl.
- Knead by hand for 15 minutes or in an electric mixer for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled or for 1 hour, whichever comes first. Meanwhile combine 200 g softened filling lard with the caster sugar.
- Divide the rested dough in two. Shape each piece round and roll on a well-floured surface to a 20 cm disc. Spread a layer of sweet lard mixture on each disc, fold the perimeter inward clockwise, pressing each fold down.
- Roll each folded disc out again. Spread the remaining sweet lard mixture over the two discs, leaving about one tablespoon total for coating the tins; the source does not state how the filling is divided between discs. Sprinkle with dried fruit, fold as before, then roll to fit the tins. The ingredient list says raisins and sultanas while the method says raisins and currants, and neither gives a fruit quantity.
- Use the reserved sweet lard mixture to coat the base and sides of both lined tins; the source does not state how that remainder is divided. Sprinkle a generous tablespoon of sugar over each tin. Set the dough in with the layered side uppermost, cover, and leave in a warm place for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F), 190°C fan (374°F), or gas mark 6½. Bake for 45 minutes until the cake is golden all over and can just be lifted from the tin with a small palette knife. Bake the base until the caramelized lard sets without burning. Cool in the tin for 30 minutes, turn it onto greaseproof paper, and serve sunny side up.
Conditions
Yield2 cakes
Places
Gloucestershire
Modern adaptation · Region evidenceHobbs House says it sells this family recipe in its Gloucestershire shops; this does not establish lardy cake’s origin.
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Sources
Hobbs House BakeryInspiration · Recipe · Modern use
Lardy Cake Recipefamily-recipe and Gloucestershire shop association; two-cake formula and method, ingredient-list/method fruit wording difference, warm rises, pan sizes and oven settings
After the 45-minute bake, cool in the tins for 30 minutes until the caramelized lard toffee sets; turn onto greaseproof paper and serve with the layered side up.
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSafety
Raw Flour and DoughRaw flour may contain germs; avoid tasting raw dough, bake it before eating, keep it away from ready-to-eat food, and wash hands and surfaces after handling.
Cited in: Raw flour handling