“This is an old, old recipe for Sally Lunn…It makes a beautiful standing loaf that, when fresh, should be torn apart with forks rather than cut, to maintain its lightness. Or, after cooling, it can be sliced and toasted.”
-James Beard, Beard on Bread
After spending yesterday afternoon blogging about bread, I was in the mood to bake some more. I settled on Sally Lunn as an easy recipe to try.
Here are the ingredients:
I didn’t have enough all-purpose flour on hand, so I substituted bread (or hard wheat) flour.
Since this is a batter bread recipe, there is no kneading–I just mixed the ingredients together and let the dough rise for about an hour. Then, I stirred the dough a bit and poured it into a Bundt pan (I didn’t have a regular tube pan, so I used my Bundt/fluted tube pan). Then I let the dough rise for another hour and a half.
I baked the bread at 375 degrees for 30 minutes (15 minutes less than the minimum time recommended), and it was already becoming over-browned.
Sally Lunn tastes amazing–buttery with the perfect hint of sweetness. When served hot out of the oven, it has a wonderful fluffy texture; when cool, it has a dense texture similar to a pound cake. My only complaint is that the crust was too tough; I recommend keeping a very close eye on the bread and removing from the oven as soon as it starts to brown.