Hungarian potato flatbread - KRUMPLIS LÁNGOS

KRUMPLIS LÁNGOS

Lángos is deep fried yeasted potato dough. It's delicious warm, rubbed with garlic, or topped with sweet chili sauce (though that is probably not a traditionally Hungarian version!) and spread with sour cream. It is also a great accompaniment to soups, stews, curries, or anything where you just want something to mop up the juices!

Lángos served here with sauteed capsicums and sour cream

1-3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup of  milk
1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsps dry yeast

mashed potatoes made from:
1 cup cooked potatoes
1/4 cup of milk
1-1/2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt




In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of warm milk, 1 tsp sugar and the yeast. Leave for 15 minutes until frothy.

In the meantime make the mashed potatoes (cook potatoes, drain, add in milk, butter & salt, and mash).
Spread out thinly in the bottom of a bowl to cool. When cool add the flour and the yeast mixture and combine to a soft dough. Knead until elastic.

Cover and let rise for 1/2 hour. Punch down, knead lightly, cover, and let rise for another 1?2 hour.

Shape into 16 balls. Flatten and roll the balls into flat round shapes.

In a large pot heat 2 inches of vegetable oil. Carefully lower a flat bread or two (depending on size of pan) into the frying oil and fry until both sides are golden - should not take too long if the oil is hot enough. (If oil is too hot it will colour immediately but the inside will still be doughy). Cook all the flat breads and serve with your choice of accompaniments.

Caraway flatbread ... and some chilli ;)

Sorry about the quality of the picture!! This flatbread is really easy to make and you can change the flavours really easily by taking out the caraway and adding other spices, garlic, onion, or even a sprinkle of cheese into the mix. Much nicer than store-bought flatbread and really tasty!

Caraway Flatbread

Caraway flat bread

250g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp caraway seeds pulvarised with the salt

1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in 1/2 cup warm water

Method

Put the flour, salt, and caraway into a bowl. Pour in the water and mix until combined into a dough. Knead lightly till it is smooth. Cover the bowl and leave for about 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 10 pieces,  shape each into a ball, and then roll out thinly. Use a bit of flour on the board and dusted on top of each ball so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin. 

Heat a heavy based pan or skillet on a medium heat. Dry fry each side of the bread until golden (about 2-3 minutes each side). I find they are still warm if I make them quickly, but if you work a bit slower or want to make a double batch it's a good idea to have a warm oven to pop them into to keep warm.

Serve with the meal of your choice - in this case Chilli Beans and salad :)

Luscious Leesa's Beer Baron Bread

Luscious Leesa's Beer Baron Bread

My wonderful friend Leesa gave me her recipe for Beer Bread. It is quick to make, smells great, & tastes yummy.... she has also graciously allowed me to share it with y'all. It really is very yummy, and a perfect accompianment to soup or stews.

Ingredients

3C flour

3t baking powder

1t salt

1 can beer

Method

Mix it all together. Chuck it in a loaf tin of some sort. Sprinkle some grated cheese (and bacon if ya want - yum!!) on top. Bake for 50-ish - 60-ish mins at about 200.

Knot rolls & Cheese and Onion Bread

These two rolls use the same basic bread dough. I love love loved the cheese and onion bread - cooking the onion added such a lovely sweetness to it, and the flavours were beautifully balanced!

Knot rolls and cheese and onion bread - yummo

Basic Bread Dough

2 tsps instant yeast and 1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 cups warm water (or you can use milk for a softer dough)
6 cups sifted plain or bakers flour
2 tsps salt
1 tbs shortening

Step 1: Prepare the yeast liquid by combining the yeast, sugar, and warm water/milk. Set aside for 10-15mins until it is frothy.
Step 2: Mix the flour and salt together, rub in the shortening. Add the yeast liquid and mix to form a dough. Knead until it is smooth and elastic - about 10 minutes by hand.
Step 3: first rising. shape into a ball, put into a bowl & cover it. Place in a warm spot until it has doubled in size - about and hour.
Step 4: punch down, knead lighlty, and shape into loaves or rolls.
Step 5: second rising - cover and let rise till doubled.
Step 6: Bake in a hot oven - 230 degrees celcius - till the loaves shrink slightly and the crust is golden. This will be about 40 minutes for large loaves, 30 minutes for pan loaves, and 15-20 minutes for rolls. I shaped mine into knot rolls - to do this roll out a "snake" and then tie a knot in it! ;)

Cheese and Onion bread.

2 tsps instant yeast and 1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 cups warm water (or you can use milk for a softer dough)
6 cups sifted plain or bakers flour
2 tsps salt
1 tbs shortening

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1-2 tsps butter

Step 1: Prepare the yeast liquid by combining the yeast, sugar, and warm water/milk. Set aside for 10-15mins until it is frothy.
Step 2: Mix the flour and salt together, rub in the shortening. Add the yeast liquid and mix to form a dough. Knead until it is smooth and elastic - about 10 minutes by hand.
Step 3: first rising. shape into a ball, put into a bowl & cover it. Place in a warm spot until it has doubled in size - about an hour.
Step 4: saute onion in the butter until it is translucent. Cool.
Step 5: punch down the dough, add the cheese and onion to the dough and knead it through by hand until they evenly mixed through. Shape into loaves or rolls.
Step 6: second rising - cover and let rise till doubled. I added a little sprinkle of cheese on top of my rolls before baking.
Step 7:  Bake in a hot oven - 230 degrees celcius - till the loaves shrink slightly and the crust is golden. This will be about 40 minutes for large loaves, 30 minutes for pan loaves, and 15-20 minutes for rolls.

Fonott kalács - Hungarian Easter Bread

A braided loaf and a ring ...  mmm smells good!

Fonott kalács - A Hungarian Easter Bread

The traditional lenten feast of old required the abstinence of dairy, meat & eggs, and yeast - so this yeasted bread baked for the Easter festival is a rich one - full of eggs, butter (or other shortenings), sugar, and fruit. Love the scent and taste of the lemon zest in this!

 

Ingredients
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) softened butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup sugar or to taste
2 large eggs
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup light raisins
1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk
 

Preparation:
Stir 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast into milk and let sit for 5 minutes or till activated.

Place flour, salt, yeast mixture, butter pieces, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 eggs, zest and raisins in a bowl, and mix until well combined. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour, if necessary. 

Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat both sides, cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
 

When risen, punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 3 equal pieces and let rest, covered, about 5 minutes. Roll each piece of dough into 3 ropes about 20 inches long and braid on a parchment-lined baking sheet, tucking ends under. 

Instead of one long egg twist, the braid can be joined to make a circle shape. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
 

Heat oven to 190'C. 

Brush egg-milk glaze over entire surface of braid. Bake 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. Let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Note: if you make smaller rings/braids you may need to reduce the cooking time - check on your bread!
 

Scottish Baps

Home-made morning rolls, baked for afternoon tea, with fresh butter and home-made plum jam. Doesn't get much better than this! I love the smell of bread baking on an autumn afternoon!

The recipe sounds involved, but it is actually very easy - it just takes time for the raising of the dough, so make sure you've got the afternoon at home :)

scottish morning rolls - and the old breadbook!

Recipe
1 1/2 tsps active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm milk and 1/2 cup warm water mixed together (lukewarm)
4 cups plain or bakers flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening (I use butter)

mix the sugar into the liquid, then sprinkle the dry yeast on top. Leave in a warm place for 10-15 minutes until the yeast is dissolved and fluffy.

Mix the flour and salt together, rub in the shortening till it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the yeast liquid and gradually incorporate it into the dry ingredients to make a soft dough.

Knead until it is smooth and elastic and no longer sticky - 10 to 15 minutes by hand. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm draft-free spot until double in size (usually 40 minutes to an hour).

Punch the dough down, knead till it is firm, and then shape it into a bap (round flattened loaf) or rolls (makes 10 rolls, or 1 bap and 4 rolls).

Cover and let rise again. Press each roll gently in the middle. Bake towards the top of a moderately hot oven (200C or 400F) for 15-20 minutes for the rolls, and 20-25 minutes for the bap. Best served hot, and reheat well in either microwave or oven.