Bready or Not: Sally Lunn Bread in a Bundt Cake Pan
This is an enriched yeast bread, inspired by the famous bread made in Bath, England. This version is mixed in a food processor, then rises and bakes in a bundt cake. The result is great to eat in combinations that are savory or sweet--it tastes best toasted in some way, whether with butter and jam or even as a lush grilled cheese sandwich, pressed flat in a waffle maker! The bread results in about 18 thick, angled slices.
Course: Appetizer, Bread, Dessert, Main Course
Cuisine: British
Keyword: yeast bread
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
large food processor
large bundt pan
Ingredients
1/2cupmilk
1/2cupwater
3 1/2 to 4cupsall-purpose flour
1/3cupwhite sugar
1teaspoonsalt
2 1/4teaspooninstant yeast
1/2cupunsalted butter 1 stick, room temperature
3large eggs room temperature
Instructions
Warm the milk and water together, by microwave or stovetop, to about 100-degrees.
Fit a plastic dough blade inside the food processor. Add 2 cups flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Pulse a few times. Add the milk-water, butter, and eggs, and pulse more. Add 1/2 cup more flour. Pulse again. Add the rest of the flour, pulsing until the dough becomes stiff.
Cover mixer bowl with lid or plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature for about an hour. It should double.
Remove plastic wrap, if using, and affix lid. Pulse a few times to beat down again--but be warned, the dough is so thick, the processor might jump around. Stay right there. The dough only needs a few seconds of pulses.
Thoroughly grease the bundt pan. Pour in the batter and smooth it out to an even level. Cover pan with plastic wrap or a towel and let the dough rise until it has doubled again, about 50 minutes.
Preheat oven at 325-degrees.
Bake for 50 minutes. The loaf should look golden brown on top, and a digital thermometer plunged into the middle of the bread should read at least 190-degrees.
Let loaf cool in pan about 20 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool more. The bread is fragile to cut and requires thick slices. This Sally Lunn loaf is best eaten warm, especially toasted. It can also be cut into individual slices and frozen for later enjoyment.