The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Hello from Belfast, Northern Ireland!

Sheps's picture
Sheps

Hello from Belfast, Northern Ireland!

Hello all... just dropping a line to say hello from Northern Ireland! Anybody else from the Belfast area?

I've been hanging around the site for a couple of weeks now, and have definitely got the bread making bug. Even my fussy eater boyfriend is excited about the bread I'm making - hurrah for the Fresh Loaf!

All the best

Sheps

thomaschacon75's picture
thomaschacon75

Looking forward to your posts.

Dan Lepard published a book called The Handmade Loaf that has many traditional breads from your area. (I could never find half of the ingredients, alas).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handmade-Loaf-Dan-Lepard/dp/1845333896/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1309269440&sr=8-3

(Those in the United States will want to buy the American version, titled "The Art of Handmade Bread". It's the exact same book, just Americanized. Trust me, you don't want the UK version; you'll never find the ingredients locally.)

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Handmade-Bread-Contemporary-European/dp/1845333128/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309269558&sr=8-1

Sheps's picture
Sheps

Oooh, looks great, thanks for the tip!

Floydm's picture
Floydm

Welcome, Sheps!

Sheps's picture
Sheps

Thanks!

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

I was born in Belfast and raised in the US.... my family loves soda bread :) fish and chips :) got a good batter recipe for the fish :) ?

Sylvia 

Sheps's picture
Sheps

Nice to hear from you! Battered fish and chips aren't something I would make at home... they are a treat that's much better served from the chippy (and we are lucky to have a great one not far from here). However, many moons ago my first job was in a chippy and the batter is generally just flour and water; mix til you get the quantity and consistency you want... experiment! The difference with the chip shops is the oil they use; mine used great solid blocks of palm oil, so not exactly healthy stuff (and in those days I wouldn't bet on it being environmentally friendly palm oil either) but it was certainly what gave that golden chip shop taste. My old boss also used good quality cod (again, before this was environmentally unsound... there are better options these days) and good quality potatoes.

 

All that said I've heard of people making the flour and water batter at home, replacing some or all of the water with beer or soda water, perhaps adding a pinch of salt, perhaps also adding an egg. Again, I would suggest that the best option is to experiement with the ratios, and to make sure your oil/fat is really hot. There is also a good recipe here: http://www.selfsufficientish.com/chips.htm.

 

Have fun!

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Your right the best comes from the 'chippy'and it is a treat to go out and eat...only a couple of places around here have good f&c..there is a very good Irish Pub close by has great food.  I'll stick to my southern fried catfish from home frying :)

Sylvia

Sheps's picture
Sheps

Mmmm... now southern fried catfish does sound amazing! Enjoy!