Sally Lunn

SALLY LUNN

I haven’t made breakfast in a while. So, I cracked open The Creole Cookbook and discovered this recipe. The introduction to Sally Lunn in the original cookbook states that the recipe was made in England in the 1700s by a woman whose name now graces the dish. Apparently it is a favorite breakfast bread down south, though baked as a cake.

Sally Lunn

1 pkg dry yeast

1 C milk

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

3 ¾ C flour, divided

4 eggs, beaten

I do a lot of baking, so I buy my yeast in jars. If you’re the same way, then the equivalency for us to keep in mind is 2 ¼ tsp = 1 pkg yeast.

Soften yeast in ¼ C warm water and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Scald milk. Mix butter, sugar, and salt in a bowl, then pour scalded milk over mixture. Add ½ C flour and beat until smooth. I own a stand mixer, sure – it’s the pride of my kitchen! But, since this is an antique recipe, I decided to do this with a wooden spoon. Now my right arm is super-buff. This batter gets very thick and requires quite a bit of mixing, so if you’re not up to the “wooden spoon challenge,” I definitely recommend using a mixer on low speed.

 

Add in softened yeast and 1 ½ C flour. Beat in eggs. Add final 1 ¾ C flour to create a soft dough. My “soft dough” was more of a batter, but it worked out just fine.

 

Cover bowl and allow to rise until double, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Baker beware: this recipe rises like crazy! Make sure that whatever you allow it to rise in, both times, is deep enough that it won’t turn into The Blob and take over your kitchen!

 

Lightly grease 2 cake pans. Beat dough for 5 minutes. Turn into cake pans and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Bake at 350oF for 40 to 50 minutes or until Sally Lunns are golden brown.

 

Since these took such a long time to rise, I made them one afternoon and we enjoyed them for breakfast on the following mornings. The bread itself is a little on the dry/bland side, but luckily I have some of my mom’s delicious jam on hand with which to enjoy breakfast bread. I will warn you, though, before you try this recipe: this is a very yeasty bread! We were very surprised at how much of an alcohol taste this had, probably from the intense rising sessions. But, it was a nice breakfast, and I enjoyed toasted slices for lunch at work with some of the leftover Pea Soup.

 

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!