IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HALLOWEEN TO BAKE BARM BRACK

Hibernian Ed Curtin was kind enough to bake a large loaf of Barm Brack for the October 17 Portland Hibernian Society meeting at Kells Restaurant. Good luck trying to find a local bakery that will sell you a loaf. You’ll have to follow Ed’s recipe

BARM BRACK

(báirin breac)

“Speckled Bread” from Ireland

Back in the time of our ancient ancestors, the Druids and their friends, when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was known to be the thinnest, souls of those who passed the previous year returned to their earthly homes to settle grudges, confuse former neighbors, and, perchance, lead the unfortunates to the other side.

Customs and superstitions developed from those times, as we know: jack o’ lanterns and bonfires to ward off the spirits of the dark, masks and costumes to disguise the living against the souls of the dead, and offerings of food to please the intruders of the night. This last could be the origin of Barm Brack, the speckled bread that is ubiquitous throughout Ireland at Halloween, itself known as Samhain (shá win) in Gaelic. Tradition holds that the woman of the house would bake a special bread at the close of the harvest season. As the darkness of winter descended upon the land, the man of the house would take three bites from the loaf and throw them against the front door of their humble abode, invoking the Holy Spirit to ward off poverty and starvation during the year ahead.

Over the years, bakers of Barm Brack inserted fortune-telling items into the dough: thimble or bean (promising spinsterhood), bits of cloth (lean times, poverty), a coin (wealth and good fortune), a ring (marriage in the coming year), a wee stick (unhappy marriage, disputes), and a pea (an omen that no marriage would follow during the next 12 months.)

Notice how most tokens foretold hard times, so often the state of peoples’ lives throughout the years in Ireland. A reflection of our shared histories.

Now, of course, modern hygiene dictates a walnut or filbert or something else edible be used instead, in this recipe:

Barm Brack

(1 loaf)

The night before, soak 1-3/4 cups of a mix of raisins, golden raisins, and currants in Irish whiskey (or black tea).

On baking day, sift 4-3/4 cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon allspice, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Add 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (often 1 small packet) and 3 tablespoons sugar.

Drain the whiskey (tea) from the raisins.

Slowly mix in 1-1/4 cups of warm (95-100º) whole milk and reserved whiskey (tea).

Knead with a hook mixer or by hand until the dough pulls from the side of the mixing bowl.

Let rise in an oiled bowl 90 minutes or until it doubles in size.

Add 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and fruit.

Gently knead for 1 minute.

Let rise again for 30-60 minutes.

Transfer to a skillet or 9-inch springform pan.

Bake at 400º for 15 minutes.

Cover with foil and bake at 350º for another 45-50 minutes

Sprinkle with Turbinado sugar (Ed has almost a whole pound he’s willing to share!) and ENJOY!