Malt Loaf - A British Teatime Classic

Malt Loaf originated in 19th century Scotland and was featured in this season's first episode, Cake Week, of The Great British Bake Off (GBBO), called The Great British Baking Show in the US. 

I hadn't thought about malt loaf in years, but after seeing episode one, I began digging through my old recipes. It's not a light and airy cake; more of a dense and squidgy tea bread. Not too sweet, and served with soft butter.

All malt loaf recipes are very similar. Two of the ways mine differs from Prue's GBBO loaf, besides different amounts, are:  1. I skip the black treacle so as not to detract from the flavor of the malt extract.

And 2. I drain the soaked fruit and coat it with flour before adding the wet ingredients, a step that helps keep the fruit from clumping together and sinking to the bottom of the loaf.

If you like a sweeter loaf, use 1/2 packed cup (3.5 ounces/99 grams) dark brown sugar rather than my 1/3 cup. But do try it my way!

So ... now that the season has ended, and long after all those who like to "bake along" with GBBO have baked it, here is my recipe for Malt Loaf. 

Do you make malt loaf? Or did you try it for the first time with "bake along" fans? If not, maybe you'll be inspired to try it now! Do let me know.  

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Malt Loaf

(Makes one 2-pound/900 gram/9x4x4-inch loaf)

3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces/177 ml) just-boiled water

1 teaspoon (or 1 tea bag) strong black tea

1 packed cup (5 ounces/142 grams) raisins

1/2 packed cup (2.5 ounces/71 grams) soft pitted prunes, chopped to raisin size

1/2 cup (6 ounces/170 grams) malt extract*

1/3 firmly packed cup (2.33 ounces/66 grams) dark brown sugar

1 3/4 dip-and-sweep cups (8.75 ounces/248 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs (medium, in UK), lightly beaten

* I use Eden Organic traditional barley malt syrup.

1 Pour boiling water over the tea. Let steep for 5 minutes; strain. Pour over raisins and prunes in a bowl. Partially cover and microwave for about 2 minutes, or bring to a simmer in a small pan on the stove and then turn off heat. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes, then drain, reserving the liquid.

2 Grease (and sometimes I also line bottom and ends, but not the sides, with a piece of baking parchment) a 9x4x4-inch loaf pan or 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325F/165C/Gas3. 

Note: I love the square shape of the 9x4x4-inch loaf pan that I initially got for baking my gluten-free yeast breads but use (without its lid) for nearly everything that calls for a 9x5x3-inch pan. 

3 In a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, cook the malt extract and brown sugar together, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

4 In 2- to 3-quart mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisking vigorously for a half minute or so is what passes for sifting around here on most days. Put the thoroughly drained fruit on top of the flour, and stir gently until the pieces are coated with the flour and not clumped together. This keeps the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.

5 Make a well in the center; pour in the malt mixture, eggs, and reserved liquid from the fruit (about 1/3 cup), breaking up the eggs and mixing them with the malt and liquid. Then bring in the flour from the sides, and stir gently until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape into prepared loaf tin. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, until skewer inserted in center comes out with just a few soft crumbs (but not raw batter).

6 Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack. Continue cooling on wire rack until completely cool, an hour and a half or so. Wrap tightly in foil and let it mellow for a day or two. Cut the loaf into slices and serve with soft butter.

Note: Some people brush the top of the hot loaf with about a tablespoon of malt extract as it cools. Some brush the top and sides. I usually skip that step, but did the top this time.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

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Snickerdoodles - Classic or Chai Latte

Snickerdoodles have been around for about half a century longer than the Snickers candy bar, which came out in 1930 and has nothing at all to do with the classic cookie snickerdoodles! 

You'll find a lot of recipes that call for baking powder rather than cream of tartar. Ignore them. Cream of tartar is not just a leavening agent, it is what gives snickerdoodles their characteristic tang.

There are also a lot of snickerdoodle recipes that call for half butter and half shortening. Ignore those, too. There is nothing to be gained by using the shortening, so why dilute the wondrous flavor of butter? Baked until just the edges start to brown, the cookies are crisp on the outside and soft, kind of cakey, inside.

Need I tell you, these cookies are fabulous with a nice cup of tea! The chai latte variation does not call for tea in the cookies, just the use of the spices found in chai lattes rather than the solo cinnamon.

Since the variation is only in the coating, why not try half with cinnamon and half with the chai latte spices?

Are you a snickerdoodles fan or one of the surprising number of people who've not yet tried them? Either way, I hope you'll give my recipe a try—the classic cinnamon or the chai latte variation—and let me know how you like it. 

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Snickerdoodles - Classic or Chai Latte

(Makes 32 3-inch cookies)

The Dough

2 3/4 dip-and-sweep cups (13.75 ounces/390 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces/227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature (2 1/2 hours)
1 1/3 cups (9.33 ounces/265 grams) sugar
2 large eggs (medium, in UK), room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The Coating*

3 tablespoons (just under 1 ounce/28 grams) sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

 

* For Chai Latte Variation, use just 1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus 3/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ginger,  and 1/8 teaspoon each cloves and allspice.

1 In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt.

Note: I've given the directions for using a stand mixer, but I've made these many times with a hand mixer or just a spoon.

 

2 In stand mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture and beat on low speed just until dough comes together. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until dough is easy to handle.

3 Preheat oven to 400F/205C/Gas6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape #40 scoops (0.8 ounces or approximately 1.5 tablespoons) of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll in sugar mixture. Place 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using a flat-bottomed glass (or a stainless steel measuring cup), slightly flatten the dough balls. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.

Note: I use a gigantic baking sheet, called a 3/4 sheet pan, sometimes called a 2/3 sheet pan. It is the maximum size pan that will fit in my oven (in a 30-inch gas range). With it I can bake 24 cookies this size (4 rows of 6) or 35 smaller cookies (5 rows of 7) all in one batch. Since this recipe makes 32 cookies, I froze 8 cookies to be baked another day. (My all-time favorite timer: ThermoWorks TimeStack)

4 Cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, and then remove to wire racks to cool completely. May be stored in airtight container for a week.

 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support.

Jean

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