Blends Bash 2021: Irish Halloween Bread & Irish Coffee (1966)

It’s Blends Bash! (If you don’t know what that is, the lovely folks at The Book Club Cookbook send out samples of their spice blends–all inspired by television shows, movies, and songs–to special bloggers like me. And then we go all creative with them).

Today I am bringing to you a recipe that features their song blend, Chai a Little Tenderness.

Chai a Little Tenderness is, obvi, a homage to the song Try a Little Tenderness, made famous by Otis Redding (and Jon Cryer’s Lip Sync For Your Life from Pretty in Pink).

However, when I think of Try a Little Tenderness, my mind goes straight to the 1991 Irish film The Commitments directed by Alan Parker

If you are unfamiliar with the film, here’s the gist of it–a group of (mostly) unemployed Dubliners come together to form a soul band. Hijinks ensue.

The movie culminates in a epic, barn burner performance of Try a Little Tenderness.

Long story short–for Blends Bash I decided to go Irish.

I found a recipe for an Irish bread called Barmbrack from Volume 6 of the Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. 

Halloween in Ireland would be un-thinkable without barmbrack–the sweet and sticky-crusted loaf which foretells one’s fortune for the coming year. Into the dough we knead (paper-wrapped to guard against choking or appendicitis) a ring for marriage, a silver coin for wealth, and a button for single-blessed-ness

AWESOME! A fortune-telling Halloween bread…HOLD ON. WHAT ABOUT APPENDICITIS?

I didn’t use the 1966 recipe, however. I went searching on the internet and found other Barmbrack recipes. I ended up using this one from The Daring Gourmet.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place the currants and raisins in a bowl and pour over the cold tea (or water).  Let soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Drain and reserve the liquid for later.
• Stir the yeast and teaspoon of sugar in the lukewarm milk.  Let it sit for 10 minutes until nice and frothy.

• 

• In a stand mixer place the flour, sugar, spices and salt and stir to combine.  Make a well and add the melted butter, egg, lemon zest and yeast mixture.  Use the dough hook to knead until just combined.  The dough will be very thick (do not add more liquid at this point because the wet currants/raisins will be added).  Add drained currants and raisins and candied lemon peel.  Knead until combined, adding some of the reserved currant/raisin juice until a soft dough forms.

• 

  Scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl.  Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 90-120 minutes or until doubled in size.

• 

  Punch down the dough.  If making two smaller loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into rounds.  If making one large loaf (as pictured), place the dough in a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.

• Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for another hour or longer until nearly doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• Bake the barmbrack on the middle rack for 50-60 minutes (less if making two smaller loaves) or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

• Remove from oven and while hot brush the loaf with the reserved currant/raisins juice for more flavor, moistness and a nice sheen and let cool.

• Slice and serve.  Barmbrack is especially good toasted and spread with butter.

Here is my finished Irish Halloween Bread with a Irish Coffee. I not only sprinkled some Chai a Little Tenderness on top of the drink, when I made the whipped cream, I put a healthy amount in the milk.

The Irish Coffee was reaaaaally good. I don’t think I had ever had one before.

Ok, the Barmbrack. This was a fucking brick. I mean, not a surprise considering that it was made with a pound of flour and over 2 cups of dried/candied fruit–but this was a dense-ass bread.

It is really tasty–the spice and the fruit is absolutely lovely–but the Barmbrack is so thick that it is hard to eat. It truly does need to be warmed and slathered with butter and served with a delicious Irish Coffee.

The Chai a Little Tenderness is a winner. It would be a nice addition to any sort of autumnal or Christmas baked good.

Oh! I never put the trinkets into the bread. I was afraid of choking. And appendicitis.***

Join me again on November 10 and December 1 for two more dishes featuring a TV Blend and a Movie Blend!

***Seriously, does anyone know about this appendicitis thing???