Peg Brod Recipe
The colour of this bread messes with your head slightly. Intuitively, you will think that it is burnt, because it is black. The recipe suggested seems a little extreme for modern human taste and so this first recipe offers a slightly more gentle bread without any pig fat and with greatly reduced levels of salt. On this basis, only a strict vegetarian or a vegan is going to discount it on the basis of the squid ink. Perhaps an alternative might be available using under ripe or pickled walnut for colouring. There is also some experimentation to be had with rye flour, not to mention black pudding which will get it closer to the original but might shorten the shelf life. Watch this space.
Ingredients
- 500g bread flour
- 7g dried yeast
- 8g squid ink
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 300ml blood warm water
- Wasabi powder for dredging
- Freshly crushed sea salt
Method
Mix the flour, sugar and yeast together in a bowl. Add the squid ink and olive oil to the blood warm water and mix. Stir the liquid into the dry mix and then knead for about 5 minutes or until the texture is dough-like and pliable. Add more flour as you knead if the mixture is too sticky.
Place in a large, oiled plastic bag (a carrier bag will do). Set aside to prove in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Knock back and shape as required. The traditional shape is long, a bit like a fat, stumpy baguette. Place on an oiled and floured baking tray and leave to rise, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile,if not using an Aga or other similar range, preheat the oven to 240C/460F/Gas 9.
Score a lattice pattern on the top with a wickedly sharp knife (dwarf, after all) and sprinkle with a little freshly crushed sea salt and then sieve the wasabi powder sparingly over the surface.
If not using an Aga or other similar range, reduce oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and then place in centre of oven (or the middle of the top oven in an Aga) and bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked. As it is already black check by tapping the base of the loaf to see if it is cooked. If it sounds hollow it is ready.
Remove and leave to cook before cutting
Observations
Squid ink is very salty. No additional salt was used in the mix other than on the top of the loaf. Additional salt can be added to the bread mix if required but too much will kill the yeast. A maximum of about 1tsp might be acceptable. The recipe was a little light on colouring as it was, as well as taste and so next time 16g of squid ink will be used. In this case it might not be advisable to add additional salt to the bread mix.
For improved colour, the wasabi could be dusted part before baking and a part after. This will increase the amount of green mottling and will be more true to the original recipe.
Source: The Xandrian Quarters
