dough.
Bake for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350°F and bake another 40 minutes until the bottom is dark golden brown.
Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Irish soda bread tastes best the day it is made but makes the best toast ever after the first day. Serve with soup or stew.
Makes 1 loaf
Treacle Pudding
Apparently, Harry loves anything treacle. He's always reaching for the treacle tart, and he seems to really like the treacle pudding Mrs. Weasley prepared for dessert the night before he left the Burrow for Hogwarts (see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , Chapter 5).
Treacle is like molasses and is made during sugar refining. Black treacle is like dark molasses, and light treacle is also called golden syrup, which can be found in some supermarkets and specialty food stores. The light variety is so good that if you buy it you might find yourself sneaking spoonfuls every now and then.
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup golden syrup or light molasses
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
fi cup milk, at room temperature
½ cup golden syrup or light molasses, plus more for serving
Fill a large pot with water and place a shallow bowl upside down inside the pot. Bring the water to a boil. Butter and flour a 2½-quart round baking dish or glass bowl and its lid; set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and the 1/3 cup golden syrup or molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing at medium speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds after each. Add the lemon zest and juice and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing on the lowest speed just until incorporated and beginning and ending with the flour. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom and fold the mixture together.
Pour the ½ cup golden syrup or molasses into the bottom of the baking dish or glass bowl. Scrape the batter into the dish and smooth the top with the rubber spatula. Cover tightly with the lid and place it in the pot on top of the overturned bowl, making sure the water comes halfway up the sides. Cover the pot and simmer for 2½ hours. Check every so often to see if more water needs to be added (don't let the pot boil dry).
Remove the pudding from the pot. Remove the lid and invert the pudding onto a serving dish. Serve with warmed golden syrup.
Serves 8
Hot Chocolate
After Harry's been spirited away in Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia to the Burrow, he enjoys the rest of summer vacation with Ron. On the last night before start of term, he digs into a fabulous dinner prepared by fabulous cook Mrs. Weasley, finishing off with dessert and hot chocolate (see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , Chapter 5).
Before Coenraad van Houten was born, people enjoyed hot chocolate with pools of grease floating on top. But then along came the Dutch chemist, who figured out how to press out the cocoa butter from the cocoa beans in the early 1800s. Plus, he invented Dutch cocoa, which is leaps and bounds better than natural cocoa. We modern folk owe him a big debt of gratitude: every city should have a statue of this man, and every village and hamlet should have a Coenraad van Houten Street.
½ cup water
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant coffee
2 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped cream, optional, for serving
Unsweetened cocoa powder, optional, for serving
Combine the water, sugar, cocoa powder, and coffee in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is hot and
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