Dark Guinness bread with smoked fish & dressed watercress

troutbread_2851268_3216718bThis recipe for dark, slightly sweet bread is delicious and accompanies smoked fish and watercress beautifully.

For a 900g loaf, you will need:

  • 125g strong white flour
  • 1 rounded tbsp soda
  • 1 rounded tsp salt
  • 450g extra coarse wholemeal flour
  • 200ml buttermilk
  • 100g treacle (or molasses)
  • 100ml Guinness
  • 15g porridge oats

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Line the loaf tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl, sieve the flour, bread soda and salt. Mix in the wholemeal flour. Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk, treacle and Guinness.

Mix gently with a wooden spoon or your fingers (don’t overmix to avoid the loaf becoming tough). Pour the mix into the prepared tin and sprinkle with the porridge oats.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes or until the bread has risen, then reduce the heat to 170°C, and cook for a further 35 minutes.

Finally, remove the bread from the tin and return to the oven for a final 5 minutes by which stage it should sound hollow when tapped on its underside.

To serve

  • 250g smoked fish
  • 125g crème fraîche
  • 1 tsp creamed horseradish
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tbsp chopped dill
  • freshly ground black pepper

Gently flake the fish into a bowl and fold in the crème fraîche and horseradish. Add the lemon juice and some freshly ground black pepper to taste and stir in the chopped dill. Cover with cling film, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Accompany with 2 Granny Smith apples, sliced and 150g watercress, dressed with:

  • 60ml olive oil
  • 20ml cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp grainy mustard
  • Pinch sugar, or honey
  • Pinch salt and pepper
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