Singin’ hinnie recipe
Make Jane Mason's north-east England bread recipe, the Singin' hinnie, using only very basic ingredients.
You can read a history of this thrifty classic here.
Ingredients
- 225 g plain white or wholewheat flour
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 100 g lard (or butter or half butter and half lard) cold, cut into small cubes
- 1 handful of currants or raisins
- 1 cup (you won't need all of it) sour milk – you can substitute pouring yoghurt/buttermilk/fresh milk, but sour milk works best
- 1 knob lard (or a splash of oil) to fry
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Bread
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 10 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the fat and rub it in with your fingers to make small crumbs.
- Add the currants and distribute them evenly.
- Add some milk – a little dribble at a time – and mix it in with your hands until you have a stiff paste.
- Work the dough as little as possible – certainly do not knead it.
- Form the dough into a ball and pat the ball into a disc about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick.
- Heat the lard/oil in a heavy bottomed skillet – just enough to cover the bottom in a thin coating. Put in the dough and listen out! Flip it when the singin’ stops and then wait for the singin’ to stop when you are frying the other side.
- Remove from the pan and serve warm with butter, jam, cheese or whatever you fancy.
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