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Bajan salt bread
Salt bread: crusty Barbadian rolls for fish cakes and cheese
Every rum shop and fish fry in Barbados sells "bread and two", and the bread is almost always salt bread: plain, crusty rolls with a soft, slightly chewy crumb and a split down the top, made for stuffing with fish cakes, a slice of cheese or fried flying fish as a cutter. Despite the name, they aren't especially salty; the name sets them apart from sweet bread. The usual mistake is pale rolls with a soft crust from too cool an oven. Chef's tip: put a tray of boiling water in the bottom of the oven for the first 10 minutes for a properly crisp crust.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb strong white bread flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
- ⅔ oz vegetable shorteningor butter
- 2 tbsp fine cornmealfor dusting the tray
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅓ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add 1 ½ cups lukewarm water and ⅔ oz vegetable shortening and mix to a shaggy dough.
Step 2: Knead for 10 minutes until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1–1½ hours until doubled.
10 minStep 3: Knock back and divide into 10 pieces of about 100 g. Shape each into a tight oval roll by folding the edges under.
10 minStep 4: Dust a baking tray with 2 tbsp fine cornmeal and set the rolls on it, spaced apart. Cover and prove for 40 minutes until puffy and a gentle poke leaves a dent that springs back slowly.
Step 5: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan) with an empty roasting tin on the bottom shelf. Cut a deep slash along each roll with a sharp knife.
Step 6: Put the rolls in, pour a mug of boiling water into the hot tin and close the door quickly. Bake for 18–20 minutes until deep golden and hollow when tapped underneath.
20 minStep 7: Cool on a rack. Split and fill with fish cakes, cheese (a vegetarian one if you avoid animal rennet) or fried fish. The rolls freeze well for a month.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bajan salt bread take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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