Traditional Cornish Splits Bread Rolls
Ingredients
- 400g strong white bread flour
- 225ml full fat milk
- 3 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp dry fast yeast
- 80g fat i.e lard, half lard half butter, or all butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Icing sugar to finish
Preparation
Put the milk into a pan with the sugar and warm through slightly, then spoon off 3-4 tablespoons into a separate small container and add the yeast to activate. Set the yeast mixture aside for five minutes and add the butter and/or lard to the pan of milk and sugar and warm it through until the fat has melted.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the salt. Stir in half the milk and fat mixture, then half the yeast mix, then the rest of the milk and fat and then the rest of the yeast mix. Bring it together into a dough.
Lightly flour the kitchen top and knead the mixture for around 8 minutes making sure to stretch out the proteins so you get a good rise. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover tightly with cellophane and put somewhere warm to prove. It should double in size in around a couple of hours depending on the warmth of the room.
Once the dough has doubled in size, weight and split the dough into ten portions. Knead each portion for a minute then roll into a ball, tucking the side underneath so you have a nice round smooth top. Place the dough balls on a lightly greased baking tray so that they are close but not touching.
Re-cover with greased cellophane to prevent sticking and put back in the warm room to prove for another hour.
Bake in a 220 degree Celsius preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cover immediately with a clean tea towel. Wait until they’re just warm, finish the tops with a dusting of icing sugar and serve.
Serving suggestions
Serve the Cornish Splits with clotted cream and golden syrup, known as 'Thunder and Lightning' in Cornwall, for a delightful treat.
