I wanted to create a bread that worked really well with baked ham and cold meats. My dad was a pork butcher, so it’s only natural that he is the inspiration for this recipe. He loves a pint of Smithwick’s and with a surname like Herterich, I had to look to Germany for some inspiration. I’ve used rye flour and lots of seeds, like so many good German breads. I love this bread served with the honey and mustard baked ham along with some good salted butter, gherkins and mustard. Pass the Kölsch – prost!
Makes 1 x 900g (2lb) loaf
melted butter, for greasing the tin
300g dark rye flour
150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting the tin
100g pumpkin seeds, plus extra to sprinkle on top
1 tsp bread soda
1 tsp salt
250ml buttermilk
250ml ale
75g honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Prepare a 900g (2lb) loaf tin by lightly brushing it with melted butter and dusting with a little plain flour.
Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and gently mix.
In a separate jug, whisk all the wet ingredients together with a fork, then mix this into the dry ingredients. Pour the dough into the prepared tin and sprinkle some porridge oats on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, then take the bread out of the tin and place it back in the oven, straight on the oven rack, for a further 5 minutes. To check it’s baked, tap the bottom of the bread – it should sound hollow when it’s fully cooked.
Remove from the oven and wrap in a clean tea towel while it’s cooling to stop the crust getting too hard.
From Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists by Graham Herterich
