Grandma Wilson's Griddle Bread

[Geobloke]

Howdy folks. Well you may have heard of the bread I made at this Christmas' treasure hunt. I cannot claim any credit for it as it is a very very old recipe that has been passed down through the generations of my mothers side of the family.

I really had my heart in my throat when I started to make it :D I was trying not to think of flack I would get if it all went wrong, I mean both Toppa and AJC were there!! Is like walking in to the lions den and giving the big ol daddy cat a damn good slap on its **** and then sticking your tongue out at it!!! ;)

Anyway I digress!

The recipe is really difficult and takes days to make and decades to perfect.

Grandma Wilson's Griddle Bread Recipe;

8 oz (225 grams) Self raising flour (using plain flour will make flat bread.
8 floz (236 ml) milk (anything to hand, full cream/UHT/Goats...)
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp Syrup

Optional ingredients;

1 tsp salt (adding the salt makes the bread more savoury)
1 tsp Syrup (adding a 2nd tsp of syrup will make the bread more sweet)

1) You need a bigish bowl (a saucepan or a strong plastic bag will do), pour flour, bicarb, syrup and milk in.

2) Mix it all up using whatever you have, wooden spoon/hands/ect.

3) When mixed properly the dough should be consistent throughout. If the dough is sticky and you cannot get it off your hands/spoon add a little more flour and mix in. Do this until the dough does not stick to your hands.

4) If cooking straight away proceed to 5), if pre-preparing before going camping, then flour the inside of a food bag and place dough in to it. Seal bag with a knot/tie. The dough can be left in the bag for at least 2/3 days like this as long as it is kept in a cool place. When ready to cook go to 5).

5) Find a flat, clean surface (I used a chopping board for this part) and scatter some flour over it and your hands. Knead the dough by flattening out in to a rough circle, folding in to 1/4s and then flattening out again in to a rough circle. The circle of dough should be the approximate size of the griddle pan.

6) Cut circle of bread in to 8 pieces (lots of 8s and 1s in the recipe!!)

7) Heat up griddle pan, add oil (does not matter whether olive/sunflower/vegetable oil). When hot add bread dough.

8) Keep a close eye on the bread and keep turning it over. If the bread starts to burn take the griddle off the stove/fire, the heat in the griddle will continue to cook the bread.

9) Serve when cooked. Enjoy tasty bread wherever whenever... :)

The bread is great hot, it also keeps really well when cooked.

You can use a frying pan or even a mess tin, but be carefull as they are thinner metal and tend to burn the bread easier. Griddles have thick bases and give a more constent heat. You can also cook bacon, sausages and eggs on them too.

I pre-prepared 2 sets of dough before I left home and they kept very well in the back of Eva for a day or two, but there is no reason why they wouldn't have lasted a couple more.

Now go out and enjoy making it and eating it :)

[alex]

What could be better than eating that outdoors? Will give it a go.

Alex

[Geobloke]

What could be better than eating that outdoors? Will give it a go.

Alex

Yeah it is fantastic in the morning after a chilly night. We also cook it on the aga at home for breakfast, works a treat.

[AJC]

Cheers for that Guy. ;)

AJ

[Geobloke]

Cheers for that Guy. ;)

AJ

You are welcome mate! :)

[Marc Lurie]

Give that man a medal. ;)

I'll be printing out the decades-old recipe and sticking it into my notebook for later use.

I'm going to try one this evening to see if I can do it at home. If so, I suspect it will become an expedition favourite.

Hmmm, adding rosemary, olives, and a sprinkling of coarse salt might be interesting.

[Geobloke]

Give that man a medal. ;)

I'll be printing out the decades-old recipe and sticking it into my notebook for later use.

I'm going to try one this evening to see if I can do it at home. If so, I suspect it will become an expedition favourite.

Hmmm, adding rosemary, olives, and a sprinkling of coarse salt might be interesting.

Yup spot on! you can add anything, currents, nutmeg, cinamen, basil, whatever you fancy, but try it without first!!

[toppa]

Thank you guy...


It is a fantastic wee hot treat on a cold morning....


AJ and i would not have taken the **** if it failed :D

Hoest ;)



Cheers

[Dave_243]

Cheers Guy,

That bread was delish!

[Geobloke]

Thank you guy...


It is a fantastic wee hot treat on a cold morning....


AJ and i would not have taken the **** if it failed :D

Hoest ;)



Cheers

I don't believe you!!! ;)

Glad you liked it, have a go.

[Widget]

I'm drooling, but you haven't replaced Nigella yet :D

[Cannonball Bob]

Mmmmm.....Nigella's floury baps. They'd warm you up on a cold morning. :D

Great bread though. Without doubt the most impressive bit of outdoor cooking I've seen in a long time.

[Marc Lurie]

I tried the recipe on a gas powered griddle thingy we use fairly often. The bread was OK I guess, but not great.

I then tried it in a traditional SA-style cast iron flat bottomed pot, and left the lid on so that I would have a mini oven. The bread rose beautifully, smelled great, and tasted marvelous. It was so nice that while my back was turned my dog snatched the bread off the counter and disappeared at the speed of light... :D

I still have some of the dough left, and I'll try it with some sweetcorn and herbs mixed in.

Thanks for a very easy to follow, almost foolproof recipe.

Marc

[Marc Lurie]

Mmmmm.....Nigella's floury baps. They'd warm you up on a cold morning. :D

Maaaaan, that Nigella! :smileysex She puts the "oooh" in "food" ;)

She does a barbecued pineapple skewer with caramelised brown sugar, covered with a bitter chocolate and kirsch sauce. I've served them twice at a barbecue, and they are so popular that people still talk about them after four or five years.

Following her advice, we keep bags of diced watermelon in our freezer so that we can make chilled tall daiquiris with loads of white rum during summer. I think I might have one this evening... :)

[Geobloke]

I tried the recipe on a gas powered griddle thingy we use fairly often. The bread was OK I guess, but not great.

I then tried it in a traditional SA-style cast iron flat bottomed pot, and left the lid on so that I would have a mini oven. The bread rose beautifully, smelled great, and tasted marvelous. It was so nice that while my back was turned my dog snatched the bread off the counter and disappeared at the speed of light... :D

I still have some of the dough left, and I'll try it with some sweetcorn and herbs mixed in.

Thanks for a very easy to follow, almost foolproof recipe.

Marc

Yup the cast iron would work better, it gives a much better heat for bread. We use a thick cast iron plate when making the bread on the aga.

Let us know how the sweetcorn and herbs go.

[Cannonball Bob]

Had a go this evening and to be honest the results were so-so but then again it was my first time making any kind of bread. I found the initial mix produced a sort of gloopy sticky glue that stuck to everything but itself, and to recover the situation required almost as much flour again. And I think the dough needs to be fairly thin prior to baking to prevent the outside burning before the core is cooked. But all in all, a winner.
Seems entirely appropriate as Landrover bread too:
The basic recipe can be adapted to suit one's needs.
It needs tweaking as you go.
No two results are the same.
Your hands get covered in cak.
You tell yourself the next one will be better.
It falls apart by itself. (see photo)
The gaps between pieces are huge (see photo).
It's somehow better in the rain.
After experiencing yours, your friends will want one.

[Widget]

Chinook stylee...

[Cocky Lil Guy]

Guy,

Can you just cook it on the top of the aga? We do toast this way...bread in and close the lid then turn when you feel appropiate. Or would it rise too much?

Might have to experiment round the g/f's (they've got the aga you see).

Thank you for sharing what must be quite a sacred recipe with us all!

[Marc Lurie]

Please excuse a question from the colonies:

What's an aga? And if CLG's girlfriend has one, would mine have one too?

[Widget]

Please excuse a question from the colonies:

What's an aga? And if CLG's girlfriend has one, would mine have one too?

An Aga (http://www.aga-web.co.uk/) is a range cooker. It has been said that an Aga khan where a griddle can't, but I'd struggle to fit one in my truck;)

[toppa]

An Aga (http://www.aga-web.co.uk/) is a range cooker. It has been said that an Aga khan where a griddle can't, but I'd struggle to fit one in my truck;)


But i may have room in the 110 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


:D

Cheers

[Marc Lurie]

Ah so THAT'S an aga. :D We don't see much of that type of cooker here anymore, but there are still areas where they do use them. We used to visit a friends small farm about 300km from Johannesburg that had a wood fired range for cooking and for hot water. It was a bit of a hassle to keep going, but added to the rustic atmosphere of the farm. Nothing quite like freshly caught trout sizzling away on the stove, with the whole farmhouse filled with the smell of wood fire and cooking. :)

We have an old gas stove in our kitchen that Brigid won't let me replace. It is a "MAIN", and some of the burners have the dates 1936 stamped on them. It's an antique but still does the job as well as any modern stove.

[Geobloke]

Had a go this evening and to be honest the results were so-so but then again it was my first time making any kind of bread. I found the initial mix produced a sort of gloopy sticky glue that stuck to everything but itself, and to recover the situation required almost as much flour again. And I think the dough needs to be fairly thin prior to baking to prevent the outside burning before the core is cooked. But all in all, a winner.
Seems entirely appropriate as Landrover bread too:
The basic recipe can be adapted to suit one's needs.
It needs tweaking as you go.
No two results are the same.
Your hands get covered in cak.
You tell yourself the next one will be better.
It falls apart by itself. (see photo)
The gaps between pieces are huge (see photo).
It's somehow better in the rain.
After experiencing yours, your friends will want one.

Yup ok try using 7 floz of milk instead. The gloopy cak can also be affected by the quality of flour, some you need more than others. The end dough should be the consistency of playdoh or pizza base.

Well done for trying though, practice makes... ;)

[Geobloke]

Guy,

Can you just cook it on the top of the aga? We do toast this way...bread in and close the lid then turn when you feel appropiate. Or would it rise too much?

Might have to experiment round the g/f's (they've got the aga you see).

Thank you for sharing what must be quite a sacred recipe with us all!

Yup you can, but we use a griddle as it is easier to clean afterwards and some people don't like messing up their aga!!

[Underdog]

I intend to try this as I think the kids will appreciate it.

One question, two parts: How thick are the relevant pieces of dough prior to placing into the pan and by how much do they rise?:confused:

[Geobloke]

I intend to try this as I think the kids will appreciate it.

One question, two parts: How thick are the relevant pieces of dough prior to placing into the pan and by how much do they rise?:confused:

Yes they will love doing this, getting all sticky and covering themselves, you and the kitchen in flour at the same time I suspect!! :)

Right, roll out the dough so it is about 8-9" (20-23cm) in diameter, at that size the dough will be about 1cm thick (possibly a little more at the edges).

The dough will rise according to the quality of self raising flour and bicarb you add, if all goes to plan about 4-5cm thick when done.

If you do not add bicarb and use plain flour you will make unlevened bread such as Indian style Parathas/naan bread. Which is just as nice!

[Cannonball Bob]

Tried another variation on Geobread tonight. GARLIC Geobread.
Don't what went wrong but it turned out very bitter.
Back to the drawing board.:(

[Rangienut]

Geobread, coming to a Tesco near you soon! ;):D

[Widget]

GARLIC Geobread.
Don't what went wrong but it turned out very bitter.

Garlic goes terribly bitter if it is cooks at too high a temp - if you mixed the garlic in with the dough the crust would be very bitter and that would explain it?

[Cannonball Bob]

Garlic goes terribly bitter if it is cooks at too high a temp - if you mixed the garlic in with the dough the crust would be very bitter and that would explain it?
How the hell did you know that?

[Widget]

:o errrrm, cuz I have always been a keen cook. Top of the home economics class at school, young cook of the year 1983, and with a wife that is domestically retarded (yes I did say that on our wedding day) it's a question of needs must!:D

[Geobloke]

:o errrrm, cuz I have always been a keen cook. Top of the home economics class at school, young cook of the year 1983, and with a wife that is domestically retarded (yes I did say that on our wedding day) it's a question of needs must!:D

HA ha! Excellent! :LAA: ;)

Have you tried it with chives yet? Excellent! Also sun dried tomato and basil! Yum! :)

[BigJim]

Re camp ovens.
I have a book on cowboy cooking, the old chuck wagons. It seems the outfit with the best chuck wagon and cook got the best cowboys, and they ate well.
Biscuits (American style, like our scones) were essential, and were cooked in a dutch oven, which was essentially a heavy cast iron pot with a tight fitting lid, the dough was put in, the pot put in the embers of the fire, and covered with hot coals.
Apart from the weight, would be an ideal camp accessory.

[HPLP]

Hmmmmmm Im going to have to try this!!!
H

[Geobloke]

Right folks did a gorgeous variation on the bread last night.

Before you make the bread dry fry in a pan about 2 tablespoons of cumin seeds, until they brown all over. Add them in to the dough mix and cook as normal.

Fantastic with cheese and curry instead of naan.

Also try finely chopped sun dried toms and fresh basil!

[bodgerbear]

This looks nice. Think I may have to set fire to something tonight to try this out. Has anyone tried using beer instead of milk it reminds me of some stuff we used to make on excersise but we used beer flour and salt.
Great recipe though

[Widget]

Has anyone tried using beer instead of milk
On Cornflakes it takes a bit of getting used to...;)

But in all seriousness, beer would add a savouryness and lightness. But it might end up tasting a bit like batter?

[toppa]

must whip some up for the weekend :D

Cheers

[Geobloke]

Has anyone tried adding sundried toms, chives or dry fried cummin to the mix??? It is fantastic!

If you are going to try beer, and I would love to know if it works, it should be flat and beer not larger!

[sniff my diff]

it should be flat and beer not larger!


What you should have said is use propper beer ,non of this fizzy rubbish.:D

This does look good though ,wish i had come across this before.

[hughsurrey]

Great recipe, not far removed from the soda bread of my youth (scottish)

the only change I would suggest is, when frying it rather than using oil try sprinkling some flour in the pan, cooks up lovely and easier to clean the pan/ less to carry

[Promazine]

Tried this a few months ago, using oil in the pan and it was OK, came out a little burnt on the outside, and gooey on the inside :)

Just tried it again for an unusual lunchtime feed, but this time added loads more caramel syrup than last time, half the amount of milk, and put flour in the pan instead of oil. Oh, and i used a lot lower heat, and let it cook for about twice as long as last time.
(oh, i cut down on the ingredients btw cus its only me thats eating it - rather alot last time!)

This time it turned out great, nice and fluffy on the inside, with a nice crunchy crust on the outside that wasnt burnt at all, and it was lovely and sweet with a fantastic smell of caramellybreadiness :D


78637

[Geobloke]

Tried this a few months ago, using oil in the pan and it was OK, came out a little burnt on the outside, and gooey on the inside :)

Just tried it again for an unusual lunchtime feed, but this time added loads more caramel syrup than last time, half the amount of milk, and put flour in the pan instead of oil. Oh, and i used a lot lower heat, and let it cook for about twice as long as last time.
(oh, i cut down on the ingredients btw cus its only me thats eating it - rather alot last time!)

This time it turned out great, nice and fluffy on the inside, with a nice crunchy crust on the outside that wasnt burnt at all, and it was lovely and sweet with a fantastic smell of caramellybreadiness :D


78637

Looks gorgeous mate.

[Promazine]

Looks gorgeous mate.



It was :biggrin:

With it turning out this good this time round, im pretty sure im going to be doing some experimenting now.

Ive got a VERY sweet tooth (3 sugars in any hot drink, 4 if its hot chocolate!), so whatever i try its going to be nice and sweet.

I was thinking about halving the dough, flatting them both out, layering in some dried apricots and hammering the other half of the dough back on top (maybe with a slosh of caramel or a lump or two of chocolate :) )

MMMMMM think i know what me and the GF are having for puddin tonight!