Inspired by the state's Mid North, this sweet bread with cinnamon butter might be the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea this weekend.

Recipe Rosa Matto | Photographs Brendan Homan | Styling Natalie Homan

Sweet loaves of Tarlee
MID NORTH
Serves 10-12 for the bread

Cinnamon butter
makes 250g
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt

Beat butter, honey and cinnamon until smooth, add salt. Taste and adjust.

Sweet spelt pull-apart bread
makes 1 loaf (loaf tin 11cm x 25cm)
300g spelt flour
50g ground millet
150g plain flour + 50g extra for kneading
50g caster sugar
8g active dry yeast
60g unsalted butter
140ml whole milk
1 tsp vanilla paste
6g salt
3 eggs

To add after first rising
60g melted butter
160g caster sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
100g sultanas

Mix the flours, sugar and yeast into the bowl of a food processor or KitchenAid.

Melt butter with milk, vanilla extract and salt over a gentle heat, do not allow to come to the boil. Add mixture of milk and melted butter to the flour mixture and bring together. Add eggs one by one, mixing until smooth. Remove to a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic and easily forms into a soft, pliable ball.

Place in a large bowl greased with a little oil and cover. Allow to double in size over 2 hours or so. When doubled, grease and line a 11cm x 25cm loaf pan with baking paper.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a square of about 40cm x 40cm. Brush it with the melted butter and cover it with the mix of caster sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle sultanas over the square and gently press them in the dough.

Cut dough evenly to obtain 20 squares. Overlap the squares and put them vertically inside the loaf tin.

Let it rise again for at least 30-40 minutes, (brush the top with any remaining butter) then cook in a preheated oven at 170C for about 35 minutes. Halfway through cooking, cover with aluminium foil. Take out of the oven and serve warm or at room temperature. Best eaten on the day it is cooked.

Apple ‘cake’
makes one, 20cm cake or 6-8 individual ones
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 tsp cinnamon
50g caster sugar
125ml apple juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
80g unsalted butter, chopped
2 tbsp local honey
2kg large green apples (about 10 apples)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Gently heat vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, juices, butter and honey until sugar is dissolved. Peel and core apples into thin 3mm slices. Add sliced apple to syrup as you are working. Drain apple slices but keep all the liquid. (Keep the peels and cores to make a scented tea.)

Arrange slices in an overlapping spoke pattern in a well-greased and lined 20cm cake tin. Line the pan with paper to come up the sides to help you remove it when cooked.

Cover cake tin with baking paper and then with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and baking paper and pour over the remaining syrup. Hold back a tablespoon of syrup.

Reduce oven to 140C and bake a further 1 hour or until a knife can easily be inserted into the layers.

Cool completely, cover and weigh down lightly. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until cold and firm. Pour over last of the syrup just before serving.

Sheep’s milk caramel
makes about 300ml
2 litres sheep’s milk
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
600g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
zest of one orange

Stir ¼ cup of the milk and bicarbonate of soda in a small cup. Set aside. Meanwhile place sugar, vanilla, zest and the rest of milk in a large, tall saucepan. Stir to dissolve sugar.

Off the heat, stir in bicarbonate of soda mixture, which will foam up immediately. Once bubbling stops, place pan back on the heat, and reduce to the gentlest simmer. Cook for 2 hours or until mixture is thick and caramel in colour. Stir mixture very often so it doesn’t catch on the bottom. Do not allow to boil or it might curdle (should this happen, blend it for a few minutes and return to the pan).

Allow to cool, and transfer to a sterilised jar – it will keep for at least 2 weeks in the fridge. To enjoy for breakfast, morning or afternoon tea, break off one or two slices of bread, lightly butter with cinnamon butter and eat with a wedge of apple cake and a drizzle of caramel. Serve with a cup of apple tea.

Apple peel tea
makes 1 litre
The peels and cores of 5 apples
4 cups water
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick

Place apple peels and cores, water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a full boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

Off the heat, add cloves and cinnamon stick, and let sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Pour the tea through a fine strainer. Drink as a refreshing cold drink or gently heat for a soothing tea. Allow guests to sweeten as they prefer with sugar or honey.

LOCAL FOODS: Grains and flour Four Leaf Milling, local honey, sheep milk, apples from Corumbeena Orchard, Stanley Flat
WHERE TO BUY FOR CITY SLICKERS: Frewville and Pasadena Foodland, Adelaide Central Market, Schinella’s Market Prospect
LOCAL WINE PAIRING: Skillogalee Harvest Gold

 

 

This article first appeared in the June 2023 issue of SALIFE magazine.