SC - Shortbread help, please

[Decker, Terry D.]

I haven't made the Banbury Cakes, but they look interesting.  I think
there is a slightly different recipe in Elizabeth David's, English Bread
and Yeast Cookery.  When I get around to experimenting, I'll use David's
redaction to compare to the one listed here.

The Banbury Cakes are closer to a recipe I have for Dresden Stollen,
than they are to this version of Weinachtsstollen.  However, this is one
of the two versions I make with any regularity. 


                              Banbury Cakes

Recipe By     : Gervase Markham, The English Hous-wife

Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
- --------  ------------  --------------------------------
     3/4  cup           light cream
     1/2  cup           butter
     1/4  cup           sugar
   1      teaspoon      salt
   1      package       yeast
     1/4  cup           tepid water
   2                    egg
   1                    egg white
     1/4  teaspoon      nutmeg, freshly grated
     1/4  teaspoon      cinnamon
     1/4  teaspoon      cloves
     1/8  teaspoon      mace
   4 1/2  cups          flour, sifted
     1/3  cup           currants
   3      tablespoons   sugar, confectioner's
   1      tablespoon    milk
   1      dash          anise extract

1.  In a saucepan, scald cream.  Add butter, sugar and salt.  Stir to
dissolve.  Pour mixture into a large bowl and cool to lukewarm.
2.  In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water.
Lightly beat eggs and egg white together.
3.  Add yeast, eggs, and spices to cream mixture.
4.  In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of flour and currants, stirring
until currants are lightly coated.
5.  Add flour and currants to cream mixture.  Knead until dough is
smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary.
6.  Place dough in a greased bowl.  Cover with a clean, moistened towel,
and set bowl in a warm place for dough to rise until doubled in bulk.
This will take about 1 1/2 hours.
7.  Punch down dough; then knead it again for an additional few minutes.
8.  Shape dough into 14-16 2 1/2-inch balls and place them on a greased
cookie sheet.
9.  Cover "cakes" with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
10.  Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees about 25 minutes or until
tops are golden.
11.  Remove cakes from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.
Optional:  Mix confectioner's sugar, milk and anise extract
12.  Frost with icing, if you wish.

Redaction by Sass, Lorna K.; To the Queen's Taste, pp. 114-115.

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NOTES : To make a very good Banbury Cake.  Take four pounds of Currants,
and wash and picke them very cleane, and dry them in a cloth:  then take
three egges and put away one yolke and beate them, and straine them with
good barme, putting thereto cloves, mace, cinamon and nutmegges:  then
take a pinte of creame, and as much mornings milke and set it on the
fire until the cold bee taken away:  then take flower and put in good
store of cold butter and suger.  Then put in your egges, barme and meale
and worke them all together an houre or more:  then save a part of the
past, and the rest breake in peeces and worke in your currants:  which
done, mould your cake of what quantity you please:  and then with that
past which hath not any currants cover it very thin both underneath and
aloft.  And so bake it according to the bignesse.

>From Gervase Markham, The English Hous-wife, as taken from Sass, Lorna
J., To the Queen's Taste; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1976.
                     

                    Weinachtsstollen (Christmas Bread)

Recipe By     : 
 
  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
- --------  ------------  --------------------------------
     1/2  cup           raisins
   1      cup           candied fruit
     1/2  cup           hazelnuts, chopped
   4      cups          flour
     1/2  teaspoon      salt
   1      teaspoon      yeast, dry active
     3/4  cup           sugar
   1      cup           milk
     1/2  cup           butter
   2                    egg
     1/4  cup           butter, melted
     1/4  cup           brown sugar
   2      tablespoons   cinnamon, ground
   1      teaspoon      nutmeg
   1      cup           sugar, confectioner's
   2      tablespoons   water

If desired, soak fruit in rum or brandy for 1 hour.

Mix 1 cup flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
Warm milk and butter in a sauce pan to approximately 120 degrees F.
Beat milk into flour mixture. 
Add eggs to the mixture and beat. While beating, add enough flour to
make a soft dough.
Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes.
Place dough in a lightly greased bowl.  Let rise until doubled (about 2
hours).

Punch down dough.  Turn out on a lightly floured board.
Split dough into 3 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a rectangle 5 x
18 inches.  Do not roll too thin.
Brush melted butter onto each rectangle.
Mix cinnamon and nutmeg together.  Sprinkle spice mix lightly onto the
buttered rectangles.
Sprinkle brown sugar onto the buttered rectangles.
Beginning about 1" in from the ends, place the fruit and nuts down the
center of the rectangles.
Fold the sides over the fruit filling, so that they overlap and press
the dough together to seal.
Place the three rolls on a greased baking sheet.
Press one end of the rolls together.  Twist the rolls to form a braid.
Press the free ends together to finish the braid.
Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter.
Cover and let rise until doubled.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake until golden brown, approximately
25 minutes. 

After the loaf is cool, glaze it.
Mix confectioner's sugar and water to make the glaze just before
spreading.

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