Swopebread Recipes

SWEETBREADS

Steps:

• Tear the sweetbread apart into 1 inch sections. Discard the stringy ligaments that hold it together. Rinse with water as you go. Dip the slightly wet sweetbreads into flour.
• Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large heavy skillet. Fry the sweetbreads in the hot oil until golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil, and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Line a baking sheet with greaseproof (parchment) paper. Sift the flour and rice flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add the sugar and mix.
• Cut butter into pieces and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture begins to bind together. Knead into soft dough.
• Roll the dough into an 8 inch round (or for exact round, mold it in an 8 inch cake pan). Place on baking sheet. Using a fork, prick top and make tine marks along edge. Using a table knife, score top with wedge marks. (This is where it will break when cooled)
• Bake 45 minutes or until pale golden in color. Sprinkle a little superfine sugar over top and cool on baking sheet. Cut into wedges. Keeps for weeks in airtight tin.

SWEETBREADS (PAN SEARED)

Steps:

• Place the salt and vinegar into a saucepot, with enough water to cover the sweetbreads, and bring to a boil.
• Add the sweetbreads, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Drain and cover with cold water.
• Remove all membranes and tubes.
• Slice each sweetbread in half crosswise.
• Mix the flour and garlic powder together and dredge the sweetbreads in the flour mixture.
• Heat butter and oil in a skillet until very hot.
• Place the sweetbreads and shallots into the hot skillet and once you place them in, DO NOT move them around.
• When they are a light golden color on the bottom side, (about 3 to 5 minutes), with tongs, carefully turn them over to sear the other side until that side becomes a light golden color.
• Remove the sweetbreads and plate them as you desire. Garnish them with the Italian parsley leaves and serve as a wonderful appetizer.

SWEETBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the coconut, sugar, margarine, raisins, cherries, salt, and flour. Mix to combine.
• In a measuring cup, mix the yeast with the warm water. Add to the flour mixture, along with the egg. The dough should be sticky.
• Leave the dough in the mixing bowel and let it rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Divide dough into 2 pieces. Gently knead each piece on a generously floured board and place in 2 buttered loaf pans. Let the dough rest until it doubles in size, once more. Bake until golden in color, about 50 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Mix sugar and water and brush over hot sweetbread. Leave to cool.

SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cornstarch and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Roll dough into a 15x2x1-in. rectangle; chill. , Preheat oven to 325°. Cut into 1/4-in. slices; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with a fork. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

SHORTBREAD, 10 WAYS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse together flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don't overprocess; the dough should be somewhat crumbly. (You can also mix the dough in a bowl using two knives or a pastry cutter.)
• Press dough into an even layer in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan, or a 9-inch pie pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch square or pie pan, 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.

SWOPE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
• In a large bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, dissolve baking soda in buttermilk. Stir buttermilk into flour mixture. Beat well.
• Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for one hour.

WHIPPED SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add flour and cornstarch, beating until well blended. , With hands lightly dusted with additional cornstarch, roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press lightly with a floured fork. Top with nonpareils or cherry halves. , Bake at 300° until bottoms are lightly browned, 20-22 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

BREADED SWEETBREADS

Steps:

• Put the sweetbreads in a mixing bowl and add cold water to cover. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Put the sweetbreads in a saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to the boil and let simmer, stirring often, about five minutes. Drain and run under cold water until they are thoroughly chilled. Leave the sweetbreads whole, but cut or pull off any unsightly membranes, connecting tissues, etc. Place the sweetbreads on a rack and cover with a cloth. Cover with weights and let stand for one hour.
• Place the sweetbreads on a flat surface. Hold a sharp knife parallel to the surface and slice through the sweetbreads. This will produce up to 10 or 12 flat pieces.
• Put the egg in a flat dish and add the water, two teaspoons of oil, salt and pepper. Beat thoroughly.
• Put the flour in another flat dish. Put the bread crumbs in a third dish.
• Sprinkle the sweetbread slices with salt and pepper.
• Coat the slices individually in flour and shake off excess. Dip the slices in the egg mixture to coat well. Dredge the slices, one at a time, in the bread crumbs and pat to make the crumbs adhere.
• Heat two tablespoons of oil in each of two skillets so that the sweetbread slices can be cooked in one layer. When the oil is hot, add the sweetbread slices and cook until they are golden brown on one side, about six minutes. Turn the slices and cook until golden brown on the second side, about four to five minutes.
• Transfer the slices to a warm platter. If desired, wipe out one of the skillets and add the butter. Cook until it is foamy and starts to turn hazelnut brown. Pour this over the slices and serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.

SOUTHERN-FRIED SWEETBREADS

Steps:

• Soak sweetbreads in a large bowl of ice water in the refrigerator, changing water occasionally (2 or 3 times), at least 8 hours.
• Drain sweetbreads and transfer to a 4-quart heavy saucepan. Cover with cold water by 1 inch and add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until sweetbreads plump and feel slightly firmer to the touch, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Cut away any fat and pull away as much membrane and connective tissue as possible with a small paring knife, then separate with your fingers into roughly 2-inch pieces.
• Whisk buttermilk with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Add sweetbreads and soak, chilled, 1 hour.
• About 10 minutes before sweetbreads are finished soaking in buttermilk, start heating 2 inches oil to 350°F in a 5-quart wide heavy pot over medium heat. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, paprika, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper in a shallow dish.
• Put a metal cooling rack in a 4-sided sheet pan and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Drain sweetbreads well, discarding buttermilk. Dredge in flour mixture, shaking off any excess, then fry in 3 batches until golden and cooked through (cut one open to test), 3 to 3 1/2 minutes, depending on size. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then season lightly with salt. Keep warm on rack in oven. (Return oil to 350deg; between batches.) Serve fried sweetbreads immediately.

MELT - IN - YOUR - MOUTH SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Drop cookies by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch that the edges don't brown too much. Cool on wire racks.

SWOPE BREAD

Steps:

• Grease a bread pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In mixing bowl mix first four ingredients. In a seperate bowl mix baking soda with buttermilk. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Pour into bread pan and smooth top of loaf. Place in center of oven. TURN OVEN DOWN to 350 degrees and bake approximately 50 minutes. Turn out and cool on wire rack.

GRILLED SWEETBREADS

Steps:

• Rinse sweetbreads well, then transfer to a 6-quart pot and add water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer gently 10 minutes. Drain sweetbreads in a colander, then transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to cool.
• While sweetbreads are cooling, prepare grill for cooking over direct heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderately high heat for gas; see "Grilling Procedure").
• Drain sweetbreads, then pat dry gently and separate into roughly 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 20) using your fingers. Toss sweetbread pieces with oil in a bowl, then thread onto skewers (about 5 pieces on each). Season with salt and pepper.
• Grill sweetbreads on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using a gas grill), turning occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes.

BEST BASIC SWEET BREAD

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar and butter. Heat until slightly warm to the touch then remove from heat and stir in the yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Mix in the eggs, oil and the yeast mixture. Mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Grease a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil. Place the dough into the bowl and turn once to coat. Cover and let stand in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
• Use remaining oil to grease a cookie sheet or 9x13 inch pan. For plain rolls, punch down dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into balls and place them into the greased pan side by side. Let dough rise for 20 to 25 minutes, or until almost double. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until rolls are golden brown.

SUPER-EASY SHORTBREAD (3 INGREDIENTS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°.
• Cream butter and sugar together.
• Add flour and mix till texture is like clay.
• Press dough into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan, prick all over with a fork, and sprinkle with sugar (tilt pan to cover the top evenly, then shake excess sugar back into the sugar canister).
• Bake for about 40-45 minutes (till very lightly browned--just golden around the edges).
• Let stand for 5 minutes, then cut into 24 squares while warm.
• Leave in pan to cool thoroughly. (Shortbread will not be crisp until cool.).
• Less easy method: Chill dough. Roll into 1-inch balls, then press balls to about 1/4-inch thickness on ungreased cookie sheets with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar (sometimes you can find a glass with a pretty design on the bottom, like a star). Bake at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
• Least easy method: Chill dough. Roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness, sprinkle with sugar, then cut with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
• Variation: Add 2 tablespoons dried lavender to the creamed butter and sugar before adding flour. It may sound strange, but the flavor is subtle and elegant. Food-grade lavender is usually available in herb bins at health food stores, and I recently found it at a great price from Atlantic Spice online (their Lavender #1).
• Variation: After cutting shortbread into squares (it will still be warm), scatter 1 cup of chocolate chips over the top, let the chocolate soften completely, then spread as a thin layer and let cool completely before removing from pan. (No need to sprinkle shortbread with sugar before baking if you plan to do this.).
• Variation: Stir 1 cup chocolate chips or butterscotch chips into the dough before pressing into pan. You can also try melting the butterscotch over the top, as above. In England, you'll find "caramel shortbread," which has a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate on top of the shortbread. It's wonderful (of course!). I've tried various ways of doing this and various kinds of caramel, but it's been a while and I don't remember what works best. It can be tricky not to make a mess!