singin' hinnies

The other morning I ruined what would have been a gorgeous loaf of Jim Leahy's no-knead bread. I had it set up for 19 hours, then didn't bake it long enough. I made the mistake of thinking it didn't need full time (30 min covered and 15 uncovered) since I used 1/2 buckwheat flour and added a little oat bran, and because I find my oven is on the very hot side. I baked it 35 minutes and it looked done, but it was most certainly not done.

I could have left it on the board to dry and made bread pudding with it the next morning, but I was crestfallen after 19 hours of anticipation and wanted it to just go away. C. kindly said he'd run down to get something from Bill Baker, the Baker in Dunham (yes, his given name is Bill Baker, and he's the town baker). I said I could make Singin' Hinnies in 5 minutes. He said, "let's race!" When he got home with brown bags full of croissants and raisin bread, we were sitting down to a plate of hot little Singin' Hinnies with butter, sharp cheddar, and jam -and to that we added Bill's delicious croissants.

(Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the finished hinnies, split, buttered, jammed. Next time.)

This recipe is a favorite oldie from the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook.

Singin' Hinnies
1 1/4 cups unbleached flour (part spelt or kamut works well)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoons cold butter
1/3 cup currants (optional)
1/3 - 1/2 cup milk
Butter for frying

Set a cast-iron pan on medium-low heat on the stove.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the currants if using. Add just enough milk to make a firm dough that's like a pie crust.
Roll out on a floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into rounds about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.
Place a pat of butter in the hot frying pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Set the cakes in the butter and fry 4-5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Serve hot.

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