200g plain flour, plus extra if needed, and to dust
½tsp bicarbonate of soda
½tsp salt
30g caster sugar
55g black treacle
110ml buttermilk
Method
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl, then stir the caster sugar through.
Whisk the treacle and buttermilk together in a bowl or jug and pour into the dry ingredients, gently mixing everything together with a spatula or large round-edged knife. The dough should be neither too dry nor too sticky, so add a little more flour or buttermilk if you need to.
Shape the dough into a ball and then put it on a lightly floured surface and gently roll it with a rolling pin into an 18cm circle. Sprinkle the dough with some more flour and use a large knife to cut the circle into quarters.
Heat a heavy-based griddle or frying pan over a medium heat, then put the farls on the griddle or in the pan in a circle shape. Cook for 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned, checking to make sure the farls don’t get too dark.
Stand the farls up on their sides and cook them for 1 minute per side, then wrap in a clean tea towel or muslin until ready to serve.
Recipes and photography taken from The Irish Kitchen by Cherie Denham, photography by Andrew Montgomery (Montgomery Press, £30)
