No southern bread has a more obscure or colorful history than the yeast-leavened, rich tea bread known as Sally Lunn. Sally Lunn seems to have evolved over the centuries from a sweet bun to a cake to a savory dinner bread back to a sweet dessert loaf, and on the rare occasions you find it today (mainly in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, and at a few quaint Southern country inns), chances are it will be served as a tea or dessert bread. Personally, I love the bread unsweetened, as in this recipe, and toasted for breakfast. If, however, you want an unusual sweet bread to serve with fresh fruit or ice cream, add about a quarter cup of sugar to the dough.
Makes 1 loaf
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1⁄4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 cup lukewarm whole milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 3 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and water, stir, and let proof till bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and eggs and beat with a wooden spoon till well blended. Gradually add half the flour and continue beating. Add the butter and salt and beat till well blended, then beat in the remaining flour till a soft dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm area till doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Punch the dough down, cover again, and let stand 15 minutes. Grease a 10-inch tube pan with butter. Scrape the dough into the tube pan, cover, and let rise again till doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
- Shortly before the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven to 350°F, then bake till the loaf is lightly browned, about 1 hour. Serve immediately, or transfer to a rack, let cool, and serve at room temperature.
