Makes 6
Both the dough balls and butter are very easy to make at home, a bit messy but good fun!
For the dough balls 225g strong white flour ground black pepper 1tsp sugar 3/4tsp dried instant yeast 100 ml milk 1 egg 25g butter, melted
For the butter 600ml double cream 1tsp salt 1tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
First make your dough. Place the flour, salt, pepper and sugar in a large bowl. Then stir in the yeast, milk, egg and butter. With your hands mix everything together until it makes a messy ball. Turn the ball out onto a floured work surface and knead for 10min or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled dough and cover with cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. For the butter, place the cream in a large bowl and whisk. First it will be softly whiffed, then stiffly whipped. Continue until the whipped cream collapses and separates into butterfat globules. The buttermilk will separate from the butter and slosh around the bowl. Turn the mixture into a cold, spotlessly clean sieve and drain well. The butter remains in the sieve while the buttermilk drains into the bowl. The buttermilk can be used to make soda bread or scones. Put the butter back into a clean bowl and beat with a whisk for a further 30 seconds to 1 minute to expel more buttermilk. Remove and sieve as before. Then fill the bowl containing the butter with very cold water. Use a spoon or your clean hands to knead the butter to force out as much buttermilk as possible. This is important, as any buttermilk left in the butter will sour and the butter will go off quickly. Drain the water, cover and wash twice more, until the water is totally clear. Then add the salt and parsley to the butter, stir well, cover and chill. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into six even size pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place the dough balloon a baking sheet. Bake at 220C for 15-20 mins or until golden. Serve the dough balls warm, spread with herb butter.
Did you know? Butter is usually made from cows milk, but it can be made from sheep, goats, horses or even water buffaloes milk! The Ancient Romans used butter to make their hair and skin shiny!