Ingredients
Dough
- 700 gstrong white flour
- 400 mlwarm water
- 8 ginstant yeast
- 2 tspsalt
- 2 tbspsugar
- 60 gbutter or shortening, softened
To finish
- melted butter, for brushing
To serve
- butter
- or as a cutter with ham, cheese, or flying fish
Equipment
- a baking tray
Directions
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then work in the warm water and softened butter. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft and slightly tacky. Keep the dough soft.
- Salt bread should be pillowy and tear apart easily, and a stiff dough gives a dense heavy roll. Prove for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled. Knock the dough back and divide it into 16 pieces of about 70 g. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten it into an oval.
- Fold the oval over on itself, roughly in half, and press the folded edge lightly. Do not seal the fold tightly, because it needs to open as it bakes.
- Set the rolls on a tray with their folds facing the same way, close together but not touching. Spacing them close means the sides stay pale and soft while only the tops brown, which is what a salt bread should be.
- Prove a further 40 minutes until visibly puffed and touching each other. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 15 to 18 minutes until the tops are golden. Do not overbake them.
- Brush the tops with melted butter the moment they come out of the oven. Buttering them hot keeps the crust soft, which is exactly the point. Cover them with a clean cloth as they cool.
- Serve them warm, torn open along the fold rather than cut with a knife. The bread bakeries of Barbados turn these out through the day and they are bought warm.
Technique
- The flying fish cutter is the classic and is sold at rum shops and beach stalls across the island.
- Some bakeries make them larger and some smaller, and the fold is the constant.
- They freeze well and are refreshed briefly in a hot oven.
Substitutions
- Shortening in place of butter, which is what many bakeries use.
- Any soft white roll, though the shape is what makes it a salt bread.
Variations
- Made larger, as a sandwich roll.
- Brushed with butter and salt on top.
- Used as a cutter with fried flying fish.
History
Barbados’s everyday bread, baked in island bakeries and the shell of the cutter sandwich.
Frequently asked questions
What is Salt bread?
Salt bread is a bread & pastry from Barbados: small soft-crusted white roll, folded and torn open while warm. Barbados’s everyday bread, baked in island bakeries and the shell of the cutter sandwich.
How long does Salt bread take to make?
Salt bread takes 30 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 16 rolls. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Salt bread?
Yes, within limits. Shortening in place of butter, which is what many bakeries use. Any soft white roll, though the shape is what makes it a salt bread.
What is the most important thing to get right in Salt bread?
Fold the oval over on itself, roughly in half, and press the folded edge lightly. Do not seal the fold tightly, because it needs to open as it bakes.
