Almond Bread
The Age
Monday August 11, 2003
There are some recipes that you grow up with and remember with great fondness. For me, this almond bread is one of them. Whenever my mother is baking and there are egg whites left over, this is the recipe she whips up in a jiffy. She's a very thrifty cook.
Following last week's ice-cream recipe, which left six egg whites, and as I, too, hate wasting food, I suggested you, dear readers, contact me for an almond bread recipe. It's really a recipe for almond biscuits. The response has been so overwhelming that it was easier to give it to everyone. So here it is.
My mother first made almond bread about 40 years ago after reading a column by Dorothy Drain in a women's magazine, so thanks Dorothy, thanks Mum. It's just one of those recipes that works brilliantly and is easy to make, and I baked the bread using pistachios, as you can see in the photograph, which is a great substitute for almonds.
Just a tip - the recipe is made with equal quantities: for every egg white, there's 30 grams of everything else - 30 grams each of flour, sugar and almonds. I made this using the six egg whites left over from the ice cream, but have adapted the recipe to four, as more often than not, I seem to have that many left over after a day's baking.
Ingredients
4 egg whites
120 grams plain flour, sifted
120 grams caster sugar
120 grams unblanched almonds
or pistachios
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a tin, about 20cms x 10cms x 6cms deep, and cut out a piece of baking paper to fit the bottom.
Whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar and beat. Fold in the sifted flour, and then add the nuts.
Scoop the mixture into the tin and bake for about 45 minutes. When cooked the loaf should be slightly golden, pale is good, and it must be firm to touch. Careful not to overbake it, though, as the mixture will crumble.
Cool the loaf on a wire rack. It must be dry and firm before being cut. The best way to do that, if you have time, is to wrap it in a clean tea-towel and leave it in a dry, cool cupboard for a day or so.
Then slice thinly with a serrated knife. Place on a baking tray in an oven heated to 140 degrees. The biscuits should take about 15 minutes. They should be slightly golden, or pale.
These biscuits are moreish, meaning a household of hungry folk can demolish the lot in minutes, but if you store them in an airtight container they will last for yonks. Enjoy with a cup of tea or serve them with ice-cream.
jfaulkner@theage.com.au
© 2003 The Age