Whisky bread.

[sir pball]

Fresh out of the oven, slathered with good European-style cultured butter (I recommend Vermont Creamery if you can get it), it's a fine thing on a cold winter night. This isn't a terribly precise recipe, but it's one of those things that wouldn't be right otherwise..

1 quart AP flour
1/2 c. Scotch whisky
1 pint plus buttermilk
1/2 T baking powder
1/2 T baking soda
1/2 T kosher salt
2T sugar
1t fresh yeast, or 1 packet dry

Mix the yeast and 1t sugar with just enough warm (103-degree) water to dissolve and set aside. Dump all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix in the whisky. Add buttermilk until the dough is about to come together but still "sandy", then add the started yeast, which should be bubbling and foamy. Add just enough buttermilk to bring the dough to a drop biscuit consistency. Fill muffin tins level, brush with oil, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to proof for an hour. When risen, brush with egg, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake at 450F until deep golden brown.

[SheilaT]

1. Hmmm. I never have whiskey around,

since I don't find it at all drinkable. Any substitutes? Just looking at the recipe I'm guessing I can use beer instead.

Oh, and I love old recipes that aren't precise, because cooking simply isn't. Precise, that is.

[sir pball]

2. I suppose you could sub, but it won't have the flavor..

If you wanted to use beer, I'd suggest just switching out the buttermilk wholesale; there's not enough alcohol to kill the yeast and it's also acidic enough to spur the baking powder. Experiment away!