One of my fondest memories from summers in Ireland are the soda bread toasts with butter and jam… had I known it was this easy to bake I would have started baking my own at home much sooner!
Mix the dry ingredients first. At this point, you can add to the dry mix raisins, seeds, oats… It should total 750 gr, in the proportions you want (I like doing 450 gr wholewheat, 250 gr white, plus 50 gr oats).
Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the buttermilk, mix it well and let it sit before mixing with the rest of the ingredients. Knead with a spoon until you get a firm though which still sticks a bit in your fingers. (If you don't have buttermilk, you can use milk and add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice plus the oil instead.)
This is supposed to be a big thing in the region above the Mura river in north-east Slovenia —”the head of the chicken.” This is Tina’s grandmother’s recipe.
Mix all of the ingredients but rather quickly as not to make the dough too warm and soft, refrigirate it before use.
“PULLED” DOUGH
Be careful to use warm water so the ingredients bond more firmly and make the dough softer.
Mix all of the ingredients into a firm ball and rest for 30 minutes under a kitchen cloth (you can halve the dough so it will be easier to strech it thinly later on). Then role out the dough into about a fingers width of a sheet and spread oil over the surface to prevent tearing.
Strech the dough over the surface of the table as thinly as you can (make sure you put a cloth underneath with lots of flower so it wont stick to the table). Cut the dough into about ten sheets that are slightly larger than the base of the baking dish.
CAKE
Role out the base dough into a thin sheet and spread it over the bottom of the baking dish, fold and lift the ends of the dough and press them against the walls of the dish making a bowl.
Then put a sheet of “pulled” dough over it and spread your first filling - the poppy seeds. Spread a modest amount of the sour cream topping and sugar.
Then come the next sheet and the grated apples which you season with cinnamon (grandma used to have a heavy hand when it came to this but use as much as you see fit) and sugar.
Now comes another layer with the walnuts and then cottage cheese. You cover both with the cream topping but don’t hold back with the cottage cheese, make sure that bad boy is nice and moist. Also you can mix the walnuts with the cream beforehand so they’ll be easier to spread.
Repeat all four layers and cover the whole thing with two sheets (spread the butter and some cream carefully between the layers so they won’t get stuck into a single hard sheet).
Before putting it in the oven generously cover the top with, you guessed it, more cream.
Slowly bake for about an hour (this part is really vague so I guess at around 180 degrees).
Mix the flour and salt in a big bowl, then, using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add enough of the cold water to mix to a firm dough. Let rest in the fridge for an hour.
Roll out three-quarters of the pastry on lightly floured surface. Grease a 20 cm pie dish with butter and fill in the pastry.
Fill with the apples peeled and cut to dices and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar.
Roll out the remaining of the pastry and use to cover the pie, moistening the edges of the pastry base to seal on the lid. Cut a vent or pinch the top and brush with milk.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200º C for about 30 minutes until pastry is golden.
Serve with whipped cream.
Pro tip: use brown muscovado sugar instead of brown sugar, and add all spice besides the cinnamon, just a hint.
For best results, Rich recommends making this cake with love, care and attention while listening to Something Understood and thinking of those dearest to your heart. ❤️
