Manx Style Berry Bonnag

HeatherFeather's Note:

Bonnag is a traditional bread-like breakfast or tea-time sweet loaf native to the Isle of Man. I combined several traditional versions to come up with my own version, with measurements for the American cook, using American volume based measuring cups. You can use any dried berry you like in this, I used cranberries.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8

Yield: 1.0 loaf

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice or 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 cup skim milk, scant (or any type of milk you prefer)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• salt (a pinch)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice or 1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice or 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 cup dried berries
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon milk, for brushing top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) and have ready a greased 8" round cake tin.
2. Place lemon juice into a measuring cup, then pour in enough milk to fill it to the 1 cup line; do not stir; set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix together the dry ingredients, then rub in the butter with your fingers until it has been incorporated into the flour; stir in berries.
4. Add the vanilla and the milk mixture, stirring to enough to combine, leaving no dry patches; be careful not to overmix.
5. If the dough appears overly wet and sticky, you may need to add some extra flour - this will vary based on the humidity of the day; the dough should be somewhat tacky and wet, but not like a wet batter.
6. Sprinkle some extra flour onto a clean surface and then a bit more onto the top, dusting your hands as well; knead gently and very very briefly - only a few times, just to form the dough into a soft, still slightly wet ball.
7. Place the dough into the prepared pan and slash the surface with a big X using a sharp knife; brush the top with a little bit of milk.
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the bread has risen, is golden brown, and sounds hollow on the bottom.

Reviews

[Elly in Canada]

Heather, I don't have a scale thanks for posting this in 'cup' measurements, sometimes the conversion can be questionable on Zaar! The recipe is easy to follow, very well written directions. I used 3/4 cup of sugar and (by mistake, I was distracted!!! LOL) 4 tablespoons of butter, it didn't seem to affect the finished bonnag. I did not have any dried berries, so used a mix of currants, raisins and dried mixed fruit. I did not have any of the spices listed so I added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon each ground cloves and nutmeg. After I brushed the bun with milk, I sprinkled some coarse demerara sugar. Bake time was an hour in my oven at 350 degrees. Great tasting, not too sweet bonnag, DH likes to butter his slices! Yummy!! Prepared for the Virtual Tour of Britain and Isles.

[Eric Christian]

It was great! I used Cranberries, Blueberries, Raspberries and Cherries. The only thing I did differently was I switched the 1 cup of sugar with 3/4 cups sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar.