Fadgies

Fadgies are a bread buns that are peculiar to Teesside. They are made with lard and are a simple (single prove) bread. They’re ideal for a beginner bread maker.

Put 675 grams of flour into a large bowl and mix in 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. When it is mixed in well add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 2 1/2 teaspoons of dried or easy yeast and mix all this together. I use a hand mixer with the dough beaters on for this. Rub in 1 1/2 tablespoons of lard but note that you won’t get the breadcrumb effect that you do when you make pastry. Add 400 millilitres of warm water (mix 225 mls of cold water with 75 mls of hot water) and mix in thoroughly before turning out and kneading for between 5 and 8 minutes. It will be smooth and elastic when it is ready to shape.

Mould gently into a squarish shape and cut into 3 length wise with a sharp knife then cut into triangles. This should make nine buns.

Place on a lightly oiled baking tray (you’ll need two) and leave in a warm place, covered in cling film, to prove for 45 minutes to 1 hour. They will double approximately in size. Dust liberally with flour and bake in an oven preheated to 230 C for 15 minutes. When they are ready they will sound hollow when rapped on the bottom with a knuckle.

Place on a wire rack until cool. They freeze well.