As someone who likes to try new things, particularly Estonian things, I thought I might try my hand at making Karask over the weekend. I have been aware of this recipe for quite some time but never got around to making it, perhaps because it's not easy to find barley flour in the supermarket. After many attempts I eventually found a packet of barley in the health food shop but had to grind it into flour myself.
Karask is a cake-like barley bread that was traditionally eaten by more affluent Estonians on special occasions. This recipe is hundreds of years old and has been enjoyed for generations.
Ingredients
1 cup barley flour
1/2 cup whole grain wheat flour
125g curds (cottage cheese or ricotta)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp melted butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
Method
Preheat the oven and grease a rectangle baking tin. In a bowl mix the curds, buttermilk, egg, salt and honey together. Add in the melted butter. Combine the dry ingredients then add to the mixture. Stir thoroughly until the mixture is smooth. Poor into the baking tin and bake for 35-40 minutes at 200 degrees. Serve with jam and cream.
