White bread, made with white flour and yeast, was virtually unknown in Ireland until the second half of the 19th century. Called baker’s bread, since it was bought at the shop, or priest’s bread, it was eaten rarely and on special occasions.
Baking with yeast was not that common until very modern times, due to availability and its reputation for being “difficult,” according to Georgina Campbell. Instant yeast, which mimics the quick rising action of bread soda, helped change this, as well as the increasing popularity of yeast breads globally. The soft, low-gluten wheat grown in Ireland is fine for white and cream flour, but not for strong flour like bread flour, which is the best choice for this type of baking. White and specialty flours would not have been staple pantry items in the late 19th century, and so white bread became one of the two great luxuries during this time, with the other being tea. Both were served to the local priest when he stopped by to visit. This is how white bread came to be known as “priest’s bread” – it was special enough to mark a significant occasion, like Easter or Christmas, or to honor an important guest, especially when he was there to do the Stations.
During the time of the Penal Laws, Mass was celebrated in the privacy, and secrecy, of the home as it was forbidden in public. Even after the laws were repealed, the priest’s rotation from home to home – and the breakfast that followed – remained.
The Rev. Fr. Roche P.P. told us the stations are just Our Lord going from one district to another to visit all his people; surely we could never be properly prepared to receive such a visitor.
Roger Cooney, Coolacullig, Co. Cork (NFCS, 0345:261)
The stations took place twice a year, in spring and autumn. The first usually occured around Lent or Easter, and the second in October or November. The priest would announce the next week’s stations, usually four, during Sunday mass, and the hosts would rotate throughout the district. Usually they were farmers of some means.
“In Big Phil’s time, tea was unknown in rural districts. The priests were the first to get it and each priest brought his servant to the Station House to wet the tea for breakfast. Nobody else knew how to do it. Old Phil was once watching the priest’s servant at a station as she was wetting the tea. Noticing Phil’s interest in what she was doing she remarked “Phil, I’ll bet you don’t know what I’m doing”. “Well indeed”, says Phil, “I wet more tea in an hour than you wet in a year.” He meant a chest of tea that he dumped into a boghole coming from Drogheda.” (NFCS, 0978:042)
The following week the family would “be killed, cleaning, washing, papering and scrubbing.” The home was made spotless and the priest’s vestments were retrieved the night before. The priest would arrive early in the morning (one came at seven “to see if he’d catch them in bed” (NFCS, 0968:433)), sometimes with another priest or curate, and would hear confession in one room and say mass in another, using a table or box as an altar. They would sometimes lecture on the catechisms for some time, and “god help the one who did not answer the questions,” before being paid and going on to the next house. However the highlight of the day was the big breakfast, which the family and neighbors also partook in.
“Some men are put to breakfast with the priests. If there be many for breakfast there is a table set in the kitchen after the priests go. Girls who live near the house where the Stations are held help readying for breakfast.” Margaret Staunton, Carraholly, Co. Mayo (NFCS 0088:433)
Priest’s Bread Recipe
Adapted from Darina Allen’s Irish Traditional Cooking to make one loaf. Make sure your yeast is active – if it does not get foamy, you might have to replace it. If you have a dough hook for your mixer, I would definitely recommend using it to save yourself some labor!
INGREDIENTS
10.5g / about 3 teaspoons yeast
1 cup water, more as needed
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon sugar
2 ½ cups bread flour
METHOD
1. Dissolve yeast into ½ cup warm water.
2. Mix ½ cup hot water with butter, salt and sugar, and stir until melted and dissolved. Add ½ cup cold water and yeast.
3. Sift the flour bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in most of warm liquid. Combine to form a dough, add rest of liquid, or more flour. Turn out, cover and let relax for 5 minutes. Knead for an additional 10 minutes by hand or 5 if using a mixer with a dough hook. Let rise in a greased, covered bowl for at least an hour.
4. After it has doubled in size, knead for an additional 5 minutes and let relax for 10 minutes. Form into a loaf and place in greased tin. Preheat oven to 450°F/220°C/gas mark 8.
5. Cover and let rise until doubled in size for about 20 minutes. Brush with warm water and sprinkle with flour.
6. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or when you hear a hollow sound when tapped.
cleite agus cnámh 