Almond Ring Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 oz plain white flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ oz caster sugar
• 1½ oz butter or margarine
• ½ oz yeast
• 1 egg
• ¼ pint of milk
• 1 oz blanched almonds
• 2 oz glace cherries
• For the glace icing – Icing sugar and warm water

Method:

1. Sieve the flour and salt into a warm bowl, rub in the fat, and leave in a warm placed.
2. Cream the yeast with 1 teaspoon caster sugar. Beat the egg and make it up to ¼ pint with the warm milk. Add this to the creamed yeast.
3. Add the liquid to the flour and mix to a soft dough, adding more warmed milk if necessary. Knead with your hands to mix well.
4. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm placed to rise, until the dough has doubled in bulk.
5. Turn onto a floured board and knead well until the dough is smooth. Work in the washed, dried, quartered and lightly flloured cherries and the remainder of the caster suger.
6. Divide the dough into 6 pieces, knead each piece again and form into ball.
7. Line the edge of a warmed, greased and lightly floured 9" sandwich tin with the balls of dough. Leave a space in the centre of the tin.
8. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place to prove for about 20 minutes.
9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400°F/200°C/Gas Mark 6 for about 30 minutes.
10. Mix icing sugar with tepid water to make the glace icing and spread over the top when the ring has cooled. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds.