• 1 lb. (½ k.) flour
• 1 oz. (30 g.) granulated sugar
• a good pinch of salt
• 6 oz. (180 g.) butter
• 1 oz. (30 g.) yeast
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• ½ pint (3 dl.) lukewarm milk
• 3 egg yolks and 2 whites

Mix the granulated sugar and salt with the flour. Rub in 2 oz. (60 g.) butter until the mixture has the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Cream the yeast with the caster sugar, add a tablespoonful of milk to it and let it stand in a warm place for 10 minutes. Then make a hole in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast. Mix a little of the flour with the yeast. Then add the beaten eggs and mix to a soft dough with milk, using a little water, or, as in some recipes, a little beer, if necessary to increase liquid.

Stand in a warm place for 1 hour to rise before kneading. Knead the dough for a few minutes, then divide it in 2 and make 2 large flat rounds. Leave them in a warm place until nearly twice their original size and then bake for 20–30 minutes at 425° F., gas mark 7.

When cooked split the first loaf across the middle and fill with butter -about ¼ lb. (120 g.) – and spread a little more over the top. Return it to the oven for 5 minutes for the butter to melt and penetrate the cake. The second cake can be reheated the next day.

Some recipes include currants, sultanas and a little spice.