Baked Irish Potato Farls

A farl in Gaelic literally means "fourths". They are shaped into a circle of dough and then cut into quarters, and here refers to a quarter of a flatbread, which is more commonly pan-fried, made from mashed potatoes and spelt flour. Traditionally they were made with oatmeal, that would result a coaser substance and nuttier flavour, butter and potatoes – no flour, no leavening agents. The less flour and raising agent you use, the denser and moister the farl. Using more flour, and raising agents (baking powder and baking soda) and moistening the mixture with milk creates an wonderfully light and fluffy bread-like texture.
These baked quarters can be made with leftover mashed potatoes too. Potato farls are most often served as the breakfast or at teatime. But you can absolutely enjoy these with soups or salads as a lunch. Leave out the onions, rosemary and black pepper if you want to serve them with a dollop of homemade jam. Experiment with different herbs and spices, like chives, dills, spring onions, cumin, or caraway.

Baked Irish Potato Farls

adapted from Good Food

1 Large floury potato (about 200 g) peeled and cubed
170 g Spelt bread flour, plus extra for kneading
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Celtic grey sea salt (or regular sea salt)
1/3 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
50 g Unsalted Kerrygold butter, cut into 5 pieces, at room temperature
1 Red onion, peeled and finely diced
1 tsp Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp Milk
1 Egg yolk
Celtic grey sea salt and crushed black pepper for topping

Place the cubed potato in a small saucepan, cover with a few centimetres of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Drain and return the potatoes to the pan and place over low heat for a minute or so, shaking the pan to dry them out a little. Mash the potatoes until smooth using a fork or a potato ricer.
Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced / 400F and line an oven tray with baking paper.
Meanwhile sift the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and black pepper into a medium bowl. Add the butter, tossing through the flour mix and rubbing the cubes between your fingers until they are barely visible.
Add the potato puree to the flour mix, along with finely diced onion and rosemary. Mix with a fork and add the milk to bring together into a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very gently and briefly to form a ball.
Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll the dough ball out to a circle, about 20cm. Cut into quarters and place them on the prepared baking tray, spacing them a few centimetres apart. Brush the tops of the farls with the beaten egg yolk, then sprinkle the top with Celtic grey salt and crushed black pepper.
Place in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden brown and risen. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before serving.

31 comments:

Brian's Home Blog 10/9/22 01:53: That looks really, really good.
Anonymous 10/9/22 02:36: Wonderful recipe and beautiful presentation. It's judee
Tom 10/9/22 03:15: ...this looks like a great way to enjoy potatoes.
J.P. Alexander 10/9/22 03:59: Se ve muy rico, haré pronto esa receta. Te mando un beso.
Anonymous 10/9/22 04:02: Se ve muy rico, hare pronto la receta. Citu Enamorada de las letras
Christine 10/9/22 04:59: Yummy!
Rose world 10/9/22 05:03: Beautiful potato farls. I love potato so I would like this too.
savorthebest 10/9/22 05:51: Looks delicious Angie!
Margaret D 10/9/22 06:16: Looking good.
Kitchen Riffs 10/9/22 06:46: These look great! Never had these, but want 'em. :-) Thanks!
Nancy Chan 10/9/22 10:45: I love potatoes. Looks yummy.
Anonymous 10/9/22 12:23: These farls look scrumptious! Perfect for soup. I just love how fluffy they turned out.
Éva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 10/9/22 12:49: Great recipe these would go perfectly with anything I serve and even as an appetizer
eileeninmd 10/9/22 12:54: Hello,
These potato farls look yummy. My hubby loves potatoes. Great recipe, thanks for sharing. Have a happy weekend.
Anonymous 10/9/22 14:12: Beautiful and unusual bread Angie. It would make a wonderful addition to a St. Patrick's Day dinner. Bernadette, New Classic Recipe
Cooking Julia 10/9/22 14:22: I have never heard of this recipe, it looks really good!
DEZMOND 10/9/22 14:30: Oh, I would stuff myself silly with those! I am known for putting potatoes into scones and such baked goods, if you mix it with pepper and ground roasted sesame and some butter you can get a spread to replace pork cracklings in a vegetarian version of pork crackling scones or buns.
Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake 10/9/22 14:38: Yum! The boys love potatoes and I'm always looking for new recipes and inspiration. This is perfect!
DeniseinVA 10/9/22 17:37: Oh yum! I always love your photos too Angie, beautifully presented food pics!
Medeja- CranberryJam 11/9/22 10:38: I love anything and everything with potatoes :) yummy
Królowa Karo 11/9/22 13:55: I have to try it! It looks fantastic!
thepaintedapron.com 11/9/22 15:30: Another new to me recipe! Sounds wonderful and your presentation is beautiful!
Norma2 11/9/22 17:53: Angie, I will try the recipe that seems very appropriate to eat with different dips
foodtravelandwine 11/9/22 21:55: I love it!....I made it long time ago, and I need to make it again!!.......Abrazotes, Marcela
Rainbow Evening 12/9/22 19:04: look so appealing....
I'll try your recipe..... thank you for sharing
Lowcarb team member 12/9/22 22:57: It looks so nice with the salad :)

All the best Jan
Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness 13/9/22 14:08: The farls sound delicious. We love potatoes in our house, so this is a must make recipe.
Muriel 13/9/22 20:04: Une découverte très appétissante ! Bonne fin de soirée
Happy Retiree's Kitchen 14/9/22 00:35: These look so delicious Angie and perfect for stretching the budget. So many Irish meals were based on potatoes. Lovely presentation as always.
tigerfish 21/9/22 03:15: First time I hear and learn about Potato Farls. They will be so good with soups.
Raymund 22/9/22 01:00: First time I head of this as well, learning a lot in here. Ingredients looks like a fancy version of gnocchi that is large, definitely a filling dish