Michelle Darmody: My recipe for an oat and treacle bread that is perfect for breakfast
Make double quantities of this treacle bread - it's a guaranteed hit.Â
Molasses is more commonly known as treacle or if you are in the US it is often called blackstrap molasses. It is a by-product of when sugar cane is crushed and then boiled to make sugar; molasses is the thick, viscous liquid that remains. The word ‘treacle’ is used to describe a number of syrups made from sugar cane — and this can lead to confusion when ordering treacle tart, which has no dark treacle in it at all, just golden syrup.
Molasses has a very long shelf-life but should be kept in a tightly closed jar or tin. The dark liquid can be used as a sweetener as it has a high sugar content, yet it is also quite strong-tasting and is valued for the important vitamins and minerals it contains. The unusually deep, rich taste is great in baking, the caramel flavour and slightly bitter undertone add richness to fruit cakes, brown loaves or gingerbread. But, you can also add a spoon to mince, when making a shepherd's pie, or it works well added to a barbecue sauce or baked beans.
