British🍞 Bread & bakery

Welsh Rarebit

Name: Welsh Rarebit
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: ~4-6 slices bacon; ~3 tbsp butter; ~3 tbsp flour; ~1 cup milk; ~1 egg yolk; ~8 oz cheddar cheese; ~¼ tsp garlic granules or powder; ~1/8 tsp cayenne pepper; ½ tsp English mustard powder; ~2-3 spring onions or green onions; ~1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 4 slices bread slices; ~1 tbsp chives

⏱ 35 min🍽 Serves 4

A classic British pub-style cheese toast topped with a savory mixture of bacon, cheese sauce, and seasonings, broiled until golden. Serve as a main meal with chips and pickles, or enjoy as a simple snack.

Adapted from a video by John Kirkwood

Welsh Rarebit: Cheap, Quick, Simple, Delicious

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

baconsmoked or unsmoked, fried until crispy and cut into small pieces (lardons)~4-6 slicesest.
butter~3 tbspest.
flour~3 tbspest.
milkor use half milk and half beer/stout for traditional version~1 cupest.
egg yolk~1est.
cheddar cheesestrong mature cheddar, or mix half cheddar and half red Leicester for better color~8 ozest.
garlic granules or powder~¼ tspest.
cayenne pepper~1/8 tspest.
English mustard powderor substitute with 1 tsp prepared English mustard

Steps

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1
Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium-low heat until crispy. Once completely cooled, cut it into small pieces (lardons) and set aside.
2
Mix the egg yolk into the milk (or use half milk and half beer/stout for traditional version). Stir well and set aside.
3
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add flour and mix with the butter using a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir and cook for about 90 seconds until the mixture turns light brown and smells pleasantly nutty.
4
Gradually pour in the liquid mixture, adding a little at a time at first while whisking continuously. Once it loosens, add the remaining liquid and keep whisking until smooth.
5
Add the garlic granules, cayenne pepper, and English mustard powder (or prepared mustard). Mix well.
6
Turn off the heat. Add the cheese in two or three batches while the residual heat melts it, preventing the cheese from splitting. Mix until all the cheese is fully incorporated.
7
Fold in the sliced spring onions, add the crispy bacon bits (reserving some for garnish), and add a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.
8
Transfer the mixture to a bowl or dish and cover with cling film. Chill quickly by setting the bowl in cold water for about 15 minutes, or refrigerate for up to a couple of days.
9
Lightly toast the bread slices on both sides until golden.
10
Once the cheese mixture has chilled and become stiff, spread it generously over the toasted bread, keeping it slightly thinner at the edges to prevent burning.
11
Preheat the grill or broiler to a moderate heat (not full strength). Broil the Welsh rarebit for 5 to 7 minutes, allowing it to heat through gradually until the top turns a patchy golden-peachy color.
12
Remove from the grill—be careful, as it will be very hot. Optionally garnish with the reserved bacon bits and chopped chives.

Welsh Rarebit

Ingredients

Steps

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