Cheddar Cheese English Muffins

I can't stay away, and the purchase of a new camera (for baby snaps) means that I have been taking pictures of food again...which also means I have something new to share.  

On Friday a friend of mine told me that she was going to make some English Muffins over the weekend and even though I had just baked a batch of gooey cinnamon-y cream cheesy brownies I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to make some too.  So, when I woke up Saturday morning I got down to the business of bread making.  

I've make English Muffins before using Dan Lepard's cider and yoghurt muffin recipe, which involves making a ferment the night before, and then bringing that to room temperature before making the dough and then proving, proving, proving...don't get me wrong, the muffins were excellent...but I just don't have the time for that. Instead, I turned to Delia's basic recipe and adapted it slightly.  

I used a combination of white and wholemeal bread flours (300g white to 150g wholemeal) and added a sprinkle more yeast and a couple extra Tbsps of milk to help the wholemeal along.  I also added a handful of grated extra mature cheddar to make these muffins a touch more savoury. 

I use my shallow cast iron casserole to cook my muffins...and I use the lid...it helps to keep the heat and moisture in the cooking area and I think it makes the muffins rise highhhher.  Like any homemade bread these muffins do take time, and patience...but well worth the wait! 

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Sweet Honey Buns...using New Zealand Manuka Honey

I was really happy to be asked to try some of the New Zealand Honey Co.'s new Manuka Honey Range.  Firstly, because I'm always happy to try new things and secondly, because my meagre grocery budget can't really stretch to much more than the basics or value range honey.

The lovely people at New Zealand Honey Co. sent me 2 jars of their new flavoured Manuka Honey Range.  Their arrival co-incided perfectly with my in-laws' recent visit...posh honey with their breakfasts! It was like I planned it. We all eagerly devoured the ginger flavoured honey smeared on thick slices of toast and drizzled over oatmeal or thick greek yoghurt with fruit. It was perfectly sweet with actual bits of ginger sprinkled though out.

While they were tucking into the jar of ginger honey I sneaked the second jar...lemon...into the cupboard reserving it for something special.

I've been thinking about this special bake for a while.  In reality it isn't that special at all...but it involves an enriched dough and a honey glaze...so you make up your mind.  

If you've been reading for a while you will know that I love yeasted bakes...buns buns and more buns! I can't really get enough of them.  Recently I have been obsessed with cardamom and everything Scandi but since my visit to Canada I've been dreaming of honey buns.  

In my mind honey buns are just enriched dough flavoured with honey and brushed with a sweet glaze.  Plain and simple.  I used a recipe from Pastry Affair to get the quantity of ingredients right, but then adapted the recipe to suit my normal method of making an enriched dough (plus I use easy blend yeast which really makes life so much simpler).  

These buns are great. They are soft and sweet and oh so moorish slathered with unsalted butter.  They are delicious on the day they are baked and also freeze well (defrost over night under a cake dome or upturned bowl).  The lemon flavour was not as strong as I would have liked it to be but I'm sure that is a result of being in a baked good.  The honey on its own straight from the jar is perfectly lemony.  

I like these Manuka Honeys from the New Zealand Honey Co.  They are creamy and smooth and the added flavours compliment the sweet honey well.  I would love to say that I'll never buy budget brand again, but based on the speed we devoured the jar of ginger honey I don't think I could afford to keep us in Manuka Honey in my weekly shop.  I would, however, recommend it as a great breakfast treat for visiting guests, family and in-laws.  

New Zealand Co.'s new Manuka "Plus" Range is available in UK Morrisons stores at a RRP of £9.99 

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Cardamom Buns with a twist...but without a Twist

On my birthday I was given the very sweet Nordic Bakery Cookbook.  I have been flipping through it practically every day since then, but have only JUST managed bake from it.  What to bake first was a really tough choice...rye bread...tarts...cake...pastries...buns.  In fact it was so difficult I was debating all week.  Finally I called for professional advice from the lovely Signe over at Scandilicious...it had to be buns.

These Cardamom Buns are different from the buns I've made recently.  Although all have been made from an enriched dough, these buns are truly soft and doughy...really soft.  The dough is flavoured with cardamom and sugar (and a good amount of melted butter) and then left to rise.  After rolling out 20 little dough balls you sort of pinch them into a bowl shape and leave to rise again.

The filling is a mixture of Quark (soft low fat cheese), Greek yoghurt and Pineapple, with a couple of eggs, sugar and vanilla thrown in for taste and texture. The recipe makes a lot of filling, too much actually...I would say it doesn't really matter, but since there are eggs in it I couldn't use the leftovers for anything, really. The recipe appears easy to half.  

These buns are gorgeous, they are soft and doughy and full of flavour.  The cardamom works well with the pineapple and cheese but I am thinking about mixing things up next time. Maybe I will make the cheese mixture minus the pineapple and then add some blueberry jam spooned on top? 

Oh! Just about time for a cup of coffee and a bun, perfect for taking my mind off the rain and wind battering my windows. 

Happy Midsummer...

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Cardamom Twists...my fancy piece

A few weeks ago I wrote about my experimental baking afternoon trying to emulate two very different cardamom buns.  The buns I produced weren't great, they were alright...but nowhere near as good as they could have been.  Since then I have immersed myself in all things dedicated to the Scandi trend.  I've found some pretty awesome food blogs and of course I have been deeply engulfed in the latest Scandinavian dramas aired on the Beeb (first the Bridge and now Sebastian Bergman) and have just polished off two Wallander crime novels...

This past weekend, in preparation for the Eurovision Song Contest I decided to roll up my sleeves and get down to Cardamom Bun business.  Since my previous attempt I have been researching (more carefully) recipes and methods and decided to use a recipe on the gorgeous Scandilicious Blog.  I vowed not to alter the recipe, I promised to just stick to the method, I tried my best...

You prepare the dough the night before and leave it to cold ferment overnight in the fridge.  I am a little bit nervous about cold fermentation, only because you just have to trust that something somewhere is going to react with something else and that everything will be hunky dory when you take the dough out of the fridge the next morning.  To be honest there wasn't any noticeable difference in the dough, it might have gotten a bit larger but for the most part it looked the same...but cold and hard.  After an hour out of the fridge coming to room temperature I still wasn't feeling confident, but I kept plugging away...rolling the dough out into a rectangle (read oval) and then slathering it with a sugary cardamom butter spread...

And then I improvised...I couldn't help myself.  I hadn't been able to roll the dough out into a rectangle. No matter what I did it just was too round.  So...after slathering it with the sugary butter I folded the dough up into a rectangle and then rolled it out again and then cut it into strips and twisted. 

They turned out pretty well I think. 

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Pizza for One (one greedy gal that is)

Homemade pizza is taking over my life.  Slowly, it has gone from a monthly treat to a weekly event.  Friday nights are now pizza pyjama movie party nights.  It honestly does not get much better than that.  There is nothing that I look forward to more after 5 days of running around after small children, mediating arguments, improvising lessons and wiping snotty noses.  Peaceful bliss comes to me in the form of soft elasticy dough smothered in tomato sauce, cheese and a rotation of toppings.  

I've been experimenting with different flours for the bases as well...but have to admit that there is nothing quite like a dough made with type 00 flour...stretchy, soft and so smooth.  All of my dough "recipes" are based on my mum's basic pizza dough recipe...In a big bowl I mix 250ml of warm water, 2 TBSP oil and 1 TBSP dry active yeast with a good pinch of salt and 1 1/2 cups of flour and then gradually add more flour until the dough is soft and not sticky.  I didn't use to knead it at all, since there is a good amount of yeast, but I've been kneading recently and it has resulted in a much softer dough (with a much more dramatic rise).  If I use a mixture of brown and white flours I tend to use 1 cup of brown and 1/2 cup of white to start and then add in more white flour (and often another splash or two of warm water).  This isn't a finely tuned recipe...it is always changing. 

SO, back to the point of this post.  This weekend's pizza feast was postponed to Saturday night to coincide with the big Chelsea footy game...pizza and sport and pyjamas. Everything was set, the dough was rising the toppings were prepared and then the footy fan was invited out.  I greedily encouraged him to go (more pizza and the tv remote to myself...need I say more?) and got on with making MY pizza.  

Normally I just toss on whatever I have to hand, and some pepperoni purchased especially for the occasion.  Last night I followed a recipe...from Jamie's Italy for potato pizza.  It was seriously delicious.     Tomato sauce based covered with cooked New Potatoes sliced and tossed in oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and a little lemon juice and then topped with mozzarella cheese.  

I had made enough dough to make a second pizza but seeing as I was dining alone last night (and I managed to restrain myself) I popped the left over dough into a container and into the fridge and there it sits waiting for lunch today...

Homemade pizza and a couple of cold beers is totally the new staying in.   

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Real Bread @Breadshare Community Bakery Part 2

Along with the little bready treats I picked up at Whitmuir on Saturday I also bought a gigantic loaf of Border Country Loaf.  

This loaf is made with a french wheat leaven and has a lovely soured aroma and taste with a really soft chewy texture.  The loaf I bought was a day old and still super soft.  I purposely bought it day old because I had planned on making a panzanella for my supper...something to make the bread the centre piece of my meal.  

Traditionally panzanella uses stale bread but I never seem to have any of that in my house so I just use fresh bread.  This loaf was perfect.  I had planned on making enough for one dinner with some leftover as a snack...but, well...I ended up eating it all.  

In a large salad bowl I put half a thinly sliced red onion with 1Tbsp of red wine vinegar and 1 small clove of minced garlic.  I let the vinegar soften the onions for a few mins while I seeded and chopped 2 largish tomatoes and then added those into the onions with some salt, sugar and then about 1/4 of the loaf of bread cut into cubes and a good glug of walnut oil.  I mixed it all up and let it sit while I fried 4 rashers of streaky bacon and then added the bacon and the oil into the bread mixture.  

And then sat down to enjoy!

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Real Bread @Breadshare Community Bakery Part 1

On Saturday, fellow cake lady and real bread enthusiast Fiona and I embarked on a short road trip down to the Scottish Borders to a town called Lamancha.  Just past the hub of this tiny town is an organic farm called Whitmuir and nestled into one of the outbuildings on the farm is the Breadshare Community Bakery.  

The bread made by the team at Breadshare is sold through the farm shop at Whitmuir but we were lucky to have been offered the chance to have a look around the bakery itself.  Geoff and Debra, who have recently been appointed to manage the bakery, took Fiona and me through their real bread methods and ethos.  

The bread is made with the minimum of ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast or leaven and is left to prove for a minimum of 4 hours. Debra and Geoff are clearly enthusiastic about their project, and it is infectious.  Debra showed us some small containers of leaven she was testing for a workshop with the local scout group.  By sharing methods and knowledge with local children, and adults alike, they hope to encourage more people to enjoy making bread.   

I could go on and on about our visit but I think that the big message I took away from it was that baking bread...on this level...is really amazing.  Debra did mention that when they first started everything was very exact, but now they feel more free in their baking, it's more of a fluid process. I can barely imagine baking with 1kg of flour, let alone 20kg.  It is seriously technical and scientific, it is a challenge, and it is something that the Breadshare Community Bakery has embraced.  

To bring home with me I bought a Cardamom Almond Roll...totally delicious enriched dough with cardamom slathered with frangipane, rolled up covered in flaked almonds and an egg wash and baked. Normally I am a sucker for an almond croissant but there was something much more satisfying about this roll, perhaps it was the cardamom.  

I also picked up this Cheese Scroll.  It is mixture of rye and wheat dough mixed with cheese and then rolled.  I've only nibbled at the edges so far...

Geoff and Debra were kind enough to offer us some samples not only of something new they are developing (croutons and crisp breads using left over breads) but they also sent us on our merry way with a little pot each of the Breadshare rye leaven to get experimenting with.  

Breadshare is not for profit, which means that they can really focus on slow fermentation, the process and the ingredients that go into making their breads. You can buy Breadshare Community Bakery breads through Whitmuir Farm in Lamancha or in Edinburgh at St. Mary's Market on Saturdays and also at Margiotta on Dundas Street.  The bakery also featured in an episode of Landward earlier in April.   

Thank you again to Geoff and Debra for letting us have a nosey around the bakery.  It was a really lovely introduction to community baking I only wish I was able to get down more to volunteer.  I should note that the bakery isn't normally open to the public.  

Piggies on the farm! I couldn't resist...

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English Muffins @home

This past weekend I made English Muffins...at home...from scratch.  I am starting to amaze myself, actually.  I can't believe that a year or so ago I was terrified of yeast breads and now...I'm dreaming about being chased down dark alleys by baguettes and buns...hmmm...just re-reading that makes me think that perhaps I still am terrified.  Anyway...while I might be subconsciously terrified I am very much consciously loving making my own bread and discovering just how good home baked breads are.  

Enough of that...and onto the muffins.  English Muffins (so as not to be confused with those pesky cakey-muffins) are one of my favourite breakfast breads.  I don't know if it is the slightly fermented taste, or the way they toast up...or how lovely they are topped with poached eggs and hollandaise...I've just always really loved english muffins. 

The recipe I used comes from Dan Lepard's Short & Sweet. Of course I went into baking these with the utmost faith in the recipe...but...if you are going to attempt these...make sure you set aside a good deal of time to make them.  The dough is mixed up the night before and left in the fridge to slowly prove.  The next morning the dough is brought back to room temperature and then cut into discs and then left to rise...again.  It is all a very slow process....totally worth it...but slow.  My advice? If you want these for brunch (or even breakfast) you are best making the dough two days before you want them and baking them the day before. 

Once the muffins have risen they are browned on both sides in a large pan with a lid and then transferred into the oven to finish baking through.  I was honestly surprised at this stage.  I mean the muffins had risen to about 2cm tall but the combination of heat and steam in the pan made them really puff up.  

Out of the oven and cooled...although I ate the wonky-end-bits one right out of the oven slathered in butter.  My only adaption? the recipe calls for cider vinegar, which I replaced with malt...making the muffins taste especially tangy.  Totally perfect in my opinion since I love a good sour tasting loaf.

Waitrose apricot and apple sausages, spicy plum sauce, tomato and lettuce Muffin...devoured.

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a loaf for a gal with the sweetest tooth

Raisin and Cinnamon Sugar Bread

Just a little birthday giftie for a gal I know who has the sweetest tooth I've ever encountered. 

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Homemade Pita

I've set time aside over the Easter holidays to try two new bread recipes...I've even planned meals around them.  That might seem like added pressure, but seeing as the two recipes come from Dan Lepard's Short & Sweet there really is no need to worry (or to have packs of shop bought "just in case").  

I tackled the first new recipe yesterday. I say tackled...but it was pretty simple.  The recipe? Pita Breads. I am a huge fan of fresh pitas used to gobble up hummus and baba ganoush, and yes sometimes I buy them from the supermarket to fill with lovely salads and falafel.  The problem is...the supermarket ones are almost impossible to make into a "pocket" without tearing them...causing hummus and salad to spill out after one bite.  Oh! And they rarely taste fresh. Homemade on the other hand...pillowy, soft, substantial...fresh!

The recipe is very easy, the dough mixes up well and becomes stretchy and soft before you know it.  I started the dough, sat down and watched some tv for half an hour, got up and divided the dough up...washed the dishes and then it was time to roll and bake...sure it takes longer than ripping open a package but that first bite of fresh doughy pita...well that's worth the oh....75 mins it took from beginning to end.  

Last night I filled mine with falafels, hummus and salad...I greedily packed up two pitas to bursting point...and was almost defeated! It took me a good 45 mins of stopping and starting to get through the second one! If you know me that is a rare rare thing! 

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Sourdough: trials and tribulations

If you've been wondering about my sourdough adventures I've written a piece for Total Food Geeks Edinburgh...check it out...and feel sorry for me!

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Wholewheat moving in...

For those of you keeping tabs, I haven't posted about my Sourdough adventures in a while...but I promise something is coming soon.  Things have been a bit too busy for the sloooooow sourdough recently.  For now, though, I have put poor Morag at the back of the fridge to sleep.  

This weekend (and tonight) I turned my kneading hands to wholewheat bread.  I've been nervous about mixing my flours, I am not convinced I've entirely "got" bread making yet...but I've been practicing a lot and trying different recipes so I thought...why not!? 

Dan Lepard's Wholewheat recipe in Short & Sweet is for a proper 100% wholewheat loaf...I wasn't exactly ready to attempt that monster.  I say monster only because I have read about the heartaches of baking wholewheat loaves...loaves that come out of the oven like bricks...I didn't think I was emotionally strong enough to cope with that.  So, instead I took advice and adapted my regular white loaf.  I substituted 1/4 white flour with wholewheat and upped the yeast to 1-1/2 tsp.  I also needed about 70ml more water.  

I am really happy with the result.  I know I say this a lot...but it constantly amazes me how wonderful my bread tastes, and feels and looks.  I haven't bought a loaf from the supermarket in months...and I really don't want to.  

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My Scandinavian Love Affair...takes hold in the kitchen

For the past few months I have become increasingly obsessed with everything "Scandi"...tv shows, cooking, interior design...and I have finally turned my infatuation into something in the kitchen.  I'll admit it took me watching the Hairy Bikers baking in Norway to finally roll up my sleeves and get stuck in...but boy am I glad I did!

This Scandinavian Rye Bread has filled a big fjord (see what i did there...not sure if it actually works) in my bread baking repertoire...rye bread.  I've been adding the odd dash of rye into loaves and cakes over the last few months but this was the first predominantly rye loaf I've made.  The proportion of rye to white flour is pretty much 50/50 making the loaf rise pretty easily and keeping it light and soft.  It was super easy to make and tastes amazing, especially slathered with goats cheese, topped with sliced cucumber and sprinkled with pepper and salt.  

I've got gravlax and flatbreads on my to do list next...

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My First Sourdough...a lesson in patience

This post is a long time coming, I've been meaning to write it all week but one thing has lead to another and it has taken until this morning to get a chance to sit down and actually put pen to paper...or fingers to keyboard in this case. 

While I say this is my first sourdough...that isn't technically true...I did attempt to create my own starter back when we lived in Chelmsford.  For some reason it never really did anything, it smelt horrible and had zero bubbles so...down the drain it went.  Ever since then I have felt seriously defeated.  

As most of you will remember, before Christmas David rolled up his sleeves and got seriously stuck into bread making.  One of his gifts was The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard, and inside there is a step by step guide to creating your own leaven.  I've been biding my time to get it started and...about 2 weeks ago I finally got started.  As for the book...I don't know if David has even been able to look at it (it has been my bedside reading for 2 months)!

6 stressful days of caring for, feeding, nurturing my starter later I set aside a Sunday morning to carefully prepare my dough...softly kneading it every 30 mins or 1 hour until it was soft and ready to shape. Sourdough takes patience, it takes planning...but every bite is worth it. 

The recipe I used was straight out of The Handmade Loaf.  Dan Lepard's Mill Loaves are a combination of white, wholemeal and rye flour and instead of round loaves he suggests shaping the dough into batons.

The instructions are very clear for the shaping, and the dough was surprisingly soft and pliable.  I have to admit that the thought of turning those lovely round discs into batons freaked me out.  I was so worried I was going to do it wrong, that for some reason the dough would just spread and spread OUT instead of up.  I was reluctant to leave my bread to rise (for 4-6 hours!) but I had a delicious tea to attend.

After the 6 hour rest and rise the loves were turned out onto a baking sheet and baked one at a time.  Out they came and, while looking totally bizarre, smelt amazing.

I've got some practice to do on my shaping but I think that they look rustic, they look handmade...and they taste amazing! We've been munching away on one loaf all week and I put the other in the freezer.  I have to say that I am beyond proud of myself.  It seems silly, but this really was a lesson in patience and in faith.  

The only downside...the recipe called for 500g of starter and that turned out to be all I had! But never fear...another batch is quietly bubbling away on the countertop as I type.  

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Coming Soon...

This weekend is a Sourdough Weekend!

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Dan Lepard's Soya and Linseed Loaf

I am still totally in love with my copy of Dan Lepard's Short and Sweet and the more I look through it the longer the To Make list is getting.  The only problem is...we also have his Handmade Loaf book...which is quickly making the To Make Bread section unmanageable (that and the fact that my starter leaven isn't cooperating). 

Yesterday afternoon I tackled one loaf that really caught my eye when I first flipped through the book.  Soya and Linseed Loaf. I am not sure what caught my attention first, the soya or the linseed but I immediately knew that this was a loaf worth tracking down soya milk and linseed for.  

This loaf is incredibly soft...but also has a really nice chewy crust that tastes almost like it has been toasted.  I don't know why...I am guessing that it is the combination of the soya and the addition of rye flour...what I do know is that I like it.  It also makes me feel ridiculously healthy...oats, linseed, soya, rye flour...and, as usual, totally impressed with myself. 

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A Winter Apple Loaf

I think it is safe to say I have gone bread baking mad.  I think that over the last month I have settled into baking bread more often than cakes or cookies or anything else sweet...I feel that this year (as opposed to last year's resolution) I have really embraced baking bread from scratch.  

On Saturday I had planned to make a cinnamon raisin loaf...something to toast in the mornings (I am a total bread warden when it comes to slicing the sandwich loaves) or to snack on with a cup of tea in the afternoons...but when I spied Dan Lepard's recipe for Winter Apple Loaf  I immediately wrote myself a shopping list and ran out to Sainsburys.

There is no picture of this loaf in Short & Sweet...Dan's description totally drew me in...log fires...real ale...pulled pork sandwiches.  Ok, ok, ok...not exactly the sweet raisin cinnamon bread I had in mind, but in my mind's eye I could just picture the roaring fire and me cuddled up on the couch with a hunk of this bread slathered in butter and cheese...or even honey.

This bread was interesting to make, you put all the wet ingredients into a large bowl and then add the flour on top.  The dough was wet...really wet and I ended up adding some extra flour when I kneaded it...for longer than the recommended 10 seconds.  I am totally on board with Lepard's gentle kneading routine, I just really didn't feel that this dough was right and seeing as there was no reference in the text to this being a wet dough I just went with my gut.  

In the end the bread turned out amazing...but I have to admit I did agonise over it for the hour and 45 min it took to proof.  If you do make this loaf I would suggest letting it cool completely before cutting into it...it is a dense loaf and felt a bit too moist when still warm...but later on, when completely cooled it was AMAZING! 

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Homemade Flour Tortillas

Fajitas are something that I can easily gorge myself on.  There is something so satisfying about that hot hot hot sizzle of meat, onions and peppers, the cool creamy sour cream and guac and...of course the chewy warm tortillas.  Except that more often than not the experience is let down by the dry or cracked or cardboard textured store bought "wraps".  Don't get me wrong, I love me a good wrap but unless they are totally fresh, or warmed through in the micro they just fall flat.  

When I spied the recipe for Corn Oil Tortillas in Dan Lepard's Short & Sweet I knew fajitas were on the dinner horizon.  Planning ahead, of course, it has taken a few weeks for fajitas to come up on my meal plan...but finally they arrived on Saturday night! 

These tortillas are super easy to make and they taste unbelievably fresh... I can't believe I have never made them before.  At first the dough was really stiff, but...after 10 mins resting it was super soft and easy to work with.  The recipe isn't online, but I've had a quick look through quite a few and they seem pretty similar.  Flour, salt, baking powder, hot water, milk and some kind of fat...these used Corn Oil.  So easy.  

Fajitas can actually be an expensive craving to satisfy if you go for the sachets of seasoning, store bought guac, and store bought wraps...not to mention the chicken, peppers, sour cream and tomatoes.  I stopped buying fajita seasoning ages ago, after discovering Jamie's recipe in Ministry of Food, using smoked paprika and ground cumin instead (already in the cupboard).  I never buy store made guac...but this means that the avocado have (bought about a week in advance) HAS to be perfect, or no guac for me! And now, I've discovered the homemade tortilla, also made with ingredients always in my cupboard!! This once expensive meal has become budget friendly, so I suspect we will see it on the meal plan more often! 

ps Jamie uses 2 breasts, but I have found that if they are a decent size 1 is often enough for the 2 of us.  

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Black Bread, Borscht and Back to Normality

Hello! It has been a while! I don't think I have had a free second for the past three weeks...but seeing as my house guests are having a lie-in this morning I thought I would take advantage of the quiet house and sit down and share a little something.

The past three weeks have been full of family, good food, laughter, drinks, long walks, blustery winds and...well...overindulgence.  I won't sit here and make you jealous with a long list of incredible food I've eaten and gifts I have received, but I will say that sitting under the tree just waiting for me was my much pined for copy of Dan Lepard's Short and Sweet.  Finally!

It was at the top of my wish list (and mentioned in a few not-so-subtle notes left around the house) and lovely Davey took notice and there it was waiting for me on Christmas Morning.  I asked for Short and Sweet in good faith...it has been touted all over the blogosphere for the past few months and Dan's Guardian recipes are mentioned over and over again on twitter.  Asking for a book without perusing it first is a risk...but not in this case.  I can honestly say that I anticipate making every recipe in the book...

And so I got started...

Yesterday's weather (and the weeks of overindulgence) had my body screaming for a supper of soup and bread and...nutrients. Thinking about it I am not sure what came to mind first...the bread or the soup...but  either way they managed to compliment each other really nicely.  Borscht and Dan Lepard's Black Bread.

On paper this bread sounds out of this world...for real...I mean the ingredient list includes treacle, coffee, cocoa, carrot and fennel seed...huh?? Well, I trust Dan (no photo of the loaf in the book...so I just had to dive right in) and I have to say I wasn't let down.

The dough is really sticky and I was a bit nervous about it actually being cooked through, but once it was cooled the bread turned into a really soft but dense loaf with a deep treacly flavour.  Dan suggests substituting honey or golden syrup for the treacle and I think that I might try that next time.  This bread can stand up to some really strong flavours, we had it slathered with cream cheese and topped with smoked peppered mackerel, cucumber and red onion...a sort of stand in for dark rye.

Served with a thick borscht and plain yoghurt with the wind and rain battering the windows I felt energised, I felt nourished, I felt back to normal.

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Raisin Cinnamon Sugar Bread

Last year at this time I was thinking about my new year's resolution...what changes in my life did I want to make...and while I didn't decide to actually give anything up or vow to be a better person or anything...I did, however, resolve to make a conscious effort to make my own bread.  I haven't been very consistent, I'll admit it, and after our big move up to Edinburgh I have been spending every second of my free time exploring.  

David's been really proactive the last few weekends, waking up early getting the dough going and I'll admit it, I've been slightly jealous of the loaves and buns he's produced.  I wish I had baked more bread over the last year, I wish I had been brave enough to experiment.  

This week David's been so busy studying for his exams that he "allowed" me to make the bread! I seized my chance and attempted a raisin cinnamon sugar bread.  

I can't remember where I originally found the recipe, it is scribbled down in my recipe book as "White Loaf with variations", that's all the info I have..that and the instructions for making the dough using the dough hook on my KitchenAid.  

It is a basic recipe...500g strong white flour, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp yeast and 300ml warm water.  Before adding the water I added 1/2 cup of raisins and upped the sugar to 1 Tbsp.  

The KitchenAid was a no-go today (sob) since David studies in the kitchen and he has deemed it too noisy...weep.  And so, I overcame my kneading by hand phobia and got on the with job...and BOY was it satisfying.  The kneading was slightly exhausting but it was so so so enjoyable.  I have been converted! 

After the first rise (and the second kneading session) I rolled the dough out to a rectangle about 1inch thick, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and then folded the bread in thirds into a loaf shape and left to rest in the tin.  Before popping it in the oven (200 degrees, 30-35 mins) I brushed it with milk and sprinkled again with sugar and cinnamon.  

It tastes great...not sweet at all...but I think that next time I would just add the cinnamon at the beginning with a bit of extra sugar. 

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