PETRA'S HONEY BREAD

PETRA'S HONEY BREAD

So, last week I began my journey through the recipes in the wonderful Leon: Baking and Puddings book. I didn’t start at the beginning of the book, though; more like page 104, because the honey bread recipe there caught my eye straight away. It is described as “a sweet, soft, wonderfully moreish tea bread”, and it was yummy indeed, but this bread is an unusual character.
It contains no egg or butter, in fact, no fat of any kind (which caused an extremely skeptical look to cross Jim’s face). But neither did it contain any yeast, as you might expect in a bread. It’s caught halfway between cake and bread, and perhaps because of this it has a distinctly unusual texture which Jim aptly described as “boingy”. Seriously, guys. It was like cutting a duvet.
But once we were in we were smitten by the warm honey flavour. The Leon recipe recommends serving slices with butter, but I don’t think it needs it. With a cup of tea, this moist, dense cake is perfect as it comes. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to use less lemon zest, or even leave it out altogether – it tended to overpower the other flavours in my bread. Because you know, honey and lemon can be great together, but sometimes honey just needs to rock out on its own.
- Birch Bakes

http://ivegotknits.wordpress.com/category/birch-bakes/page/3/

Ingredients

225g (8oz) plain flour
115g (4oz) caster sugar
115g (4oz) honey
150ml (9fl oz) hot water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
zest of 1 lemon

Method

Heat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas mark 3. Butter a 450g/1lb loaf tin and line it with baking paper.
Mix together the flour and sugar in a large bowl.
In a small pan melt together the honey and hot water.
Sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda over the water mixture and stir. Pour this over the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes.
 Remove from the tin and while still warm brush the top of the bread with honey for a nice sticky finish.

CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CAKE

CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CAKE

Although I first came up with this recipe because I had someone coming for supper who - genuinely - couldn't eat wheat or dairy, it is so meltingly good, I now make it all the time for those whose life and diet are not so unfairly constrained, myself included.
It is slightly heavier with the almonds - though not in a bad way - so if you want a lighter crumb, rather than a squidgy interior, and are not making the cake for the gluten-intolerant, then replace the 150g ground almonds with 125g plain flour. This has the built-in bonus of making it perhaps more suitable for an everyday cake.
Made with the almonds, it has more of supper-party pudding feel about it and I love it still a bit warm, with some raspberries or some such on the side, as well as a dollop of mascarpone or ice cream.
- Nigella Lawson

Ingredients

    150 ml regular olive oil (plus more for greasing)
    50 gram(s) cocoa powder (good quality, sifted)
    125 ml boiling water
    2 teaspoon(s) best vanilla extract
    150 gram(s) Ground almonds (or 125g plain flour)
    ½ teaspoon(s) bicarbonate of soda
    200 gram(s) caster sugar
    3 egg(s)
    1 22 or 23cm springform cake tin

Method

    Preheat your oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Grease your springform tin with a little oil and line the base with baking parchment.
    Measure and sift the cocoa powder into a bowl or jug and whisk in the boiling water until you have a smooth, chocolatey, still runny (but only just) paste. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little.
    In another smallish bowl, combine the ground almonds (or flour) with the bicarbonate of soda and pinch of salt.
    Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have a pale-primrose, aerated and thickened cream.
    Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in you can slowly tip in the ground almond (or flour) mixture.
    Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very centre, on top, still looks slightly damp. A cake tester should come up mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it.

    Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its tin, and then ease the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and spring it out of the tin. Leave to cool completely or eat while still warm with some ice cream, as a pudding.

GOOSEBERRY AND ELDERFLOWER BIRCHER MUESLI

GOOSEBERRY AND ELDERFLOWER BIRCHER MUESLI

50g oats  (use jumbo oats or look out for)
60ml/1/4 cup elderflower cordial
60ml/ 1/4 cup water
2-3 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
handful gooseberries, topped and tailed
teaspoon sugar
vanilla extract

This is a dish best prepped the night before, but don’t panic, it’s very simple. First add a teaspoon of sugar per handful of gooseberries and add a scant sticky trickle of vanilla extract and then roast your gooseberries in a 180℃ oven for about 20 minutes or until they collapse in their own syrup slightly. Set aside.
Soak the oats in the elderflower/water mix overnight. You can do it for 5 or 10 minutes before you eat, but overnight really plumps the oats up and makes them even better.
Then next morning, fuelled by the life giving power of tea, tip a couple of tablespoons of Greek yoghurt  and add in your roasted gooseberries. Stir round and then melt into the sweet creamy oats.

APPLE AND AMARANTH GRANOLA

APPLE AND AMARANTH GRANOLA

Amaranth is an ancient grain (from a grass I believe) and is similiar to quinoa in that it is gluten free* and high in protein and fibre. It makes interesting sounding porridges, but I think it most appetising dry cooked  to keep it nutty and crunchy. Bearing in mind that the seed is so crunchy, I decided to make the rest of the granola a little bit softer by coating it with stewed apple instead of oil. Everything about this recipe was impulse based so it’s in cups, not weights.

 Ingredients

2 apples, stewed down to make one cup of apple puree
2 cups jumbo oats
1/2 cup amaranth
1/4 cup wheatgerm (optional if your granola is wheat free)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup pecans, halved
1/2 brazil nuts, halved
1/2 cup honey (or treacle)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Method

First, stew your apples. Back in Belfast where I made this, it’s easy to get proper Bramley apples for cooking, but I struggle to find them in England, so just use anything sharp and tangy. Peel, slice finely, add about a tablespoon of water and stew until soft and like a puree. They’ll collapse in on themselves if left at the lowest heat with a lid on for about 20 minutes.
Then using a hot dry pan, toast your sesame seeds and set aside. Have a lid handy and then into the same pan, put your amaranth and toast until about 40% of it looks like tiny white popcorn and the rest is golden brown. It won’t all pop, but what does will go everywhere so you’ll need that lid!
Place all your dry ingredients in a bowl. You can add more types of nuts if you like. Hazelnuts would be lovely. Some flaked coconut is fabulous. You could add in some linseeds or sunflower seeds. Play around to get your perfect mix. Heat the pureed apple and the honey together and then mix into the dry ingredients, mixing well to make sure they are all coated.

Cook on a shallow tray so the granola is well spread out in the oven at 200℃ for about 20 minutes. Turn it over at this point and give it another 10 minutes until golden and crispy looking but not burnt. Cool in the tray and put in an airtight container immediately as this granola is a bit softer than oil based ones and will wilt gently if left out for too long.

PISTACHIO AND LEMON (LITTLE) LOAF CAKES

PISTACHIO AND LEMON (LITTLE) LOAF CAKES

 One morning I was leafing through a copy of River Café Easy when I discovered this recipe. The combination of beautiful photography and the memory of eating a slice of the most incredible pistachio cake at The River Café for my Dad’s birthday back in June convinced me that I had to make it. Having no scales in Italy, I jotted the instructions down in the inside of a book I was reading and resolved to give this recipe a go once I got back to my little London kitchen.
 This is the result and I absolutely urge you to give it a go. The combination of two types of ground nuts gives this cake an unusual, wonderfully moist, almost damp crumb, bright with the green of the pistachios and lifted by the sharp citrus sweetness of lemon juice and zest. A glaze of more pistachios and sugar syrup on top has a gorgeous, almost caramel-like flavour and the overall experience of eating this cake is as close to perfection as I’ve tasted in a long time.

- http://thelittleloaf.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/pistachio-lemon-little-loaf-cakes/

Ingredients:

For the cakes
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
250g golden caster sugar
4 large free range eggs, whisked
Zest of one large unwaxed lemon
Seeds scraped from one vanilla pod
120g pistachios, ground
100g almonds, ground
40g plain flour, sieved

For the syrup topping
Juice and zest of one large unwaxed lemon
50g golden caster sugar
60g pistachios, coarsely chopped

Method

For the cakes
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C. Grease and line two 9 x 18cm loaf tins*.
Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat the eggs into the mixture until incorporated, then add the vanilla and lemon zest. Fold in the ground nuts and flour.
Divide the batter between your two tins and bake for between 30 – 40 mins, testing to see if the cakes are done by inserting a skewer into the middle.
When baked, remove from the oven and leave in the tins for about five minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the syrup topping
Mix together the lemon juice and sugar. Bring to the boil, then simmer until slightly thickened and syrupy. Stir in the pistachios then pour evenly over the two loaf cakes.
Serve in thick slices. You could add a little natural yoghurt or chocolate ice cream, but this cake was so delicious I was happy to eat it on its own.

*You can also bake this in one large 30 x 9cm loaf tin. If doing so, increase baking time to between 45 minutes and one hour.

POTATO FARLS

POTATO FARLS

A farl is a flat piece of bread, cooked on a griddle but this is also known as potato bread or scones. It's the breakfast that built the Titanic, powered George Best and makes me less homesick for Belfast.
- Miss South

http://www.northsouthfood.com/

POTATO FARLS

Ingredients
 
mashed potatoes 500g, no milk added, just
a knob of butter
plain flour 100g, with an extra handful spare
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Mix the butter and seasoning through the mashed potato and leave to cool. Once you can handle the potato, add the flour, half at a time, mixing well. You want a dough that isn't sticky, but not too stiff. Flour the work surface and then roll the dough out until it is about 5mm thick. Cut into farls. You should get 8-10 from this. Make a batch and freeze by layering with greaseproof paper so you can cook them as needed. They're best fried in oil until golden or you can use a dry pan or grill until crisp on either side. Serve with fried eggs.

BANANA PANCAKES

BANANA PANCAKES

Pancakes are a surprisingly economical breakfast. I like mine American-style and puffed up with baking powder. You can mash leftover bananas that are too ripe to snack on into these for a sweet start to the day.
- Miss South

http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/miss-south

Ingredients

plain flour 200g
baking powder 1 tsp
ground ginger 1 tsp
salt a pinch
egg 2 large
butter 30g, melted
milk 250ml
bananas 2, mashed

Method

To make the pancakes, put the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then mix together, adding in the mashed banana at the end. The batter should be just loose enough to spoon easily, but will look a bit lumpy. Don't beat until smooth. Set the batter aside for 20 minutes if you can as this makes it rise better when cooking.
Cook the pancakes in a hot pan. The added butter in the batter means you don't need to grease the pan each time, but don't be surprised if you have to sacrifice the first one to the pancake gods. Keep them warm until needed. I don't need to serve these with anything else, but golden syrup is rather lovely.

NIGEL SLATER'S RYE BREAD

NIGEL SLATER'S RYE BREAD

The addition of a little grated cheese to this loaf is unusual. I included it initially on a whim, but then enjoyed the way it seemed to increase both the depth of flavour and moistness of the loaf. Leave it out if you wish. It's no big deal. I used a deep loaf tin, lightly floured. These loaves keep very well for several days – and make cracking toast. If spelt flour remains elusive, then use standard wholemeal. Makes 2 large loaves.
- Nigel Slater

Ingredients

rye flour 400g
wholemeal spelt flour 400g
strong white flour 100g
easy-bake dried yeast 10g
fine sea salt 1 tsp
warm water 600ml
honey 3 tbsp
shelled walnuts 100g
grated parmesan 75g

Method

Put the flours into a warm, generously sized mixing bowl with the dried yeast and salt, and mix well.
Lightly warm the water with the honey, stirring to dissolve, then pour into the flour and yeast. Mix the ingredients to form a sticky dough, then tip on to a floured board or work surface.
Form the dough into a ball, then knead by hand, pulling and stretching the dough, for a good 4 or 5 minutes.
Lightly oil the bowl then return the dough to it, cover with a tea cloth or clingfilm, then set aside in a warm place for about an hour, until the dough is half as big again.
Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a lightly floured board and knead again, briefly, for just a minute or two, incorporating the walnuts and parmesan as you go. Divide the dough in half, then place in the prepared loaf tins, cover and set aside for a further 30 minutes until risen. Set the oven at 220C/gas mark 8. Bake for 30 minutes, until crisp on top. Remove from the oven, leave for 10 minutes in its tin, then lift out and leave to cool before slicing.

NIGEL SLATER'S POPPY AND PUMPKIN SEED BUNS

NIGEL SLATER'S POPPY AND PUMPKIN SEED BUNS

Sunflower seeds are an option here, as is caraway. I ate them with mackerel pâté, pickled cucumber and capers. Makes 12-15.
- Nigel Slater

Ingredients

apple juice 400ml
honey 2 tbsp
strong white plain flour 400g
rye flour 200g
easy-bake dried yeast 2 tsp
sea salt 1 tsp
poppy seeds and pumpkin seeds

Method

Warm the apple juice and honey in a saucepan. It should be just hot enough to hold your finger in. Put the flours in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast and salt. Pour in the warm apple juice and honey and mix thoroughly to a sticky dough.

Knead the dough by hand for a mere 3 or 4 minutes, pushing, pulling and stretching the dough in whatever way suits you. You can use the food mixer fitted with a dough hook if you prefer. Oil or flour the bowl lightly, then return the dough to it and cover with a tea cloth or clingfilm. Set aside in a warm place, free of draughts, for an hour or until the dough has risen to almost twice its original volume.

Set the oven at 220C/gas mark 8. Tear off 12-15 pieces and form into balls. Place these on a baking sheet or pizza stone, then scatter the surface with poppy and pumpkin seeds and cover with a dry tea cloth. Leave in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes until the rolls have risen slightly.

Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes. They should sound hollow when upturned and tapped. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

LIGHT RYE BREAD

LIGHT RYE BREAD

Ingredients

500g rye flour
500g strong white bread flour
20g fresh yeast (or half a sachet of instant)
20g salt
700g warm water
25g caraway seed, lightly cracked with a rolling pin

Method

Combine the lot in a bowl and stir initially with a fork or scraper then dump into the bowl of a mixer and give it a good seven minutes at top speed with the dough hook. You could do this by hand but, if I'm perfectly honest, you could also buy the excellent pre-made rye loaf from somewhere like Poilane.
Shape into a large ball, coat with a little more flour and place in a bowl covered with a clean tea towel.
Leave the dough to rise. In a warm place, it will achieve 1½ times its original size in an hour or two. Slow the rising process down - in a cold porch, or even in the fridge - and it will take all night, developing better, sourdough flavours as it does.
Half an hour before you're ready to cook, put a baking sheet in the oven and turn it up full. 5 minutes before baking, fill a small ovenproof dish with hot water from the kettle and stick it in the bottom of the hot oven.
Finally turn your dough out of the bowl straight onto the hot baking sheet and stuff it back into the hot, steamy oven as fast as you can. Try to leave the door open for the shortest possible time so the temperature doesn't drop.
After 10 minutes, drop the oven temperature to 180C and open the door. This lets you check on your loaf and allows the oven temp to drop a little faster. After about 20 seconds, close the door and leave for another 20 or so minutes.
At the end of this time the loaf will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. It should cool thoroughly before slicing.

DELIA SMITH'S FLAPJACKS

DELIA SMITH'S FLAPJACKS

Ingredients
 4 oz (110 g) light brown soft sugar
 6 oz (175 g) butter
 1 dessertspoon golden syrup
 6 oz (175 g) porridge oats
 a few drops of almond essence
 Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C).

You will also need a 7½ inch (19 cm) square baking tin, 1½ inches (4 cm) deep, lightly greased.

Method

To start, place the sugar, butter and golden syrup together in a medium saucepan and heat until the butter has melted. Then remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the porridge oats and a few drops of almond essence.

Now, press the mixture out over the base of the prepared tin, and bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before cutting into oblong bars. Leave until cold before removing the flapjacks from the tin, then store in an airtight container.

RIVER COTTAGE SOUR RYE BREAD

RIVER COTTAGE SOUR RYE BREAD

"Rye makes dense, heavy bread, as it has very few gluten-forming proteins. It is very tasty, though, and well worth making."
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

INGREDIENTS

1.1kg dark rye flour, plus extra for dusting
25g salt
600ml warm water
A ladleful of sourdough starter
A good slug of sunflower oil (optional)

METHOD

Combine the rye flour, salt, water and starter in a large bowl and mix to a dough, adding more flour or water if needed, to make a soft, easily kneadable dough.
Mix in the oil, if using. Turn the dough out on to a clean worktop and knead for about 5 minutes; you'll probably need extra flour as it will be quite sticky. Divide the dough into two or three, shape into loaves and dust well with flour.
Leave to rise somewhere fairly warm, covered, ideally in well-floured proving baskets. You can use linen cloths or wooden boards, but as it is so low in gluten, unsupported rye bread tends to spread outwards rather than upwards, giving you flat loaves. Loaf tins would give higher, though less attractive loaves.
Your dough needs to double in size, which can take anywhere from 1-4 hours, depending on the temperature of the dough and vigour of your starter.
When almost ready, place your baking stone or tray in the oven and preheat the oven to 250°C/Gas Mark 10, or as hot as it will go.
When ready to bake, turn your loaves, one at a time, on to a peel and slide them on to the baking stone in the oven or remove the tray, turn the loaves on to it and return to the oven. There is no need to slash rye bread. It will hardly rise, so slashes would barely open up anyway, and it is likely to crack attractively in the oven, especially if it has been well floured.
Bake at the high temperature for about 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and bake for a further 20-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.