Large Sour Dough Loaf

 

You need to have active starter ready to go for this. If you don't, you need to feed up the starter and allow enough time for it to get active. I always have starter in the fridge and it can be fed and active enough in about 8 hours. From active starter to ready to eat loaf you need around 18 hours.

Feed up your starter. You'll need 140g of lively for the recipe and enough to feed up for the next loaf (at least 10g, preferably 25g or so). If you start this early enough in the morning, you can prepare the loaf the same day and put it in the fridge overnight to bake the next morning. Otherwise prep the starter the evening/overnight of day 1, then prep the loaf day 2 and leave it overnight to bake on day 3.

Sour Dough

140g lively starter

580 g flour (strong white or mixture of strong white and malted)

380g lukewarm water

8 - 10g salt

Day 1 

7am Feed 60g starter with 60g organic rye flour and 60g lukewarm water in a large jar. Stir, mark with a rubber band and leave to bubble up and double in size. 

4pm Mix the dough ingredients, leaving remaining starter in the jar. Either put it in the fridge or if you want to make another loaf the next day leave it out and feed it up. You can feed it up and leave it out for a couple of hours before putting it in the fridge to keep it nice and lively.

4.30pm Fold the dough on sprayed wet surface 12 - 15 folds

6.30pm 2nd fold (6 -8 folds), on wet surface

8.30pm 3rd fold (6 -8 folds) on wet surface

9.30pm Fold the dough on floured surface, around 6 folds and put in proofing basket upside down. Put in fridge overnight, uncovered.

Day 2

Take out of the fridge about half an hour to an hour before baking. If not risen much, leave a bit longer at room temperature or in airing cupboard. (It won't have puffed up that much, and will puff up in oven).

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C with lidded Dutch oven inside. 

Turn the loaf into the Dutch oven, replace the lid and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, reduce temperature to 190 degrees C and bake for a further 20 minutes.

Leave to cool before cutting.

Quick Sour Dough and Yeast Loaf

 We've been trying out lots of sour dough recipes recently. Some of them are a huge faff. Others slightly less. I like the Bake with Jack recipe here https://www.bakewithjack.co.uk/blog-1/2018/7/5/sourdough-loaf-for-beginners, but I also wanted a recipe that doesn't need as much attention through the day and doesn't need an overnight proove. This one is loosely based on this King Arthur Flour baguette recipe.https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes-recipe. It is quicker than other sour dough recipes and it does have a little instant dried yeast in it to help speed it along. I'm experimenting with less and less yeast and will try leaving it out all together. You do get a slightly less open crumb from this one, but it is still really good.

You will need a lively sour dough starter to make this. Check out Bake with Jack for how to do that. I got some sour dough starter from my son Tom. I keep its descendants in the fridge (and have an insurance one in the freezer). I get it out of the fridge the afternoon before I want the loaf and feed it up ready to use the next day. Take 30g starter, add 60g organic strong flour and 60g room temperature water, stir and leave in a warm place. A few hours later feed again with 100g each of flour and water, leaving it again in a warm place overnight and checking that it is bubbling well, preferably doubling in size by the morning. Once you've got a bubbly lively starter that's doubled in size, you can be eating this loaf in about 4 hours with minimal faffing during that time.

For a roughly 900g loaf:

320g lively sour dough starter

190g lukewarm water

400g strong bread flour (all white, or a mix of white, wholemeal or granary)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp instant dried yeast

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. The dough should be quite wet.

2. Knead in a stand mixer for 7 minutes.

2a. Optional step, but I think it improves the texture of the bread: Turn the dough onto a wet work surface and stretch and fold it (see Bake with Jack video to get folding technique). 

3. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place.

3a. Again optional step, but as above you get a better texture. Repeat the fold after about 60 minutes, leaving it to rest for another half hour.

4. Shape the dough into your chosen form (if you haven't done the extra folds, this will be about 90 minutes after you kneaded it; you'll need to gently deflate the dough and gently shape it) - I put it into a well-floured round proving basket, but you could just put it in a loaf tin for a sandwich loaf, or you could shape it into baguettes.

5. Leave to proove for another 90 minutes to 2 hours, preheating the oven towards the end of the prooving time. You want the dough to have risen, although not necessarily to have doubled in size. It should look slightly puffy and be about a third bigger than before.

6. For a nice crusty loaf, heat a large Dutch oven (Le Creuset) in the oven set as hot as it will go (around 230 C). When it is up to temperature, carefully transfer the loaf into the Dutch oven (I struggle with this, as it's hard to get the wet dough not to stick to the basket. I turn it out onto a floured bendy silicon chopping bard and try and slide it into the Dutch oven without burning myself. It usually manages to flip over on one side and I lose the nice round shape, but it still tastes great). Replace the lid and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake for a further 15 - 20 minutes. Turn out to cool on a rack.

Example timing:

Day before - feed up the starter in the afternoon, give it another feed before bed and leave in a warm place

8am - Mix and knead the dough/fold if folding

9.30am - Fold again if folding

10am - Gently shape and place in prooving basket or loaf tin

11am - 11.30am Preheat oven and Dutch oven with lid

11.30am - 12pm Bake the loaf

12.30 - 1pm Eat the loaf!

Bibimbap

 

A Korean classic that we ate regularly when we lived in Korea. The best ones are Dolsot Bibimbap, where they use a super hot stone bowl to put the rice and veggies in - it gives the rice a nice almost burnt crispy crunchiness and keeps everything hot. But it works in a normal bowl.

For two generous portions:

200g short grain rice /sushi rice

1 medium courgette

2 large carrots

200g fresh spinach

100g mushroom

200g beansprouts

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted for 5 minutes or so in a hot oven or in a dry frying pan - don't let them burn

sesame oil

soy sauce

2 eggs

Other proteins of choice eg salmon, beef mince fried with a little garlic and soy, marinated fried or baked tofu, chicken thigh marinated in hot sauce/soy and oven cooked. You only need a small amount per bowl.

For the kochujang sauce (you may need more, depending on how much people like):

1 tbsp kochujang

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp maple syrup

small clove garlic, crushed

dash rice wine vinegar

water to thin slightly

1. Prepare all the veggies - cut the courgette lengthways in quarters, then into thin slices. Put in a colander and sprinkle with coarse salt, then set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Peel and cut the carrots into matchsticks.
3. Wash, dry and thinly slice the mushrooms.
4. Wash the spinach and beansprouts.
5. You can use different veggies, depending on what is available. Swiss chard is good as is onion. I have also saved time by frying it all together like a stir fry, in vegetable oil and sesame oil, then adding soy sauce and more sesame oil to taste. Not authentic, but when it's all mixed up anyway it tastes the same.
6. Prepare and cook the rice: rinse it several times in cold water, then leave to soak in cold water for about 30 minutes. Drain and put in a heavy based saucepan with a tight-fitting lid  (preferably non-stick to help when cleaning up). Pour in 250ml cold water (125ml of water for every 100g rice), then bring to the boil with the lid on. Reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes, importantly not removing the lid at all, then take it off  the heat and leave it for another 10 minutes, again without removing the lid. Alternatively use a rice cooker - I wish I had one.
7. Rinse and drain the courgettes. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then blanch the courgettes for 1 minute. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon, drain them in a colander, then toss them with a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce.
8. Bring the pan of water back to the boil, drop in the beansprouts and cook them for about 3 minutes. Drain and toss them in a little sesame and soy sauce.
9. Cook the carrots for about 1 and half minutes in the microwave with a tablespoon of water. Drain them and toss them in the same sesame soy sauce mix.
10. Fry the mushrooms a little sunflower oil, adding some crushed garlic if you like.
11. Tip the mushrooms into a dish, then put the spinach in the frying pan and let it wilt over a low heat until it looks cooked - press it in a sieve to get the excess liquid out, then toss in sesame and soy sauce.
12. It doesn't matter if the veggies are at room temperature - the rice should be hot though.
13. Fry the eggs.
14. Assemble the bibimbap - put the rice into warmed bowls, top with the fried egg, then arrange the veggies around the edge. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. 
15. Stir together the ingredients for the kochujang sauce - allow each person to put as much of it as they like into their bowl, depending on how spicy they like it. Give it all a good stir and devour.

Raspberry and Apple Jam

 

500g cooking apples (weigh after peeling and coring)

500g raspberries

1kg granulated white sugar

squeeze of lemon juice

5 1lb jam jars, cleaned and sterilized in a low oven (put the washed and rinsed jars into the cold oven, then turn it on to 100 centigrade and leave to warm up thoroughly). Sterilize the metal lids in Milton.

1. Chop the apples up fairly small. Put in a large saucepan with a little water and a squeeze of lemon juice and simmer gently until they start to soften. When they are fairly soft, add the raspberries and continue to simmer on a low heat until the fruit is more or less cooked. Meanwhile, put a couple of saucers in the freezer for testing the setting point later.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve.

3. Return to heat and bring to a rolling boil, stirring to stop it burning or boiling over.

4. After about 5 minutes test if the jam has reached setting point - put a spoonful onto one of the cold saucers from the freezer, leave for a minute then see if it is set by running your finger through it. If not, continue boiling the jam for another couple of minutes, then test again.

5. Once setting point is reached, remove from the heat, get your jam jars out of the oven and put them on a tray, then ladle the jam into the jars, covering them straight away with the sterilized lids. Wipe and label the jars when they are cool.

Swiss Chard Risotto

A bit of a glut of Swiss Chard in the garden after 5 days away. This used some of it up. 

Because there's a glut of runner beans too, this portion has added runner beans, which are not part of the recipe!

Serves 3 - 4 

big bowl of chard leaves with stems attached (about 400g)

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

dried mixed herbs to taste

sprig thyme

50ml (ish) white wine

stock (about 1 litre, perhaps slightly less - I used chicken stock, and when that ran out a veg stock cube and boiling water)

250g arborio rice 

grated cheese to serve (although I used it to accompany salmon, so didn't add cheese this time)

1. Wash the chard, cut off the stems and chop them into 2cm pieces. Roll the leaves up and cut them into strips with scissors.

2. Gently saute onion, garlic, chard stems and mixed herbs in olive oil until softened.

3. Add the rice and stir it together, then pour in the wine and stir as you let it evaporate.

4. Pour in a good ladle of stock, stir and let the rice soak up the stock. Continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is cooked, but not mushy and there is very little liquid surrounding the rice.

5. Remove from heat, add cheese if using. Serve straight away.

Cheat's prawn tempura sushi rolls

 

100g sushi rice per person

125ml water per 100g rice

sushi vinegar

Nori sheets (seaweed)

Iceland tempura prawns cooked in the oven - 3 per roll or make your own!

an avocado

cucumber

pickled ginger

sesame seeds (black and white)

Hellmans mayo

sriracha

soy sauce

You also need a sushi rolling mat, or two if you are making the 'rice on the outside' rolls.

For 5 rolls use 300g rice and 15 of the prawns

Wash the rice in lots of cold water until it runs clear, then leave to soak in fresh water for about 30 mins. Pour off the water, then put in a saucepan with the right amount of water, put the lid on and bring to the boil. As soon as it is boiling, turn it down to a simmer - don't remove the lid and leave simmering for 10 minutes. Turn it off and leave it with the lid on for another 10 minutes - don't be tempted to lift the lid at any point. By then it will have absorbed all the water and be cooked.

Stir in about a teaspoon of sushi vinegar for each 100g of rice (uncooked weight), then spread it out on a tray and leave to cool, covered with a damp tea towel.

Take a sushi rolling mat, put a piece of nori on the top, then with wet hands spread a layer of rice all over the nori. Press it down a bit, then lay prawns in a row near the bottom edge, along with a row of cucumber or avocado (you can also spread a bit of wasabi along it if you like it, I don't). 

Roll the whole lot using the rolling mat to form a tight roll, putting a little water along the edge of the seaweed to ensure that it sticks. Set aside and continue to make the rest of the rolls. You need roughly 80g rice (uncooked weight) for each roll.

Cut the rolls into slices and serve with pickled ginger, sriracha mayo made with Hellmans and a squirt of sriracha and a squeeze of lemon juice, or simply with soy sauce to dip them in.

You can also put tinned fish in the middle, or smoked salmon or cooked prawns. 

Alternatively you can make 'rice on the outside' rolls - you need two mats, one covered with clingfilm.

Lay the nori on the mat without clingfilm, on top of a chopping board, cover with rice, sprinkle with white and black sesame seeds, and press down, then put the clingfilmed mat on top of the rice. Put a chopping board on top, then turn the whole lot over, remove the bottom board, then put the prawns and cucumber/avo at the bottom of the seaweed and roll as above. They are a bit more tricky to get neat than the one with the seaweed on the outside.

Courgette lemon pistachio cake

2 large eggs, beaten

125 ml sunflower oil

85 g brown sugar

zest of one lemon, finely chopped

400g grated courgette

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp tea masala spice or mixed spice

300g SR flour

pinch salt

80g shelled pistachios (unsalted) roughly chopped (blast for a few seconds in the food processor)

140g sultanas

for the icing: juice of one lemon, reserving about a tablespoon

100 - 150g icing sugar

1. Beat together the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla. Then stir in the courgettes and lemon zest.

2. Fold in the remaining ingredients.

3. Pour into a lined loaf pan (large one - 2lb, or a small one with batter left over for a few muffins)

4. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 C fan (180 C non fan) for 50 - 60 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean.

5. As soon as you remove it from the oven, poke holes in the cake with a skewer while it is still in the tin, then pour over the tablespoon of lemon juice to soak in. Leave to cool.

6. Meanwhile, make the icing: beat the remaining lemon juice with the icing sugar to form a smooth, thick liquid - you should just about be able to pour it, but it should be quite thick or it will slide off the cake).

7. When the cake is cool, pour over the icing.