it was time to use some of the precious spanish saffron i'd been given..i'd hung onto it for so long it was in danger of becoming a relic..but would i be able to do it justice?
ingredients
450 gms organic white flour
50 gms organic wholemeal flour
300 mls organic unhomogenised full cream milk
2 tablespoons (tbs) castor sugar
1/4 cup sultanas
1 tbs very finely diced organic lemon peel (i used my own)
1 tbs very finely diced organic orange peel (i used my own)
6 tbs dark rum
approx 10 saffron threads
1 teaspoon (tsp) yeast
2 tsp murray river salt
filtered water (if needed)
extra 1 tbs milk
method
~ bring the milk to the boil, take off the heat, add saffron threads and leave until cool
~ bring the rum to the boil in a small saucepan, take off the heat, add sultanas, leave until cool, drain the sultanas and set the rum aside
~ mix the flour with the yeast, castor sugar, cooled saffron thread milk, rum, and extra water, if needed, to make a shaggy dough
~ leave to autolyse for 20 minutes or so, add salt, mix briefly, rest for 10-15 minutes and then mix again briefly
~ remove the bowl from the stand mixer, cover with a damp tea towel and leave until doubled in size
~ turn the dough onto a flour dusted bench and gently knead in the peels and sultanas
~ leave to rest covered for about 30 minutes, knead once more, and then shape to fit a large greased bread tin
~ cover and set aside until doubled or when a finger pressed in the dough leaves an impression
~ brush the top of the dough with extra milk, bake with steam at 230 deg c for 20 minutes, cover the loaf with brown paper, lower oven temperature to 200 deg c and continue to cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until done
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| mellow yellow! |
do you find some edible gifts so special that you put off using them or save them for a special occasion?
I am guilty of the same thing...clinging tenaciously to something precious that I either can't get anywhere around here or it is so exorbitantly priced that this penniless student hippy isn't ever going to come by it again. I have opened tins to find nothing but husks and dead moths so had to learn the hard way ;). I love the look of this bread. It is both exotic and gloriously wholesome and beggers a cup of excellent tea in a beautiful china cup. No mugs here, this loaf deserves the best! Thankyou for sharing although I doubt I will get hold of saffron unless I decide to grow some. Apparently it does particularly well around here ;)
ReplyDeletethanks fran..it grows well in melbourne as well ;)
ReplyDeleteyou know I was thinking about making pannetone this year for Christmas, but the palaver of it all puts me off. Just looking at your ingredients to this one Jane, I think this would be a rather lovely substitute.
ReplyDeletenow you've got me thinking that i might make a jazzed up version for christmas..thanks for the good idea dear..x
ReplyDelete