broccoli and stilton soup

broccoli is a vegetable that grows easily in melbourne's winter

 just net the seedlings in autumn when the cabbage moth larvae are still active

or maintain a constant vigil

and two months later you'll be picking 

green bouquets

broccoli and stilton soup

tea with hazel

ingredients 

vegetable stock

2 onions cut medium

2 large carrots cut into medium rounds

2-3 celery stalks cut medium and celery leaves

3-4 parsley stalks including leaves

4 garlic cloves

1 tbs pepper corns

olive oil

filtered water

soup

1 medium onion cut into large dice

6-8 spring onions, including green, sliced

2 medium potatoes cut medium

1 celery stalk sliced

1 green chilli, seeds removed, sliced

2 litres vegetable stock

1/2 medium cauliflower, stalks removed and retained, and florets cut medium

1 large broccoli head, leaves retained, stalks removed and retained, and florets cut medium

olive oil

salt and pepper

50 gms stilton

extras per serve

1-2 tablespoons (tbs) lemon juice

2 tbs fresh sourdough breadcrumbs crisped in bacon fat (or olive oil for a vegetarian option)

1-2 tbs crumbled stilton

method

vegetable stock

~ saute onion, carrot, celery stalks and garlic in olive oil until the vegetables are transparent and browning on edges

~ cover with water and add parsley and pepper corns

~ bring to the boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for 45 minutes, and then strain

broccoli soup  

~ saute onion, spring onions, potato, celery and chilli in olive oil until vegetables are transparent and browning on edges

~ add cauliflower and broccoli stalks, broccoli leaves and stock and bring to the boil, lower heat to simmer ad cook until the vegetables are soft

~ add cauliflower florets, cook until al dente, and then add broccoli florets and cook until just soft

~ adjust seasoning

~ remove a few of the broccoli florets, roughly break them up and set aside, and puree the soup using a blender or stick blender
~ stir through stilton

to serve

~ divide broccoli florets between soup bowls, add soup, drizzle with lemon juice, and garnish with stilton and bread crumbs

polenta, corn flour, biodynamic wholemeal flour and organic white flour sourdough

soup and bread is one of my favourite meals

milk glass

atop the mantle piece is my milk glass collection

soothing me

with white soft light whispers 

exhausting me

brash red, green, orange and blue enamel teapots gone

for now

a gift from my girl kat..because i love chooks

photo bombed by sourdough baguettes! 

it has 'avon' on the base but i don't hold that against it

large cake stand (too big for the mantle piece)

my bread needs to get over itself!

sourdough stollen with homemade marzipan

even though i love christmas baking some years i just don't get much done but this year i've made puddings ( a friend of mine and i always make these together), christmas cake, fruit mince and mince pies, shortbread and stollen..in the past i've made yeasted stollen but this year i wanted to try making a sourdough version..even though i loved the process of making the stollen i wasn't sure if it would be a success or not..at each stage i was filled with a bit of trepidation and lots of questions..questions such as..will it rise? will these flavours work? have i put it too much/too little of (insert ingredient)? should i have added some spice? will the dough be chewy or heavy? have i over/undercooked it? but after waiting for it to (nearly) cool i tentatively cut a piece..ahh..sigh of relief and happiness..it looked like it should..and..it tasted like it should too..ahh.. 

sourdough stollen with homemade marzipan
tea with hazel
makes 2

ingredients dough (first ferment)

250 gms sourdough starter (100% hydration)
250 gms organic white bread flour
125 mls full cream milk

ingredients dough (second ferment)

625 gms first ferment dough
250 gms plain flour
115 gms softened butter cut into small cubes
75 gms castor sugar
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) salt
1 egg
75 gms sultanas
75 gms currants
50 gms dried cranberries*
50 gms mixed peel (i used homemade)
100 mls dark rum


ingredients marzipan

150 gms almond meal
100 gms pure icing sugar
100 gms castor sugar
1 egg white (50 gms)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp brandy
1/2 tsp vanilla

extra

beaten egg
30 gms butter melted
castor sugar
icing sugar

day 1

method dough first ferment

~ in the bowl of a stand mixer mix the ingredients
~ cover with buttered cling film and leave overnight

dried fruit marinade

~ mix sultanas, currants, cranberries and peel with rum
~ cover with cling film and leave overnight

day 2

method marzipan

~ beat the egg white with the almond extract, brandy and vanilla

~ add to the almond meal, castor sugar and icing sugar and mix to form a paste

~ shape into 2 logs approximately 3 to 3 1/2 cms in diameter and 20 cms long, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate until needed

method dough second ferment

~ to the first ferment dough add flour, butter, castor sugar, lemon rind, salt and egg and mix until ingredients form a ball
~  rest for 10 minutes and mix again briefly
~ remove the bowl from stand mixer, cover with cling film and leave for 1 hour
~ drain the dried fruit
~ knead the drained dried fruit into dough then cover the dough and leave to prove for 2-3 hours
~ divide the dough in two and roll each piece into an oblong approximately 20 x 25 cms
~ brush the dough with melted butter
~ place the marzipan, adjusting the length to fit if necessary, just off centre of the dough, fold the dough over the marzipan and gently press the dough to seal
~ place on a baking paper lined baking sheet, loosely covered, to prove for about 2 hours until doubled in volume or when a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression
~ brush stollen with egg
~ heat oven to 250 deg c, place stollen in oven, immediately reduce heat to 180 bake deg c and bake with steam for the first 20 minutes and then without steam for a further for 30 to 40 minutes or until cooked (cover with foil if the top of the dough is browning too much)
~ brush the top of the hot stollen with melted butter and sprinkle with castor sugar
~ remove excess castor sugar and dust generously with icing sugar

note: * i would have preferred to use dried sour cherries but i was unable to find any locally

this post submitted to yeast spotting

where's the bread and butter?

i bought these plates from an op shop this week for $5

royal albert

foley

duchess

swinnerton's staffordshire 'luxor vellum'

ridgeway potteries queen anne 

royal stafford 'blue bird'

aynsley

here's the bread..just out of the oven!

organic sourdough whey (from making ricotta) bread

and a slice cut, buttered and eaten before it's cooled

have a happy weekend x

two corn sourdough

two corn sourdough

ingredients

levain

100 gms bread flour
125 mls filtered water
1 tablespoon (tbs) active starter

dough

250 gms levain
50 gms polenta
50 gms corn flour
50 gms organic wholemeal flour
250 gms organic white bread flour
1 1/2 tbs salt (i used murray river salt)
15 gms soft butter
100 mls boiling filtered water
filtered water

method

levain

~ mix levain ingredients and leave for 12-16 hours

dough

~ pour boiling water on polenta and leave to cool
~ add flours, levain and butter to polenta and mix with enough water to make a shaggy dough and leave to autolyse for 20-30 minutes
~ add salt, mix briefly, rest for 5 minutes then mix again briefly
~ remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with damp tea towel and leave for about 4 hours or until well risen
~ turn the dough out onto a floured board and do two cycles of stretch and fold and rest for 10 minutes
~ shape dough into a round and place in a baking dish and leave until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression
~ slash the loaf and bake with steam on conventional setting for 25 minutes at 250 deg c, reduce heat to 200 deg c and continue to bake for a further 20 minutes


cut a slice while still warm, butter it, and eat it!

bread and cheese

making bread is an ongoing adventure that i know i will never tire of particularly because there are so many aspects to its preparation and baking that impact on the final loaf..i've played around with different ingredients in my loaves quite a lot in the last couple of years but i haven't experimented very much with my baking method..i've tended to stick to making freeform loaves with the very occasional loaf cooked in a 'proper' bread baking tin but this week i baked one loaf in a lidded cast iron pot and the second in a small round copper pan that belonged to my mother in law..i don't use the copper pan very often because the tinning is a bit worn but i was interested to see the result of using it in bread baking..

i would have been a bit disappointed if the copper pan loaf hadn't turned out well because i made it specifically to have with an italian cheese called brunet* that i'd ordered a few weeks ago after tasting it at my local providore..if you like not too pungent, gooey, slight goaty flavour you will like this cheese..it's absolutely sublime..

sourdough bulgur loaf 

brunet, bulgur sourdough and roasted capsicum, garlic and dried tomato
concasse with a drizzle of balsamic

further reading*:

http://www.sfgate.com/wine/article/Cheese-course-Fromage-lovers-adore-Italian-Brunet-3230027.php (review of brunet cheese)

http://www.caseificioaltalanga.it/Inglese/Default3.asp (cheese maker)

random things

from the last few days..

left to right:

op shop doily purchased for $1 to be used in patchwork

op shop purchased johnson brothers plate from a set of 6 bread and butter and 6 dinner plates bought for $8

flowers picked from along a railway line heralding spring

roast pumpkin and capsicum soup garnished with yoghurt, parsley, chilli flakes and marigold petals

young's double chocolate stout, chilli and mushroom beef stew (served with champ)

sourdough bread

sourdough bulgur loaf

i've made this loaf three times now and it's become the one i'll be making regularly each week for general consumption..that's because lately i've become a bit concerned about eating mainly white bread..don't get me wrong i love a loaf of white sourdough but it's something i'd like to reserve for occasional consumption rather than for every day..i don't mind the occasional seeded loaf either but i don't want to feel like i'm having daily visits to the gulags..

sourdough bulgur loaf

tea with hazel

ingredients

levain

1 tablespoon (tbs) active starter
100 gms organic white bread flour
125 mls filtered water

final dough

250 mgs levain
250 gms organic white bread flour
100 gms organic wholemeal flour
50 gms fine bulgur
1 1/2 tbs crushed murray river salt
100 mls boiling filtered water
water

method levain

day 1
~ mix the starter with the water and flour, cover, and leave for 16 hours (in summer it will need to be refrigerated)

method final dough

day 2
~ pour boiling water over bulgur and leave until the water is absorbed
~ in the bowl of a stand mixer mix flours, bulgur, levain and enough water to make a shaggy dough
~ autolyse for 30 minutes
~ add salt and mix briefly, rest for 10 minutes, and then mix briefly once more
~ remove the bowl from the stand mixer, cover with oiled cling film or a damp tea towel and set aside for about 3 hours
~ remove the dough onto a flour dusted bench, knead briefly to form a ball, then cover and leave for 15-20 minutes
~ do two stretch and folds with 10-15 minute rest intervals
~ shape the dough into a round creating surface tension, place in a flour dusted muslin lined colander, and leave until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an indentation
~  carefully turn the dough out onto a hot rice flour dusted cast iron surface (or baking stone or tray), dust with flour, and score a circle around the lower perimeter of the loaf
~ cook with steam at 250 deg c for 20-25 minutes, lower heat to 200 deg c, and cook for a further 20-25 minutes

this was the pattern left on my bench after proving the dough in a colander

this post submitted to yeastspotting

sourdough

just lately i've become a bit frustrated with my sourdough loaves..they just haven't been doing what i want..yeah..they taste ok but i've been finding them harder to slash and they've been cracking a lot on the bottom and not opening up on top properly so i've been doing a bit of pondering and a bit of reading and a bit more pondering..

yesterday i made a loaf where i changed a few things that i thought might be causing the problem..i've been making quite a high hydration dough lately so yesterday i lowered the hydration level of the dough and instead of covering the dough during its second prove i left it uncovered because i read somewhere that this helps the dough develop a 'skin' which makes slashing easier..the last thing i did differently was to bake the loaf using a conventional setting rather than using the oven's bread baking function (convection) because i read somewhere that fan assisted heat can dehydrate the surface of dough which i guessed might impact on oven spring (i use steam with both methods)..

whenever i make a loaf of bread i develop a case of 'baker's anticipation'..yesterday was no exception as i peered through the oven door and watched happily this time as the loaf sprung open beautifully..and i'm not sure why but the bread actually tasted a bit different too..not better or worse..just different..oh..and by the way it was a breeze to slash..

 oh look..it has an 'ear'

and a nice crust

and look at the holes

do i sound like a proud mother showing off her newborn?

chestnut, sage and onion sourdough bread

the kissing crust

chestnut, sage and onion sourdough bread

ingredients

levain

1 tbs sourdough starter

100 gms white bread flour

125 gms filtered water

final dough

250 gms levain

200 gms warm filtered water

300 gms white bread flour
50 gms chestnut flour

50  gms wholemeal flour

1 tbs crushed murray river salt

20 cooked chestnuts cut in half*
1/3 cup fresh sage cut fine
3 onions sliced fine and cooked in olive oil until well softened and then cooled

method levain

day 1

~mix the starter with the water and flour and cover and leave for 16 hours

method final dough

day 2

~put the levain in the bowl of a stand mixer,add the water, and mix well

~add the flours and mix until well combined

~autolyse for 10 minutes

~add salt and mix for 2 minutes

~rest for 10 minutes and mix again for 2 minutes

~remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the dough with greased cling film, and place in fridge overnight

~the next day remove the dough from the bowl onto an oiled bench and knead in chestnuts, sage and onion

~cover the dough on the bench with the greased cling film and leave for 10 minutes

~knead for a few seconds and cover with the cling film and leave for another 10 minutes

~divide the dough in two and shape each piece into an oblong sealing the seam well

~place each piece of dough seam side down between the floured folds of a tea towel, cover with cling film, and leave for 2 hours or until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an indentation

~pre heat a baking tray and place a dish of boiling water in the oven
~dust each loaf with flour
~dust the baking tray with semolina and place the loaves on the hot tray
~bake the dough at 220 deg c for 25 minutes spraying the oven sides with water several times during the first ten minutes of baking
~lower the temperature to 180 deg c and bake for a further 20-25 minutes or until cooked
~turn the oven off, remove the dish of water, and leave the bread in the oven with the door ajar a few inches for 5-10 minutes

note * i used dried chestnuts that i soaked in water overnight and then boiled in lightly salted water until  cooked

serving suggestion

serve with turkey soup and crispy bacon

well risen sourdough after overnight refrigeration

home grown sage

i hope you have a happy week..x

medjool date, walnut and saffron sourdough

when i bought some medjool dates today i hadn't thought of using them in the sourdough bread that i'd started making early in the morning..on my way home from shopping i started to dream about date delicacies but i resisted the idea of making anything sugary and buttery in order to avoid putting temptation in the path of 'the cook with questionable strength of character'..but after all that self talk i was able to justify adding some of the dates to half of my sourdough along with walnuts and saffron..and then i returned to the shops for cheese to go with the bread!

a roquefort like french blue cheese and la luna holy goat cheese with medjool date, walnut and saffron sourdough for dinner

medjool date, walnut and saffron sourdough

ingredients

levain

1 tbs sourdough starter

100 gms bread flour

125 gms filtered water

final dough

250 gms levain

200 gms warm filtered water

350 gms white bread flour

50  gms wholemeal flour

1 1/2 tbs crushed murray river salt

6 medjool dates cut large

10-12 walnut halves

a large pinch of saffron threads

method levain

day 1

~mix the starter with the water and flour and cover and leave for 16 hours

method final dough

day 2

~put the levain in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water and mix well

~add the flours and mix until well combined

~autolyse for 10 minutes

~add salt and mix for 2 minutes

~rest for 10 minutes and mix again for 2 minutes

~remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the dough loosely with greased cling film and place somewhere warm and draught free for 3 hours 

~remove the dough from the bowl onto an oiled bench, divide in half and add dates, walnuts and saffron to one half and knead to incorporate with the dough

~knead the second half

~cover the dough on the bench with the greased cling film and leave for 10 minutes

~knead for a few seconds and cover with the cling film and leave for 10 minutes

~shape each piece of dough into an oblong sealing the seam well

~place each piece of dough seam side down between the floured folds of a tea towel, cover with cling film and leave for 2 hours or until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an indentation

~preheat a baking tray and place a dish of hot water in the oven

~dust each loaf with flour and score each loaf down the centre 

~dust the baking tray with a little rice flour and place each loaf on the heated tray

~bake the dough on the bread baking function at 220 deg c for 25 minutes spraying the oven sides with water several times during the first 10 minutes of baking

~lower the temperature to 180 deg c and bake for a further 20-25 minutes or until cooked

~turn the oven off, remove the dish of water, and leave the bread in the oven with the door ajar a few inches for 5-10 minutes

this post submitted to yeastspotting

sourdough with atta..tude

lately when i've been supermarket shopping i've noticed a plastic container of flour on the shelves called 'atta' flour with jimmy from masterchef smiling at me..i'd looked at the price..ha..expensive..and i'd briefly looked at the contents..but beyond that i didn't think much more about it..you know when you see something and you don't know what it is exactly or what it's for and your mind is so full of things that you don't explore that unknown thing at the time and then you just move on..well that was me and that atta flour..

at around the same time i was doing a bit of internet searching for local stoneground bread making flour..it was a rather fruitless search until i came across an article that piqued my interest which was about four indian brothers by the name of 'grewal' who stone grind pesticide free wheat which they grow near mildura 543 kms north west of melbourne..i looked into buying the 'grewal' flour locally but most outlets i sourced on the internet were a water the camels with a packed lunch and don't wait up for me drive away..

one day i had a light bulb moment though and i decided to poodle off to see if my favourite indian grocer in footscray had it..it's an easy 3-4 km drive from where i live and guess what..there are several op shops in the area too.. in fact it was while op shopping that i found the indian grocer..

i was pretty pleased to find that the grocer had 'grewal' flour even though it only came in 10 kgs bags..when i read the blurb about it on the bag i realised that it was atta flour..that same flour i'd seen in the supermarket..they had several varieties but the one i wanted was chakki atta which is whole wheat stone ground flour.. i checked with the staff to find out whether it was suitable for bread making and they assured me that it was so i paid the $10 and schlepped my booty back to the car with a very self satisfied and congratulatory feeling..i had found cheap, pesticide free, stoneground and locally (by australian standards) produced bread making flour..triumph..

hubris is sure to fall on it's knees and mine did when i made my first atta loaf..after i bought it i looked on the internet regarding the suitability of atta flour in yeasted and sourdough bread (by this stage i realised that it's mainly used to make indian breads) to find mixed but mainly negative responses..i went ahead anyway and made a yeasted loaf with half atta and half white flour..the resulting loaf was one of the most tasteless loaves i've ever eaten..although having said that it was nice and crunchy when toasted and my generosity with the vegemite or jam helped to camouflage its blandness..not being one to give up easily or aka stubborn i then made a sourdough loaf with a mix of white and atta flour that wasn't bad..i took that as a sign of hope..

yesterday i made another sourdough loaf with 20% atta flour and i made a change to my method by covering the bread with a metal lid for the first 15 minutes of baking..i was pretty happy with the result..the loaf rose well, the crust was crunchy and the crumb flavoursome, moist and with a density that i like..

i'll be making this bread again using the same recipe and as well i'm going to experiment with making indian breads..it's something that i've wanted to do for a long time and i do have plenty of flour to practice with..:)

i am hoping to eliminate the tearing and lifting of the crust by leaving the dough to prove longer and/or
improve my slashing technique

it was quite warm when i cut it

atta sourdough

ingredients

levain

1 tbs sourdough starter

100 gms white bread flour

125 gms filtered water

final dough

250 gms levain

200 gms warm filtered water

200 gms white bread flour

100 gms wholemeal flour
100 gms chakka atta flour

1 1/2 tbs crushed murray river salt

method levain

day 1

~mix the starter with the water and flour and cover and leave for 16 hours

method final dough

day 2

~put the levain in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water and mix well

~add the flours and mix until well combined

~autolyse for 10 minutes

~add salt and mix for 2 minutes

~rest for 10 minutes and mix again for 2 minutes

~remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the dough loosely with greased cling film and place somewhere warm and draught free for 3 hours 

~remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured bench and cut the dough into two 

~knead each piece of dough for a few seconds, cover with the cling film and leave for 10 minutes

~knead again for a few seconds and leave for an additional 10 minutes

~shape each piece of dough into rectangles about 15 cm x 10 cm then fold the four corners towards the centre and then roll each piece into an oval shape pinching the seams along the long side and folding and pressing the ends in*

~place each piece of dough between the floured folds of a tea towel, cover with cling film and leave for 3 hours or until a finger pressed into the dough leaves a clear indentation

~preheat a baking tray and an oven proof metal lid large enough to cover the bread and facilitate unimpeded rising**

~dust loaves with flour and score each with three parallel slashes 

~dust the baking tray with a little rice flour and place each loaf on the heated tray

~spray the dough liberally with water and cover with metal lid 

~bake using the bread baking function at 220 deg c for 15 minutes

~remove lid and lower the temperature to 200 deg c and bake for a further 20 minutes or until cooked

note: */** see this excellent video for shaping help and cooking information

happy monday..x

this post submitted to yeastspotting

chestnut sourdough with fig and fennel

i was inspired to make this bread today after i found some lovely dried figs and chestnut flour at an italian grocers on saturday and also because it feels like a nice autumnal thing to be making..

the crust is crunchy and the crumb moist and flavoursome with a nice balance of fig and fennel

tonight's dinner was proscuitto, holy goat mature veloute and chestnut sourdough with fig and fennel

chestnut sourdough with fig and fennel

recipe adapted from a zebbakes recipe

ingredients

levain

1 tbs sourdough starter

100 gms bread flour

125 gms filtered water

final dough

250 gms levain

200 gms warm filtered water

300 gms bread flour

100 gms chestnut flour

1 1/2 tbs crushed murray river salt

8 dried figs cut into medium dice 

1 tbs fennel seeds

olive oil

method levain

day 1

~mix the starter with the water and flour and cover and leave for 16 hours

method final dough

day 2

~put the levain in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water and mix well

~add the flours and mix until well combined

~autolyse for 10 minutes

~add salt and mix for 2 minutes

~rest for 10 minutes and mix again for 2 minutes

~remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the dough loosely with greased cling film and place somewhere warm and draught free for 3 hours 

~remove the dough from the bowl onto an oiled bench, add figs and fennel seeds and knead to incorporate with the dough

~cover the dough on the bench with the greased cling film and leave for 10 minutes

~knead for a few seconds and cover with the cling film and leave for 10 minutes

~cut the dough in half, shape into rectangles about 15 cm x 10 cm and roll each piece along the longer side to make a sausage shape

~place each piece of dough between the floured folds of a tea towel, cover with cling film and leave for 2 hours or until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an indentation

~preheat a baking tray and place a dish of hot water in the oven

~dust each loaf with flour and score each loaf down the centre 

~dust the baking tray with a little rice flour and place each loaf on the heated tray

~bake the dough on the bread baking function at 220 deg c for 15 minutes spraying the oven sides with water several times during the first 10 minutes of baking

~lower the temperature to 180 deg c and bake for a further 20 minutes or until cooked

this post submitted to yeastspotting