All things chocolate

As Christmas comes speeding up to us like an out of control carriage I am busy making all things chocolate and many that include chestnuts.  Just popped a chocolate refrigerator cake in the fridge(!) - it consists of cherries and kirsch so should be a hum dinger ... smells wonderful.

New dishes

Over the past few weeks and as the nights draw in I have been making pies..all sorts, savoury and sweet.  A chicken and chorizo pie, and a pork with apple & prunes.  Both extremely delicious and definitely on the menu again soon.
Another new one for me is Pumpkin Pie. Never made it before nor eaten it. Surprise...it turned out well and tastes scrummy. Creamy and spicy so very pleased about that!

Spelt Loaf

Here's the recipe  for 1 loaf


ingredients:


330 ml tepid water
11.5g dried active yeast
500g spelt flour (white or wholemeal)
1.33 tspn sea salt
1.33 tablespn extra virgin rapeseed oil
1 tablespn malt extract
malted flakes, pine nuts, chopped walnuts etc


measure water into large mixing bowl
stir in the yeast
add about 1 third of flour and mix until creamy texture
cover with damp cloth  leave in warm place for 10-15 minutes
add salt & oil & malt extract
stir in rest of flour gradually until dough is manageable
knead for about 10 minutes until smooth
add nuts & flakes etc by rolling in
return dough to a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise for about 60 minutes or until doubled in size
knock back dough
shape it and place into a bread tin - 20x9x7cm - line it with unbleached baking paper to a height about 4cm taller than the tin; this way the dough will stay risen without spilling over the edge!
cover with damp cloth or oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes
at same time set oven to gas mk 9/400 degrees
place loaf in centre of oven, leave for 5 minutes then mist the oven
after 10 minutes turn down to gas mk 7
total cooking time is 35-40 mins or when base sounds hollow when tapped...or you could use a breadmakers thermometer, whichever is best for you


leave to cool completely before diving into the loaf!

Bread and more bread

This bread making is getting easier by the week!!  A spelt loaf has been sitting and cooling for half an hour but still can't cut into it and the smell of it is making me more hungry by the minute.  It's a wonderful honey colour.  I'll be posting the recipe later....


My guests enjoyed the selection this weekend - sourdoughs, crusty white, wholemeal nutty and a buttermilk & honey.....makes wonderful toast!

Easter

Just returned from a break in Northumberland.  Excellent butchers in Alnwick so we brought a selection of meat back with us, including t-bone steaks which are impossible to get hold of here.


Not enough time was available on return to make a sourdough loaf so made a wholemeal nutty loaf...smells wonderful.  Will be able to make sourdough loaves from tomorrow onward and as I will be busy next week due to the bank holiday weekends making bread will be a daily task.  Will be having a go at making my own hot cross bunnies for next Friday.  Need to make some cakes too - what to make?

Baking is the new zeitgeist

.....or so they would have us believe.  Perhaps it's the fact that we can control what goes in to our cakes and breads and what gets left out if we make it from scratch.  It it is creative, it stimulates the sensory functions of smell, taste and visual.  The smell of bread baking is second to none in stimulating an appetite and just imagine the aroma given off by the blend of butter and flour, almonds and cinammon, roasted hazelnuts and fruits like blueberries and raspberries. .....


Welcome to my kitchen!!


Right, back to baking.  I've just embarked on the alchemy of breadmaking by creating my first sourdough starter....I will let you know how this goes and the final product of the first loaves from the starter.

I have made bread in the past with shop bought yeast but what I'm doing now is a whole new ballgame.  It will, hopefully, give an individual edge to my breads.  There's also a health side to this - I was ill a few weeks ago and have now stopped eating wheat breads and now use spelt and rye flours.  This bread cuts down on bloating and as I do like bread this is what I need to do.  It also tastes and does not have the texture of soggy cotton wool.  In the meantime I have made a spelt loaf - very grainy, nutty in fact and fragrant; and a couple of days ago a spelt & rye loaf - not so grainy but tasty and makes lovely sandwiches!


I intend to investigate wheatfree cake baking too, but the bread project is enough to deal with at the moment.