The bakers' thread

[Poacher]

Mrs Poacher made some delicious carrot, butternut squash and coriander* soup yesterday, and included a red chilli at my suggestion.
It's a bit on the spicy side, but mild by some standards, and so thick it can be heaped up in the middle of the bowl. (Sorry, no photo, you'll just have to imagine it.) Today was my turn to trash the kitchen. I decided that the oven would provide some welcome assistance to the struggling central heating, so a baking afternoon was called for. Here's a 100% white loaf (normally I'd include about 10% wholemeal), some of which will go with the rest of the soup, and some cheddar twists made with left over shortcrust from.....

...the smoked salmon, leek and broccoli quiche I teased @mudsticks about the other day. You probably didn't miss much, chuck, and travel from your area to mine wouldn't be allowed anyway (see Derbyshire Police inviting ridicule and an appeal after fining two women for travelling 5 miles and drinking coffee brought from home!). My obsession with avoiding waste led me to include tenderstem broccoli stalks, all that was left after Mrs P commandeered the more desirable parts, probably rather too much red Leicester cheese after I found it was trying to become a blue cheese, and some Greek yoghourt which had also developed a blue furry outer skin. I'm sure it'll be edible, if challenging to the palate. We'll find out later today.

* I couldn't believe it until Mrs Poacher showed me, but the coriander has survived the frosts like a gallant soldier! I always thought it was half hardy.

 

[mudsticks]

Mrs Poacher made some delicious carrot, butternut squash and coriander* soup yesterday, and included a red chilli at my suggestion.
It's a bit on the spicy side, but mild by some standards, and so thick it can be heaped up in the middle of the bowl. (Sorry, no photo, you'll just have to imagine it.) Today was my turn to trash the kitchen. I decided that the oven would provide some welcome assistance to the struggling central heating, so a baking afternoon was called for. Here's a 100% white loaf (normally I'd include about 10% wholemeal), some of which will go with the rest of the soup, and some cheddar twists made with left over shortcrust from.....
View attachment 567933
...the smoked salmon, leek and broccoli quiche I teased @mudsticks about the other day. You probably didn't miss much, chuck, and travel from your area to mine wouldn't be allowed anyway (see Derbyshire Police inviting ridicule and an appeal after fining two women for travelling 5 miles and drinking coffee brought from home!). My obsession with avoiding waste led me to include tenderstem broccoli stalks, all that was left after Mrs P commandeered the more desirable parts, probably rather too much red Leicester cheese after I found it was trying to become a blue cheese, and some Greek yoghourt which had also developed a blue furry outer skin. I'm sure it'll be edible, if challenging to the palate. We'll find out later today.
View attachment 567934

* I couldn't believe it until Mrs Poacher showed me, but the coriander has survived the frosts like a gallant soldier! I always thought it was half hardy.

Lookss yummy - my thoughts are turning to food now too - cold weather brings on the appetite like nothing else.

Regarding the dubious dairy - i generally work on the principal that if you can still outrun the cheese - its probs just fine ..

Don't quote me on that though - i suspect my biome is on the strongish side - on account of my filthy lifestyle

Enjoy

Edit - yes coriander is much hardier than many people realise - i suppose we still regard it as something a bit 'exotic' - i find it overwinters and keeps cropping slowly under non heated covers all through the winter.

 

[Reynard]

I'm of a mind that as long as it's not walked out of the fridge of its own accord and / or developed language skills, then it's probably perfectly fine.

So i'm singing off the same hymn sheet as @mudsticks

 

[jayonabike]

Treated myself to a new 2lb loaf tin, which turned up yesterday. I used it to make a wholemeal loaf this morning.
Pleased with both the tin and the loaf. 🙂

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Some buns I made recently. A sweet dough with a cream cheese, ricotta and icing sugar filling. From a Paul Hollywood book, he called them Vatrushka, a Russian recipe. They were delicious

The book is "The Weekend Baker" by PH, where he travels the world and gives you recipes from each country. Some of them are extremely good, I especially like the Polish Moss cake, which is a cake made using spinach. Sounds gross but it really works. My local WI were very impressed, which is high praise indeed.

Part way through making -

Et voila !!

 

[figbat]

Just another overnight sourdough. I have the dough sorted, now experimenting with decorative slashing.

 

[figbat]

We had this last night. Classic Neapolitan pizza made using a traditional dough method. First hydrate the flour, then add yeast, knead and fold numerous times to incorporate air, prove (I proved overnight), one last fold, prove again, shape on the baking tray by pressing out with fingers (rolling is forbidden!), add a simple tomato sauce (blitzed tomatoes, olive oil, salt, sugar) and bake as hot as you can. Add the cheese a couple of minutes before the end and add the basil after it comes out.

It was hands-down the best pizza dough I’ve ever created, by a long margin. It was just like the artisan pizza dough I was after.

My oven goes to about 240°C and has an unfanned top and bottom element option, which I used here. Ideally I’d use a pizza oven, but don’t have one. I also don’t have a pizza stone but may get one. This was done on a semolina-covered, non-stick baking tray and came out crisp and light.

My tutor explained that for cooking in a domestic oven you need a wetter dough as it will be in there longer - a pizza oven dough can be dryer since it’ll only get 90 seconds or so in the oven.

Anyway, here’s how the dough looked after the overnight prove:

I used this flour, which I hadn’t realised was a blend of wheat and semolina - apparently this is why my dough was so wet as the semolina doesn’t absorb water like wheat does so can be a tricky flour to bake with. I just about managed to handle the sticky dough but would back out some water next time:

 

[glasgowcyclist]

It was hands-down the best pizza dough I’ve ever created, by a long margin. It was just like the artisan pizza dough I was after.

That looks fab!

Any chance of the recipe, please?

 

[figbat]

That looks fab!

Any chance of the recipe, please?

MY PIZZA RECIPE | Mariella Bliss

 

[glasgowcyclist]

MY PIZZA RECIPE | Mariella Bliss

Excellent, thank you.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Made a wholemeal loaf yesterday and I've not cut into it yet, but I know it'll be like a brick. In my defence, I've hurt my wrist and find kneading a bit difficult at the mo. Still, the birds will be happy, there's been a load of snow overnight and they'll need something in addition to my feeders.

 

[Reynard]

Made a wholemeal loaf yesterday and I've not cut into it yet, but I know it'll be like a brick. In my defence, I've hurt my wrist and find kneading a bit difficult at the mo. Still, the birds will be happy, there's been a load of snow overnight and they'll need something in addition to my feeders.

No need to knead the dough. Keep it in the bowl and fold it instead. Each time, bring the edge to the center, then rotate the bowl a bit, then bring the edge to the center etc. I always do my bread this way, simply because it also containerizes the mess. About 10 minutes of folding is usually enough to develop the dough.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

No need to knead the dough. Keep it in the bowl and fold it instead. Each time, bring the edge to the center, then rotate the bowl a bit, then bring the edge to the center etc. I always do my bread this way, simply because it also containerizes the mess. About 10 minutes of folding is usually enough to develop the dough.

I'll give that a whirl, although I do generally like a good bit of kneading and pummelling, gets all the frustrations out!

 

[Reynard]

I'll give that a whirl, although I do generally like a good bit of kneading and pummelling, gets all the frustrations out!

Hmm, indeed.

Although I save my frustrations for splitting firewood.

 

[CharlesF]

No need to knead the dough. Keep it in the bowl and fold it instead. Each time, bring the edge to the center, then rotate the bowl a bit, then bring the edge to the center etc. I always do my bread this way, simply because it also containerizes the mess. About 10 minutes of folding is usually enough to develop the dough.

That’s similar to my method, 10 folds wait 30 minutes repeat the 19 folds until four rounds are complete. Then cover the bowl and in the fridge overnight. Takes longer but better bread at the end.