Gift of breadmaking

She could have done as I have and watched TV programmes and then youtubes and then found a recipe and had a go. Instead I was asked to give her a lesson in making bread which is what I did.

I brought my bowl and and yeast and scrapers and baking tin and liner. She bought a bag of white bread flour. I also brought a little bread making booklet free out of a newspaper and given to me by one of my helpful clients. I purposefully suggested a basic white cob as that was the first loaf I made and was hugely successful and launched me on my bread making career less than a year ago.

A cob is baked on a tray or stone and is free form but a tin was the desired utensil so we adapted and popped the dough in a tin. Her first loaf was well risen and if anything over risen due to an extremely efficient airing cupboard. Nevertheless, it did not suffer too much and the baking aroma infused the house and drew down her teenaged children from their bedrooms.

There were smiles all round and excitement. Though a little teasing as her son noted we were sat in front of the oven for half an hour watching bread cook. Watching my protege excited with glee with her very first loaf, proudly showing it off, was a really amazing feeling for me. Like I said, anyone can learn by themselves but I was honoured to be asked and to be there at this very first loaf. We all stood around tasting little squares of warm buttered bread. Deliciously biting through the crusty crust into the soft bread it was most satisfying. I am waiting to hear when the next loaf has been baked.

Looking forward to 2014

Looking forward to 2014 requires reflection on the year that was. 2013 will forever be one of those significant years in my life. Not one of those years where the memory of it turns to mush in an oblivion of the same old tunes.

First and foremost this is a year about life and living and making the most and new possibilities and ever evolving. Ironically it took the death of a very close friend which was very painful and far too soon. When someone is given the diagnosis and prognosis it is hard to believe so that it is still a shock when it does happen. I still find it very hard to believe she is really gone and never coming back. Death seems so final, and yet there is something lasting in the memory that holds us close. That I can still talk to her in my head, and that, more importantly, she is talking back to me.

I can see her now, being tickled by what I have done and achieved this year.

The wheels have been in action for some years regarding selling our house and that completed at the end of January. Even though we sold at a loss I thought we would be rolling in it as a result of clearing our debts with the proceeds but curiously that has not been the end result which just goes to show how pathetic our income is and has been, though over the course of this year it has improved. I thought I would feel more with our debts being cleared though to be fair all that was rather overshadowed by my friend dying.

The beginning of the year saw my 50th birthday and a celebration. Not the really big event and dance I was originally planning but nevertheless a heartwarming and significant celebration of my landmark year. The beginning of the year also saw another friend and I commit to monthly outings to places one of us had never been and always wanted to go. We kept it up throughout the entire year and it has enriched my life feeling like I have done things and gone places. Unlike some years when one reflects on all the places one could have gone to but didn't, this feels like an achievement.

The early part of the year saw me making bread, something I had never done before, and here I was doing it really well. Creating and baking and putting the food of life on the table felt significant and enriching.

The spring time saw me take to running. Again, something I had never in my life managed before and certainly had no desire. Suddenly I could run for an hour and not need to stop nor be out of breath. Never mind the good feeling hormones that produces there is something in the psychology of feeling strong and who knows what else I might be capable of doing. In time the bread baking took a bit of a side step as there are just not enough hours in the day with fitting in work too. Those skills are not lost and I was thrilled to be able to whip up a Ciabatta on Christmas morning for our Antipasti starter.

Another thing that took a bit of a sideline this year was our allotment. Partly because it was so disappointing the few crops we produced for the amount of effort put in. Or perhaps it was a case of the preparation of the allotment gave me the greatest pleasure and we have lost our way a bit. Growing crops is such a learning curve and I wonder how much I really want to learn on that score.

We travelled to see old and loved friends in Germany and for the first time darling Mr Doris and I visited Berlin. A place I wanted to go since the 1980s and I was not disappointed. Driving a hire car past the landmarks of a great city felt like such an achievement.

At work I have been proving my worth and it was most satisfying in the day or so before Christmas to have my boss call me to one side and acknowledge what I do. Verbal appreciation does go a long way.

The kids are 24 and 19 years old and are way taller than me. They are also more appreciative. Not perfect or consistent by any means but a whole lot better. They are both making their own marks on the world and finding their way bit by bit which is really heartening.

My darling husband has held me close and yet enabled me to go and do all the things I've either needed or wanted to do this year. Sometimes I can see by the way he looks at me that he really appreciates me. We'll be coming up to fifteen years of being married in the year ahead which seems to me to be an anniversary worth celebrating.

I reckon 2014 will be a year of consolidation hopefully peppered with a few more new activities. One of which will be my returning to college one evening a week for sixteen weeks in order to extend my qualifications. Once again I will no doubt be the oldest girl in the beauty school and most likely older than the tutors again. Education always leads on to other things so who knows what may come of it.

Fingers crossed that my son is able to move out because he will be 20 and I do think he would benefit from the freedom of being in his own space. Yes, I know I will gain a room and we can spread out a bit which would also help a lot but it is more about what is right for him.

In 2014 I can see that our income is growing so that we are in a position to do more. I have cousins in Australia I have wanted to visit since being reunited in 2006 but I do not know if our finances are quite there yet.

There is a long run I would like to do which would entail me doing a whole lot more training. The run would take a number of days and involves running coast to coast. The idea excites me though equally I am happy to pace myself with that desire as I met someone who also took up running this year and already is out of running distances through permanent injury. I will be starting 2014 with my shoulder injury which is turning into a frozen shoulder - something that is not conducive to the busy working life that I have! Clearing that up will be significant too and blinking essential especially as I have not been running so as not to exacerbate it.

Here's to 2014 and all the unknown and yet to be discovered treasures of the year as well as consolidating all that 2013 has given.

Time flies

This morning we said good bye to the first of our friends staying with us for this Christmas. Where did the time fly? It just feels like it was all over too soon and I could quite happily have it last a bit longer.

Tomorrow I am back to work for the middle part of the day and then it will be all hands to organising the big New Year's party at my sister's house. This evening we are meeting up at a local pub where nephew is playing with his jazz band. Sister and I will be discussing the catering. Yet more feasting no doubt.

Amuse Bouche Feast

Quick word after an amazing feast with family and friends. Six courses later including an amuse bouche, we couldn't quite make the cheese board. Fancy dress was a huge success and much merriment was had. Very contented. Much satisfaction and another glorious Christmas.

Happy Christmas!

Ciabatta Christmas

It has been a topsy turvy Christmas with us all opening our Secret Santa presents on Christmas Eve. It was brilliant and worked out fab even for the youngest of us all. So far opinion seems to be that we should do it again next year.

This left a Christmas morning where present opening was not the focus. Nor was a cooked breakfast as I decided it was superfluous and a simple croissant breakfast would do. Especially, it is the first day in ages that I have slept in. Glorious.

We are starting our Christmas dinner with antipasti for which we needed a little bread. So what better than to make Ciabatta for the first time. I found a recipe that did not require an overnight developing and it has baked OK. If it is not good enough we always have one of those part baked loaves we can pop in the oven.

Daughter is making a lemon meringue pie for our pudding and the brisket is slow cooking for the mains. Vegetables to prepare and then let the feasting begin.

Christmas Eve

There is that delightful time in the early afternoon when finally home with the last lot of shopping knowing that anything forgotten will now have to be managed without. The turkey has been botoxed with a marinade I have made from scratch and various other items from the menu have been prepared in advance. I keep making and cooking and dear Mr Doris keeps washing up after me and emptying the bins.

A simple dinner is now cooking. A dear friend arrived from London is zonked out on the sofa for a quick nap before our evening activities - Christmas carols and nibbles and mulled wine at my sister's house. Followed by the midnight service at our local church.

It is Christmas Eve and family and friends are close. The cooking is in hand, a merry warmth from Baileys in Hot Chocolate and all is good. Seasons Greetings!

My favourite holiday decoration

This is it, my favourite holiday decoration that has come out every year for the past decade and a half. It is a Playmobil advent calendar originally sent to my children from Germany by a very close friend but at that time I felt the kids were just too young to respect the small bits so I kept it in storage. And then forgot about it. And then one day had the sublime pleasure of rediscovering it. The kids have never shown an interest in it but to me, it is the epitome of Christmas decorations. As each day passes I open the next box and place the contents onto the numbered area in the tableau to make Santa's workshop. The final two items to go out are the tea set that sits on the green box to the left of the stove and then a grandfather clock that goes just behind Santa who is sat at his desk with a book of the names and a feather pen in his hand. I know every item by heart and each year carefully pack it up to unwrap it again next year.

Sat next to Santa's workshop on our windowsill is another advent calender that is also a favourite. This calendar is a stylised depiction of Jesus' stable and each day a cut out of the various characters of the bible story are added with the last day, the 24th, the baby Jesus is placed in the manger.

In other news, currently another batch of meringues are baking as I had egg whites left over from making the crème patisserie which I discovered can be made in advance and frozen. The same with the bread sauce which is also now cooked and frozen. Several loads of washing have been done today and a partly successful shopping trip for food. An extra large turkey eludes me and normally I would have it bought by now. Luckily the shops will re-open at midnight so I will pop out then to the next town in search of one. I am working long hours back to back tomorrow so it suits me to do that tonight. Mad or what?!

UPDATE: 5.15am Monday I've slept well and woke up way before my alarm was due. I did that midnight trip along silent roads until I reached the mecca of bright lights hidden within the supermarket walls. People were silently arriving from all directions. I located a super large turkey and popped it into my extra large bag wondering if the secret camera operators might have thought I was going to try to shoplift the beast. Of course we do not have a refrigerator big enough so it is in a cold bag with frozen blocks until its big injection day on Tuesday and then long roast on Boxing Day. That's three days of trying to keep it chilled without any facilities nor garden shed.

Anatomy of a great recipe

With making a Christmas fruit cake in mind, online recipes mainly call for a list of ingredients as long as your arm. Requiring some serious printing out in order to make sure you have it all which entails buying obscure items that you only need half the quantity and that then sit in the back of your cupboard until the next clear out. Even if it wasn't Christmas cake, my eyes usually glaze over if I am first faced with a long ingredients list that I do not even want to go further into the recipe.

On the other hand, some recipes require some preciseness and explanation which can be difficult to know where to draw the line between explanation and detail actually required. Not everyone is at the same level of cooking skills which I guess also plays a part in what is required of a recipe. Some recipes can be so vague and I have come across misprinted recipes that leave out essential ingredients or steps required. Essentially we need to know the ingredients and then what to do with them, that is for sure, but along the way there needs to be brevity with room for adapting the recipe to the needs of the cook and ingredients available.

As an example, joy upon joys in the early of this morning when I came across this recipe for Boiled Rum Fruit Cake which has truncated the usual list of fruits and peels and nuts with this:

1kg mixed fruits and nuts of your choice

How simplified is that? What is more, I was able to go directly to my cupboards and pull out bits of this and that which made up the quantity I wanted to make so that here I am at not even 8pm and the cake has already been cooking for nearly an hour. If it was one of the other recipes I had seen it would have entailed a trip to the supermarket, once the shops had opened, before even starting.

I have modified the recipe by adding some tiny blocks of dark chocolate also sat in the cupboard, some espresso instant coffee, and the zest and juice of two oranges. This meant leaving out the last bit of rum unfortunately, and increasing the dry ingredients. If I'd have thought of it earlier I'd have left out some of the milk instead. The cake now should be Chocolate Orange and Rum Fruit Cake. The smell of it baking is divine. The cake batter was scrummy.

The lining of the cake pan with parchment paper was quite high, as suggested in other recipes I had read, and as a result I had doubled it over to make it fit rather than cutting it and leaving me with a long strip of paper. Considering I was using a pan that was not big enough luckily the lining was reinforced in this way as I can see from the shadow that the cake has risen at least 2cm above the level of the pan but I have to wait longer before I can get a good view. Fingers crossed it bakes really well and cooks throughout without burning.

UPDATE: to the right is the finished cake upside down with a wodge of fondant icing around the rim of the "bottom" to even it out and bits of fondant squeezed into the gaps to make the surfaces smoother. I just rolled out the fondant and laid it straight over the cake - no  marzipan. At the top is a photo of *my* cake with it's main icing and a bow decoration. Not very Christmassy with that bow but I wanted to do it. I'm out to work which  gives me time to not mess the cake at this stage with doing too much. I have more fondant and might consider some more Christmassy decorations to go on top.

Homemade baked cheescake for breakfast

It was more like 4am when I was wide awake so I made a cup of tea and tried another slice of the cheesecake I made yesterday in preparation for our Boxing Day feast. The idea is to mash it all up and to create tiny lollipops on sticks to freeze as part of the nibbles for the chocolate fountain.

This is the first time I have made a baked cheesecake and opted for the water bath/bain marie method. Two good sheets of foil seemed to do the trick with no breach of water into the loose bottomed pan. After cooling and refrigeration I couldn't help but try some last night and disappointed does not come anywhere close. The whole thing tasted wishy washy with a wet texture and yet looked firm and cooked, apart from the crust which looked wet right away. Mr Doris kept trying to put a positive spin on it calling it moist.

Which made me realise how much I like that dry, stick to the roof of your mouth richness of a good cheesecake that needs a good coffee or a cup of tea to go with it. Cheesecake is not cheap to make and the raw mixture tasted so delicious I was very excited about the result that I had boasted to Mr Doris that if it did not turn out wonderful I would eat one of my legs. Which is a pretty stupid boast to make on all counts.

The cheesecake has sat open in the fridge overnight and there is some hope for it. The slice I had this morning is quite a bit dryer and tasting a whole lot more like cheesecake. The crust is even tasting crustier! Fingers crossed that a few more hours will have it tasting special and I can proceed with the next stage. Otherwise it is down to the supermarket for a shop bought one.

Cleaning the silver and menu planning

Usually by about now, I have written up the menus for Christmas and Boxing Days and pulled out the ingredients list to check what is in the store cupboard and what needs to be shopped. It usually feels comfortable and organised and about right and not at all hysterical or panicking. After all, a catering establishment would usually plan ahead to make sure items were in stock and the facilities were prepared.

Yesterday as I made one of my frequent returns to the sanctuary of the sofa to nurse my painful arm and shoulder, I sat there thinking with great concern that this was not done and the menus were still turning around and developing in my head. We have 14 for Boxing Day and I always like to do things differently so it is not a case of repeating the same old tried and tested favourites. This year we are going to have a fish course simply so that I can use the fish knives and forks that were my mothers. She never knew I had them as an aunt gave them me some years ago. My grandmother had given them to my mother for her 21st. They are EPNS and were of great expense to my grandmother but my mother did not keep them long (read that as probably cast aside as not good enough!) and my aunt salvaged them.

They are only a set of six plus fish servers whilst we have 14 to serve, so for the past month or so I have been in and out charity and antique shops and have acquired another set of six for £5 and odd ones amounting to five places for £3. None of these are as nice as the original but they are not bad. Nor are they all EPNS and some are chrome but they have the look. Sometime ago I discovered silver (and EPNS) cleaning using a foil lined bowl, warm water and bicarbonate of soda. This had removed the years of black off the EPNS and gave me an acceptable feeling of wanting to use the objects in my mouth. A feeling I never have with proprietary silver cleaner as one can't be sure all the chemicals are off. The fish cutlery shines and looks special.

It will still be a simple fish course and a flimsy reason to use the fish servers as I am making miniature smoked salmon terrines. These can be made ahead and then served from one large serving plate.

My current quandary is a bit silly. I also want to make a lovely vegetable soup as it is so simple and so very beautiful when, for special occasions, it is passed through a fine sieve. I have done leek and potato soup like that one Christmas and it was extremely well received. I'm thinking of a pumpkin or squash soup as we have some left from our allotment. It is just that I am suddenly concerned about serving a hot soup followed by a cold salmon terrine and how that will go down, digestively speaking! Is there a rule that says hot soup should not be followed by a cold fish course? (These are of course, the important issues of the day rather than gun men gone mad again, fireman going on strike, or the funeral of a world leader.)

We are having a chocolate fountain for pudding. I have yet to collate the recipes and ingredients needed for making profiteroles with raspberry cream and baked cheesecake pops to go alongside the other dipping items. And the main event will be a gorgeous turkey which I would normally have sourced by now. It must be unbasted and big enough so that I can inject it with my own delicious baste. We will have a second roast and then as many vegetables as I can manage. Oh yes, and normally I'd have bought fresh cranberries by now and made a cranberry sauce and frozen it.

Eating our freezer empty has been a priority these last few days so at least something is being done. Maybe I should stop stumbling over the hot starter and cold fish and get on with the details. Shopping for the bits begins today. Making the cranberry sauce always makes me feel festive.

Porridge

Welcome to my porridge made with coconut milk, dried apricots, a pinch of himalayan pink salt and a sprinkle of milled flaxseed, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. It is all gone in my tum tum along with four Ibuprofen which is the whole reason my warrior diet has been temporarily out the window. My shoulder injury warrants anti-inflammatory medication four times a day at quite high doses. Each dose must be accompanied by food otherwise it plays havoc with the stomach. I have fallen off all sorts of wagons and yesterday I vowed to go back to my no sugar/no alcohol diet at least until Christmas. Apart from the exceptions of course such as afternoon tea tomorrow with a friend and the work Christmas do on Saturday.

Scones baked in Halogen cooker

We've had this new toy now for a couple of weeks and it has been proving its worth. I finally whipped up some scones using the Mary Berry Devonshire Scones Recipe with the added trick of freezing the flour first for about 30 minutes and then rubbing in soft butter.

The halogen oven usually cooks food in a quicker time and at a slightly lower temperature, however the scone recipe that came with the oven used the same heat and about the same time as Mary Berry's recipe. So I used: 220° for 12 minutes. Next time I might use 200° for 14-15 minutes.

This time I did not sieve the baking powder and flour as much as usual and I felt I could taste just a bare twang of baking powder on my tongue. Only because I saw Mary Berry the other day say something to the effect that the sieving was not necessary. Tosh! Sieve it well to mix and get rid of the baking powder taste.

The halogen oven only needs to pre-heat for a few minutes and uses so much less power than a conventional oven. I know because I have checked it against our power meter gizmo.

I didn't have a flat baking tin that made the best use of the available round size and shape of the oven so I covered the wire rack that came with it in two coats of foil which I buttered and floured. This I feel, affected the bake of the base of the scones and just a bare fraction undercooked the base compared to the top. Next time I'll make sure I am using a tin tray so that it conducts the heat better to the base of the scones.

Overall? The picture above is of the second and last batch of scones. The left taken just after it was put in and the right just before they were taken out 12 minutes later. Both pictures were taken at the point the halogen lamp was off so I do not know why there is such a colour difference. It is so much fun to be able to see everything cooking through the glass. They were scrummy and a bit too easy to eat with butter and just a swipe of strawberry jam. Yield 16 scones from 450 gm (1lb) flour.

Unexpected Treasures

Yesterday panned out quite unexpectedly. After a few hours messing around online with Dr Who stuff, daughter phoned and invited herself around for lunch. She has had a bit of a blip in her life and had been feeling down these last few days so I was glad she was going to come to us.

It was nearly mid day and had to go get dressed as being in my dressing gown was just not good. I started to debone the not very well cooked roast chicken of the night before when daughter arrived and then not much later an unexpected phone call came through which I took. Chicken went on hold and son and daughter popped off to the supermarket. By the time I finished the call, they had returned sat at the sofa with a small table set up, treats and the brand new Monopoly Empire set up and inviting me to play. I had given this to son as a present on getting his new job in September.

The already opened Christmas port was added to the mix whilst the three of us played and Darling Mr Doris made a Caribbean Banana Tarte Tatin from Paul Hollywood's Pies and Puds which we saw the other day. This picture is from the programme but ours looked just as good and tasted phenomenal:

At one point amidst the laughter and fun, daughter exclaimed that this was just like Christmas. And indeed, it was. Though Thanksgiving came to mind, and being thankful for what we have.

We even managed to persuade Mr Doris to join us to play one round of this Monopoly Empire which is almost nothing like the original Monopoly in that when three people are playing, a game can be done and dusted in ten minutes unlike the ten hour marathons the original could turn out. I'd have thought that this quicker version would suit younger minds - and me too as I can't bear the old version any more - however they were dissatisfied and devised ways to re-rule the game to make it a bit more substantial. With the four of us playing, and some revised rules, and both daughter and I using delaying tactics to not go ahead and win, a game managed to last for a whole 45 minutes!

By the evening I made Roast Chicken with roast quinoa for us all and it was yum yum.

It was a lovely unexpected day of togetherness. Reasons to be cheerful :-)

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot: Inspired

Yesterday's date had been in our calender since it was first released as the showing of the 50th anniversary episode and in the end our day was scheduled around a feast of TV.

A special roast dinner was made to be ready by 6.30pm and the start of Strictly. Followed hot on its heels by the Dr Who 50th special episode. Just last week I saw that the return of Borgen was being advertised so I had that in mind for 9pm after Dr Who. Borgen is an incredible and amazing series I discovered from my dear friend who passed away early in the year. As we watched together the last triumphant twist and turn of that last episode of the last series she had turned to me and wryly joked that one thing was for sure and that she would not be around for the next series. I suppose it is the sort of joke I would make but is not very funny when one is not the one making the joke.

The evening began with the roast not being quite cooked enough in places. A signifier of the evening ahead I wondered.

Strictly was good enough though nothing particularly special as it is the last few weeks and the judges are suddenly much more critical. We sneaked a preview of who actually gets the boot by the end of the evening and lets say I was very surprised given the two up, or rather, down in the bottom two in the dance off. Tonight's show will be interesting.

The Dr Who special was sort of good. Expectations are so flaming high that making something that celebrated 50 years of what is very much a cult was always going to be difficult. There were some very good points. Overall I gave it a six out of ten which was exceptionally harsh of me.

So there we were, mixed review roast followed by two less than top notch programmes let me onto Borgen for which the other programming had overrun and Borgen had already started. In at the deep end with subtitles flashing away. My poor Mr Doris who had never seen any of the previous would have been isolated as to where we were and who we were dealing with. Though never mind him, I felt thrown in the deep end and I love the programme. Then I checked the programme info and I find it was actually the third episode of the new series. The third!!! What happened to the previous two? Even I need to catch those two before I can proceed.

Within minutes I flicked Borgen off and to the Dr Who after show party and the inane and repetitive "Did you enjoy that" questions which even one of the presenters commented that no-one could hardly say that they didn't. It is the sort of programming that might have been a good idea on paper and is sadly lacking. There was mention of an alternative 50th anniversary Dr Who programme which could be seen on the red button after the after show party. That mythical and rarely pressed red button except for watching alternative sports during the Olympics or taking part in the "guess the antiques price" in Antiques Roadshow.

Oh beautiful red button you saved our day! Peter Davison I never knew how much I love you! The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot is quite possibly the most brilliant and funniest and best celebration of the 50th anniversary. Typical self-deprecation and use of real family members takes Dr Who to a whole new level. What a delight it was to watch with so many references to all things Dr Who and involving a whole raft of the significant characters both behind the scenes and in front of the camera as well as a wealth of others. I do not want to say much more as it might be to spoil other's viewing pleasure. This is the gem of our Saturday night and the jewel of the 50th anniversary of Dr Who.

BBC iplayer usually only available in the UK and only for seven days

Addendum:
I have just had a delightful time re-watching the Reboot film and even freeze framed the credits and looked up who was who online! One thing led to another which led to discovering these creative and wonderful three minute vignettes created by a New York Doctor Who fan. The Adventures of the Doctor Puppet are worth watching all the way through the episodes and also the Christmas Special: How the Doctor Puppet Saved Christmas; and the music video tribute. I so look forward to the next episode. 10.46am 24 November

Frogs, creativity, holidays and living

Before July flies away a little guest visit is in order with a quick update. Going backwards from this point, I started eating frogs on Thursday with a great audio book. All the usual stuff one really does know that resonates at this point in time. Something that I am implementing at a point when I was pulling my finger out any way. Amazingly, I have just found it on youtube and if I am correct then it can be listened to here though I had mine from audible playing to me direct from my phone.




My lovely Mr Doris and I have been on holiday and had a road trip across Germany - I love driving and can now say I have driven through Berlin and across Germany. Visiting special friends and just being.

The bread making continues interleaved with running. I can now say I am a runner and running six or seven km in one go is no problem. Remembering that just a matter of weeks ago I could not run and had no stamina. My thighs are developing nicely thank you.

Often on my mind is my friend who passed away at the end of February. The impact hits me again and again at any point in a day. In some aspects of my life I have been in a state of suspension since then unable to move. Strange how that can co-exist with all my other activity.

Coming back to the frogs, I am working on eating them, one at a time. Starting with our income and empire building once again - this time with specified goals written down. Other goals include living and loving and being happy. Extending my creativity to painting and yesterday coincidentally I met a couple of women who only started painting in their 60s and 70s - so one is never too old. First though, are the finances and some single minded determination.

Da Do Run Run

Maybe it should more correctly be Da Do Ron Ron but this suits my purposes:

I met him on a Monday the song begins, whilst last Monday - our Bank Holiday Monday - my daughter invited me to run with her and others in a major 10k race next year. Thinking back to the moment she asked me I can not run and do not run, but the offer to do something with her was far too immense to not embrace it. I could not run for a bus and a few years back I did do a bit of training with someone and built up to about ten minutes or so of running interspersed with plenty of walking. That was a huge improvement on anything but I did not continue training and found it tough.

With the same gusto that I applied to bread making, the very next day I set off early in the morning on my own to begin a new training regime. After all I have a year to build up to 10k. It is hard to know how or why but on that very first morning I set off at a gentle jogging pace and ran continuously for a whole five minutes and then walked for 10 minutes or so to cool down. I was not out of breath. The next day I ran for a bit longer and so forth. By the fifth day I went with my daughter to a proper shop and had my running style analysed and bought the right trainers and some running socks which are a dream compared to my now scratchy sports socks.

Yesterday I began a sub 60 minute 10K training course which is free on my phone app - RunKeeper. That app is highly recommended and can be accessed online as well as on the phone complete with maps and running times and pace alerts as you are running. On Monday I ran 3km continuously and yesterday I ran 3.2km continuously in 23 minutes which was the "Slow" pace dictated by the training schedule. Today is a rest day which I shall now start to honour. Tomorrow I shall run 4.8km as part of the schedule which will be interesting and a real push but we will see. If I have to walk some of it I will.

Last Friday morning I managed to put bread on to prove and then went out for my run and then was back in again to bake bread and I was still at work by 8.45am with one of the loaves to give to someone! And I feel fantastic. Something has to go though I decided yesterday and that was the sourdough. Despite having made a creditable sourdough loaf on the weekend I really am finding it too much co-ordinating at the moment so the sourdough starters (including a back-up one in the freezer) were dashed.

With all the running, and walking - I am doing long walks after my runs in order to cool down gently, I was wondering how my Warrior diet would cope and so have been re-reading about it and have been inspired. Many sports people use the warrior diet (eating each day just in a five hour window) though I am reading that tiny fresh fruit snacks or nuts are sometimes eaten during the fasting hours, so I am good to continue. In fact exercise is the one thing I have neglected as part of the warrior diet/lifestyle. It seems my darling Mr Doris has been either inspired or put to shame as he now has the Runkeeper app on his phone too and is now cycling or running. After all my baking has continued apace and all this consumption needs to be balanced out. With my warrior diet I haven't put on any weight but dearest Mr D looks like he has been gaining a few inches.

A right tart

Flexing my culinary muscles I've extended bread making to pastry and scones. Using this recipe from Be Kitchen Happy I was inspired by her Custard Tart Quest. The reason being that this is Mr Doris' favourite treat and whenever I am near certain supermarkets I know I must  pop in and get some. I'm not really a fan and don't bother eating any. However, for my long suffering partner I felt he needed a little treat as if (mainly) delicious fresh home made breads were not enough.

This was pretty amazing and he and I managed to eat two slices each when it was semi-warm - as shown in the picture. The pastry was superb though I wasn't so thrilled with the grated butter leaving what wastage it did on the grater. A tip I picked up from talking to someone who recently made scones was to chill the flour and this I did as well as trying out the grated butter idea. Next time I'll just chill the flour and use room temperature butter (ie soft!). The other thing I modified was to also chill the pastry flan for ten minutes after I had lined the flan dish. As I didn't have a flan tin with removable base I just lightly sprinkled some flour into the bottom of the buttered dish. Amazingly, after it had cooked and cooled a bit I was able to gently wiggle and then tip the custard tart out and then back upright onto a plate. The custard moved a bit in its pastry nest and then I just wiggled it back to the edges. 

The pastry crust was unbelievable delicious. Vaguely sweet with a flaky crackly crispness. I want to make something savoury with pastry now.

Before I bravely tackled the "Custard" as a custard tart seems to be known round these parts, I made scones the day before. One would have thought I'd be piling on the pounds but it is the opposite! I'm mainly keeping keeping to eating during the five hour (Warrior diet) window which is not too difficult. I'm generally avoiding dairy to clear my sinuses which are barely an issue these days and lapse with treats like this or cream with scones. I have recently discovered using solid coconut oil as a non-dairy and highly nutritious and good for you spread on bread. Oh my goodness it is heaven on a slice. It does change the flavour of the bread somewhat so I need to taste my home baked breads without it first.

I used to make scones as a kid and very rarely tried them again over the years. They tasted good (apart from the occasional splodge of baking sometimes) but never rose to anything of significance. And then in my readings recently read that scones were simply a sweet soda bread. Having not made soda bread but any number of other breads (I have two loaves of spelt currently cooling on the counter) I approached my scone making with a renewed vigour. If anything I was more vigorous with mixing and kneading but in a gentle way if that makes sense. I always knew to handle the dough gently but then I did it too gently. Big things were to chill the flour and also the mixed eggs and milk mixture. I used Mary Berry's  Devonshire scones recipe  and for once in my life weighed the chilled flour into the bowl and then stirred the baking powder in well before crumbing in the butter.

It is true that where the egg and milk glaze drips down the sides of the scones is where they tilt. Next time I might just try a little of the egg only as a glaze and then make extra sure it does not drip down.

I made these scones to take a few to a girlfriend along with a freshly made loaf of bread in my little red riding hood basket along with cream, jam, butter, ham and fresh cherry tomatoes. With her lovely home and china we had ourselves a gorgeous afternoon tea.

Feel the knead, the need for knead

Three a m beckons and I awake. Never mind I am wrecked from a night of over indulgence from a friend's birthday after a very busy day, and a previous night of over indulgence from an impromptu celebration of some good news regarding daughter's job, and with a mega busy day ahead. I awake and I think "bread". Like an addiction. My daughter was teasing me, "I bet you dream at night of making bread" laughing at the absurdity and when she looked me in the eye realised she had hit the nail on the head and was shocked. There is talk of me joining a Bakers Anonymous, or starting one up.

All that laughing about didn't stop five of us tucking into the assorted loaves I had made that day including .... ta-dah ....

.... my first delicious sourdough loaf. (I have made a few other sourdough loaves but this is the first I consider to be delicious.) I almost faithfully used the recipe from my new favourite bread guru Boomtown Rap except I left out the overnight retardation on account of wanting to excessively show off to a visitor; and tried to fast cool on a windowsill so it was still just a smidgen warm when cut into. I made everyone be quiet to hear the knife crunching through the crusty loaf, not just the once but again and again. Oh dear, I clearly need help! That loaf above contains just flour (white, rye and wholemeal), water and salt. That is it. Alchemy made the yeast and I made it all happen.

Just past 4.30am and I am waiting for the two wholemeal loaves to prove for the first time and am about to go shape and put them in their tins for the second rise. Then bake and then hopefully back to bed and sleep a bit as I have an intensive day ahead. Thankfully not starting until 11am then going through to 8pm.

Why bother with sourdough?

This is the question I ask myself as a new baker and having looked after and grown my own sourdough using just flour and water. My first sourdough loaf was questionable (though still eaten) and now my second loaf is better.

 Clearly I am becoming blase as the photo was not taken until we had eaten some. Son said it was very good in his chef-y way. I decided to prove it and bake it in the tin as last time it stuck to the floured tea towel in my homemade banneton. Son was not happy with the shape but it pleased me - he also wanted the texture to be less fluffy and more dense. It still felt quite moist though a huge improvement on the last one.

Then there is the taste. It had a sour taste to it, though I will admit not in a way that sticks in your throat, and I am still not sure if I can like that taste. As I ate it felt like drinking red wine for the first time: persevering until one actually liked the taste! Don't get me wrong, the bread still tasted on the whole okay, just different. After a bit of searching I came across this very interesting blog item www.boomtownrap.com with a link to a radio programme from 2010 or before, talking about sourdough and the interesting point that they do not have to taste sour! It was also encouraging to see the sourdough breads the blogger had baked. My mind is already set on making my first yeast pizza dough and lo and behold this blogger specialises in them.

Coming back to sourdough though, I have to say I am very proud to have made this loaf knowing I had not used any commercial yeast. That aspect of the sourdough appeals to me greatly.

My pot of sourdough starter is now a resident in the fridge until I decide what next for it.

UPDATE: I revise my ideas already. Next morning and I have just sliced and buttered a piece of the sourdough bread and it really is quite delicious and not really sour just a depth of flavour. I will admit that last night when I sliced the bread it was still just a tad warm. So maybe that is why everyone says wait for it to cool completely because it needs that time to mellow or whatever. Meanwhile, the extra starter created as a result of using some for the bread and then not reducing by much left me with just enough to make sourdough pancakes and sourdough crumpets this morning. And just enough starter to feed and keep. I can now see myself getting a second container to in future keep the starter discards (from the feeding) in order to make crumpets and other things. Photos in due course - I'm off to the allotment now as it is a glorious day. Must wear hat to keep sun off face. Eh by gum I'll be an eco warior princess before you know it!

9am Satisfaction

What more can I say? The produce of my little labours this morning and it is only 9am. Second attempts at French baguettes and crumpets. Son has already had four for his breakfast, hot out of the pan with a slight smear of marmite. He said they tasted better than crumpets and he is not known for being polite to me to be political.

The French breads have yet to cool and be cut into. Only then will I see what the texture is like. However, the outside is far crispier than my last attempt and something amazing happened after I took them out of the oven and put on the cooling rack: there was a strange noise in the kitchen area. A sort of cracking crackling noise. Small and insistent. I leaned down and listened to the crumpets cooling in front of me - as you do! On the basis that maybe the bubbles were still bubbling and nothing. It wasn't coming from the direction of the cooking and the other crumpets in the pan. I went around the table to the French loaves and voila - they were crackling. What a wondrous sound. I imagine it could be the crust doing what it needs to do in order to become crispier though I do not know.

Last night I made two granary loaves and despatched one over to my niece who is on a diet that allows homemade bread. I gather like us with our loaf they had tucked into it last night. Yum yum.

Something I realised when I was doing my stuff this morning and that is, I can do something really well. Not just "I can do well but one day someone will find out I can't" well, but truly inside with a nice warmth, well.

I shall be modifying my warrior diet today and will toast crumpets and serve with mugs of tea for breakfast for Mr Doris and I. Then, I just know I will need to try the French bread by lunch. Maybe I will do all my eating this morning, now that is an idea and then not eat until tomorrow evening as per usual. I can do that. But depends how much French loaf is left by the time I get home from my main job this evening after 8pm. Am off out shortly to another little job. The sun is shining and our windows are wide open. Ideally, I'd like to use my sour dough starter in a loaf but as that can take a couple of days and I shall be mostly out working now over the next few days that is not going to happen. Must be patient. Maybe that is what Bank Holiday Mondays are for?

Recipes:
For the baguettes I used this recipe www.dovesfarm.co.uk/recipes/baguette-bread-stick/
and left out the Vitamin C (as I don't have it) and used half the amount of sugar as I wasn't sure why it was in the recipe. I don't have a baguette baking tray and used an upturned heavy baking tray as that gave me more usable space and placed the baguettes on a slight diagonal as my oven is on the small side.
For the crumpets I used this recipe  www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/crumpets_61013  The first time I used one quarter of the measurements and this time I used one half of the measurements. I probably made them too shallow so therefore more than two dessertspoons of mixture are needed for each, especially if there are supposed to be 10-12 from the full quantity and I yielded 9 from half the recipe. Next time I would not use olive oil as that smokes at a higher temperature and perhaps I can get the pan safely at a higher temperature and that is all I need to fix to get them cooked better on the inside.