Sourdough Spelt Baguettes

Crispy crust, chewy sourdough middle, delicious! (Though I say so myself).

Ingredients:

7g salt
125g strong white bread flour
250g spelt flour
250g sourdough starter
180-220ml water
Olive oil, for kneading

1. Mix salt, flours and starter together in a large bowl.
2. Slowly add water - starting with 180ml, and gradually kneading in additional water until you have a slack dough - it will be quite sticky.
3. Turn dough out onto an oiled surface (do not add extra flour, it will make the dough act most peculiarly) or into the oiled bowl of a freestanding mixer.
4. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
5. Cover the dough and leave in a warm place to prove for 5 to 6 hours, until the dough is doubled in size.
6. Shape the loaves - on an oiled surface divide the dough into 3 parts. Each should weigh about 275g (more important than the exact weight is similar size). Roll the dough gently into sausage shapes.
7. Transfer the loaves carefully to a floured, linen, tea-towel or baker's couche, pleating the cloth to stop the baguettes touching.
8. Leave the loaves to prove for 12-18 hour. A longer, slower rise (ie in a cooler place) will give a more sour dough. Beware of leaving the loaves too long at a warmer temperature as they may rise well and then collapse on themselves.
9. Preheat oven to 190C. Spray the inside and bottom of the oven with water to generate steam.
10. Transfer the loaves to baking sheets lined by non-stick baking paper. Apply more water around the loaves (but not touching the loaves) to generate further steam.
11. Bake the loaves for 15-25 minutes until the bases sound hollow when tapped.

Serving suggestion: Alongside some rich tomato and chorizo tapas (recipe to follow), or just slathered with creamy British butter.

Edited to add: Never done this before, but I am entering this in: Bake Your Own Bread
And: YeastSpotting
(I hope I did that right!)

When life gives you guavas...

make guava sorbet!

I inherited an old tin of guava halves. Feeling the need for sweet, fruity goodness, my mind turned to sorbet. Unfortunately, however, Google was less than forthcoming on a recipe for guava sorbet involving the tinned kind. Seeing as I have never even seen a fresh guava, let alone tasted on, fresh guava sorbet was not going to be an option (quite aside from the fact that the tinned guavas were already staring at me)

So, as per usual This Is Not My Home protocol, I maded it up.

Ingredients:

1 tin guava halves (the 400g+ size tin - guava "shells" are probably better as they are seedless, but that's not what I had)
125ml water
62.5g granulated sugar (sorry if your scales can't weigh to 0.5 of a gram, round in whichever direction pleases you)

1. Put guava halves into a food processor (Magimix) and puree into oblivion. Set aside
2. Put sugar and water into a small but substantial pan. Bring to the boil, stiring constantly until the sugar has dissolved, then stop. Boil the sugar syrup for 5 minutes - do not leave it unsupervised and keep pets and children away. Leave the syrup to cool.
3. Sieve the pips out of the guava puree - really push it through the sieve with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. You want as much puree as you can without actually grating the seeds through.
4. Mix the puree with the cooled sugar syrup.
5. Pour the guava puree into an ice-cream maker and churn until softly frozen.
6. Turn the sorbet out into a freezer-suitable container and freeze until properly frozen/required.

(In a correction to a previous statement, this is in fact the 100th post - the one before took into account unpublished posts - I read the wrong number!)

Devil's food cupcakes

A couple of weeks ago, I went to stay with Lady Pink and Lord Fisherman. Since I was brought up never to arrive empty handed, I thought a home-baked gift would be in order.
 

My local Sainsbury's sells these rather nice gift boxes, which make the whole transporting and giving of cupcakes that little bit easier.

The recipe (below) is a modernised and metricated (is that a word?) version of a 1920s recipe. I originally found the recipe online sometime ago, but cannot find any longer. They were iced with chocolate fudge icing from Mr Oliver Peyton, using an icing gun supplied by the Mission Doctor as she headed off. It is my new favourite baking thing. Pretty icing swirls, minimal mess, and very quick.

Recipe
In three parts.

Ingredients for each part are listed under each part.  

Part One
220g dark brown sugar
115g butter
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Cream the sugar, butter and the soda together. Beat in the egg yolks. Set aside. 


Part Two
220g dark brown sugar
240ml milk (the original recipe specifies sweet milk, just so you know)
100g dark chocolate (here the original said 2/3 cup grated chocolate. I approximated)

Put the sugar, chocolate and half of the milk in a saucepan, set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Take from the heat and add the rest of the milk.

Mix Part One and Part Two together and set aside.  

Part Three
255g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together three times.

Add Part Three to Part One and Part Two. Mix well.

Bake at 160C for 20 minutes or until well risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (The original recipe just said "bake in a medium oven")

Leave to cool, then ice. And eat.

Plums

I am sure at some point I had a plum cake recipe to share with you. However, I seem to have mislaid both the recipe and the picture.

Therefore, I leave you with a picture of frozen plums in a vintage dish.

New Beginnings

 The hyacinths are blooming (and releasing a fragrance that can be detected 3 rooms away!)

 A quilt has been begun.

 An apple tree is growing.

And a new sourdough starter is breeding (oh, yes, it's time for Return of the Sourdough.)

In other news, this is the one hundreth post.

Hiatus

Beckie is revising.

That is all.

Normal service may be resumed shortly.

The Latest In A Long Line of Eccentrics

I was thinking today about how I am the latest in a long family line of eccentrics. My grandfather, for example, used to think that a double-barrelled shotgun down a mole-hill was a good mole-control technique. My grandmother sent my brother and I out with pickled onions to put down mole-hills, also to deter them. She also used to share around the chocolates whilst we watched television by clutching the box and throwing them at you like grenades during advert breaks. My parents are still alive so I shall not embarrass them by any details.

Today I had a half holiday. Instead of lounging around watching television (which would be tricky since I have no (working) television,) I picked rosehips to make rosehip syrup. Blame Wartime Farm for making me think of this!

I used the recipe from Home Preservation of Fruit and Vegetables, first published 1929, the copy I was using is the second impression of the thirteenth edition, from 1979.

I like how rose hips look. Like red jewels.
The recipe below is half of what is actually documented in the book, as I only managed 1 lb of rose hips after 1 hours picking!

"Ingredients:
1 lb ripe rose hips
1/2 lb sugar
2+1/4 pints water

The following method is recommended if a syrup with a high vitamin C content is required.

 Extracting the juice
Have ready 1+1/2 pt boiling water, preferably in an aluminium (I wouldn't use aluminium pans personally due to possible health scares around these) or unchipped enamel pan. Mince the rose hips in a coarse mincer (I used a food processor/magimix),

 place them immediately in boiling water and bring this again to the boil. As soon as it re-boils remove the pan from the heat and leave it for 15 min, then pour into a scalded jelly bag and allow the bulk of the juice to drip through. Return the pulp to the saucepan, add 3/4 pt boiling water, re-boil and allow it to stand without further heating for another 10 min, then strain as before.

Adding the Sugar
Pour the juice into a clean saucepan, and boil it down until it measures about 3/4 pt, then add 1/2 lb sugar and boil for a further 5 min.

Bottling and Processing the Syrup
Pour the syrup while it is hot into clean, hot bottles and seal at once. (I put it into yogurt pots and freeze it and defrost what I need each time - once opened it only keeps for a week or two in the fridge)

Why don't you join me in my Land-Girl eccentricity?

Two weekends inspired by Mr Peyton

The first: chocolate swirl buns. Mr Peyton's sweet bun dough, with the addition of 25g of dark cocoa powder (and 25% less yeast, as I use fast action dried, and he uses regular dried). Rolled out flat, spread with Mr Peyton's pastry cream recipe (surprisingly easy) and chopped chocolate. Rolled up like a swiss roll, cut into slices. Baked.

The second: English muffins. These are three batches in the making. The first had WAY too much yeast (sorry Mr Peyton, but they were disgustingly bitter) - the second had the perfect quantity of yeast, but I hadn't quite got the hang of cooking on a cast iron skillet. This, the third batch are mine. All mine. Sorry!

So thank you Mr Peyton!

The Privilege We Have

For a seasoned (sinful) worrier, such as me, this hymn holds great balm and sober reminders laced into its lines.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing
all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded
there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship
will be our sweet portion there.

Joseph Medlicott Scriven


Oh may we bring all to Him in prayer.

A New Name (book review)

Dedicated readers of my blog (all four of you) have probably noticed "A New Name" in my blog reel/side-bar. I forget how I came to be a regular reader, but I am so grateful that I did. Emma writes honestly about her own struggles yet still points faithfully to Jesus. She is one of the best Christian writers I have ever (not quite yet) met.

Emma has written a book by the same title. It is subtitled "grace and healing for anorexia," which substantially underestimates it. Emma boldly and bravely explains her own struggle with anorexia, walking us through her testimony, through her childhood in a non-Christian family, battling with anorexia and OCD as a teenager, then through a relative honeymoon period to her second struggle with anorexia as an adult. We see snippets of her life, enough to understands the depths of her brokenness, but not so much that it feels intrusive or voyeuristic. More than this, woven delicately and beautifully through are the lessons she has learned, the wisdom she has gleaned, and the encouragement to find our own grace and healing.

Mental health problems (not just anorexia) will affect 1 in 3 of us personally. Contrary to the damaging things I have heard, Christians are not exempt from this. Both in the church and out of it, mental health is still a massive taboo. Emma boldly steps out and raises her hand to say, "twice in my life I've had anorexia that nearly killed me." And it is her willingness to tell her story and to be real in such a public way that makes her book so powerful. You see, it's not just her story, it's all part of the story that Jesus is writing. As she explains, "Jesus Christ calls himself a Doctor for sick sinners. And I am both. I'm sick - helpless in the face of a condition that overpowers me. I'm also a sinner - deliberately choosing my way over his. Despite this, he loves me just the same. So this is not just 'my' story. It's the story of his work in my life" (p15-16 A New Name, Emma Scrivener, IVP, 2012.)

It is precisely because it is more than just her story that I would so heartily recommend this book. Her description of her character with its foibles and flaws laid bare, her gentle tone, her advice and reflections will ring bells with all of us. Her appeal to us to put aside our shame, to be real, is a challenge to our hearts. If more of us take her lead, and own up to being the wounded, vulnerable, damaged sinners that we all are, I feel certain the church will be the body that the Lord intended it to be. Whether or not you have experience of anorexia, or mental health problems, Emma's book is an excellent read, well-written, with appropriate moments of humour and sobriety. Read it!

A Study on Yellow Roses

Yellow garden roses...

In a measuring cylinder. I think it makes a rather fetching "single-stem" style vase. What do you think?

In The Spirit Of The Paralympics

The husband of a friend from Theological College:
Reverend Barr-Hamilton

Inspire a generation?

(via: The Vicar's Wife)

In The Farmhouse Kitchen

Most of the moving is over, although myriad boxes seem still to litter the house!

Sometimes, however, time in the kitchen is more necessary than unpacking, especially with the late summer glut of vegetables.

So, from the farmhouse kitchen I present:

Pickled cucumbers and semi-dried tomatoes.

Normal Service Will Be Resumed Shortly

Once again I am surround by boxes and bubble wrap (well, actually less of the latter than the former, because it's too much fun to pop) hence the lack of recent posts.

Hopefully once I am installed in my new location there will be more from me.

Until that time I leave you with a picture of a strawberry. Because it's summer.

I Asked The Lord...

This hymn by John Newton exemplifies how we can pray in complaint to the Lord, and His wonderful answer.

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, His face.

’Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He’d answer my request;
And by His love’s constraining pow’r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow’rs of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cried,
Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
“’Tis in this way, the Lord replied,
I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ,
From self, and pride, to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”

John Newton, 1725-1807

Gratitude

This is a new song to me, but the Computer Geek was listening to it and I was struck by the lyrics. How few of our songs and hymns acknowledge that God knows best and that sometimes He says "no" to our requests because He has something better, and we must give thanks in that.

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case;

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case;

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
What we want and what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case;

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace
But Jesus, would You please?

Nichole Norman

Beauty From The Leftovers

This Flickr group has been making me smile today.

All sorts of exciting items made from the bits of fabric we normally throw out. Less waste, more useful, more gorgeous.

Happy Hexagonal Hooking

Most of my recent posts have been rather cookery heavy, so I thought I'd take a break and show you something different.

Pattern from Lucy at Attic 24

Very pleasing repetitive motion to use up all the scraps left over from this

Two More Ways With Sourdough

The loaf.

Half the Fabulous Baker Brothers recipe with twice as much salt (their recipe has so little salt it tastes a bit odd), in a little non-stick loaf tin. The tin belongs to the Wildlife Photographer. It is excellent. It does not need greasing. Not all tins are like it, as I discovered when trying to repeat this loaf for my mother. 30 minutes later I managed to get a squashed, cracked, but almost intact loaf out of her tin. Hmmmm.

The breadsticks.

Same basic recipe as the loaf, but knead in an extra 150g of plain flour. Then coat hands and dough with 2tsp of olive oil and knead through the dough. Taking golf-ball sized pieces roll out to roughly 1cm diameter breadsticks (don't worry about making them too even, the knobbly bits add rustic charm!) Brush lightly with water, sprinkle over coarse salt, pepper, grated cheese, smoked paprika, rosemary, or whatever takes your fancy. Bake at 210C for about 10-12 minutes until desired colour (I like mine a little underdone and chewy still). Leave to cool slightly on a wire rack, then consume. If using coarse salt this is about the only acceptable time to make an unsalted dough - the coarse salt will help make up for it.

Yum!

Spicy Speedy Salmon

This is not speedy in the "reach into fridge and consume" sort of way, but in the "Jamie's 30-minute meals" sort of way - you have to do a bit of work, but less than you'd expect. I have done the recipe to serve one, as that's how many I made, but it can easily be scaled up to the number required.

Ingredients:
For salmon:
1 salmon fillet
1/4 pot of peri-peri humous

For accompanying veg (inspired by Jamie Oliver):
8 stalks asparagus (British asparagus currently coming in to season - very short season, get it while you can!)
2 tomatoes (British tomatoes also coming into season)
about 10 olives (I had a pack of basil and garlic olives from Graze (nice little website, sends you healthy snacks - 4 portions for £3.79, delivered through letterbox - link will get you a free trial box if you've not had them before - also gives me a £1 off my next box (for the sake of full disclosure))
splash of olive oil for pan
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Smear top of salmon with humous - a nice even coating is all that matters, this is never going to win prizes for how it looks)
3. Wrap hummus smeared salmon in foil or greasproof paper, and shove in oven for 15-20 mins (until cooked through)
4. Chop tomatoes into quarters, then each quarter into half crosswise (or chop tomato in half and each half into four... whatever)
5. Chop asparagus into roughly 2 inch pieces.
6. Heat frying pan, splash in olive oil, add a couple of pinches of salt and a few twists of freshly ground pepper.
7. Add asparagus and tomatoes to pan and fry over medium heat for about 5 mins.
8. Add olives to asparagus and tomatoes and stir over medium heat for another 5 mins.
9. Reduce heat to low and leave to stew gently - stirring occasionally, until salmon is ready. The tomatoes will break down to make a sauce.
10. Serve the vegetables topped by the salmon.

Incidentally, when uploading the photos for this post I discovered I did take a photo of the sourdough loaf, but I think I have bored most people enough about Sourdough for the moment, so will post about it at some other time.