Tag Archives: bread

Bread, butter and Brownies – Part 1

Sounds like a day of unrelieved eating, but the Brownies in question are of the Girl Scout variety rather than the chocolatey sort.

Part 1

It’s getting towards the end of day four now, despite just posting about Day 3. It was ciabatta this morning, and as it takes some time to rise I demonstrated butter-making. It’s not hard. Put cream in screw-topped beaker. Shake. Shake some more, and then same again. First of all it goes quiet as you make whipped cream then there’s a “Clunk!” and you end up with a ball of butter rolling in butter milk. Rinse and press to remove more buttermilk (which will turn butter rancid) and there you have it – butter.

Ciabatta looked good, though there’s a lot of oozing dough involved. That’s all there is to say about part one of the day. I’m now preparing for part 2.

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Heavy rain and hedgehog rolls

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I thought Monday was rainy, but it was almost dessicated compared to Tuesday.

Julia cooked scones for tea and practised with one of the bread kits we were going to use. It takes 17 minutes from opening the packet to being ready to shape, which makes it easier to use than starting from scratch. Not sure how they do it, but it makes things easier. She made hedgehog rolls, as you can see from the picture.

After a morning of threatening black clouds our visitors arrived. One was 96, and the other didn’t tell us. We started off in the kitchen with bread and reminiscence and the rain still held off, but just after 4.00, with the ladies full of scones and safely on their way back to the home, it happened.

It wasn’t so much rain as solid water descending from the sky. The water butts overflowed, the gravel area flooded and we won’t need to water the outside beds until 2017. Oh, it was wet.

In general the only inconvenience for us, working in the centre, was the noise and it felt quite good to sit inside and watch the rain. Until we had the phone call.

“Can you check the kitchen isn’t leaking?”

We had a leak when it rained a couple of weeks ago so we’ve been checking every time it rains.

It’s fair to say that my day took on a wetter aspect at that point. Good news was that the kitchen wasn’t leaking. It looks like it was a one-off combination of rain and wind that caused the problem.

You can probably guess the bad news, but I should dry out by Friday.

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We had a text this morning on the way to work – the events organiser from the home telling us that the two ladies had enjoyed themselves and hadn’t stopped talking about the visit.

It seems they particularly liked the chicks, which just goes to show that as long as you have lambs and chicks everything else falls into place.

As a result we are now booked to run a baking session at the home next month.

Bread, Birds and Butterflies

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I just caught the end of the Bread Group today. Gail is at a conference in London (as is Prince Charles, though I’m not one to gossip…) so they ran their own session today. The result was a variety of loaves baked using a focaccia recipe. I use those words carefully.

I’m sure they will all taste great, even the ones that look like illustrations from a medical textbook (due to the inclusion of sun-dried tomatoes) but if you were expecting focaccia that looks like the picture in cookery books you won’t find much of it here. I was actually left with the impression that the bakers of the flatter ones were generally thought to lack imagination by the rest of the group.

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My favourites were the ones that looked like small loaves. I bet they will taste really good with a bowl of soup. I made that observation several times but ended up leaving without other bread or an invitation. I may have to investigate Photoshop and the possibility of adding more wrinkles if this sort of thing continues.

Meanwhile, we have had young goldfinches and wrens around the feeder and the blue tits are now feeding lots of caterpillars to their young in the nestbox. I’m not sure this is doing the butterfly garden a lot of good but nature is all about give and take.

I’ve seen two more Common Blues about, though the butterfly showing isn’t great at the moment. One of them was a female, which is always a bit difficult as female Common Blues are brown. Annoying though this may be, I have to admit it isn’t their fault because as they evolved nobody told them they were going to be called Common Blues. Compared to some species, they aren’t that common either.

Ah well!

Flowers are looking better, and I did mange to get some photos. It’s a shame the few pollinators I saw about were so quick I couldn’t get a shot.

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Tomorrow it’s Sheffield, though we’re hoping to get into the Peak District on the way back. We may to Wigtwizzle. I’m not sure there’s much to see, but with a name like that (which I just discovered on the map) how can you resist?

On the way back we may even find time to visit one of my favourite bookshops.

Sun, cynicism and salt-dough

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Actually, there’s been no sun but I needed a third “s” word for the alliteration.

However, there has been plenty of cynicism and I’m up to my ears in salt-dough.

The cynicism has been rising as arrangements for filming have advanced. Both the BBC and Notts TV want to come and do pieces on us and, rather like a 70’s sitcom, there has been a noticeable change in some people. I’m waiting for the first one to crack and say: “All right, Mr. De Mille, I’m ready for my close-up.” It can’t be long now…

Watch this space for more news on our flirtation with fame and the media.

I managed to fit in plywood between the cynicism and the salt-dough. We have a plan to build a loaf of bread six feet long and four feet high. We also have a pile of second-hand plywood four feet high. It’s mainly odd sizes and none of it is a convenient. I did start planning how we could use it but it became clear that the patchwork effect and the amount of framing needed was going to make it impractical. So it’s back to Plan A.

While I was in the barn counting plywood I noticed the House Martins are gathering mud for their nests. I’ve just been back with the camera but somebody is now working in the yard and has scared them all off. Will have to see what I can do later.

On the salt-dough front things are getting better. We have a group of around 20 Guides coming on Monday night so I need to produce around 40 shapes for decoration – one for them to keep and one for us to display on Open Farm Sunday.

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After my stiff dough and thick tiles of last week, I have been doing some thinking. With my first attempt I converted the 2:1:1 ratio of flour, salt and water into weights. Today I used cups and produced a much more workable dough. It just goes to show it doesn’t always pay to get technical. I have four trays of animal shapes drying, and they are half the thickness of my original trial pieces so things are looking up. By 6 pm they should all be ready for use.

Carry on Baking

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You see before you the blog of an unhappy man. I’m short on time and I have somehow managed to consign the hundred or so laboured words of my first attempt to pixelated oblivion. I’m not quite sure how it happened – a flurry of fingers, a wrongly selected key and it just disappeared. I cannot find it.

Today’s session, free from the tyranny of seriousness and sourdough, was a light-hearted affair featuring an amount of witty repartee and a helping of classic double entendre in the style of the Carry On films. Everyone enjoyed themselves, everyone baked good loaves (though some were of a decidedly rustic nature) and everyone took turns in the jokes about soggy bottoms, or, more rarely, nice firm bottoms.

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If you recall our last attempt at Honey and Oatmeal bread, when Gail was away, we produced similar loaves – excellent but rustic – and did it all without needing to resort to smut about bottoms. The session on that occasion was conducted with the reverence and decorum that only a group of middle-aged men can bring to such a proceeding.

I’m not saying anything more, you may draw your own conclusions.

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In passing, we had some form of icy snow last night in Screveton (though not around our house in Nottingham) and we now have two bookings confirmed for the craft fair on Open Farm Sunday.

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It’s all looking good.

Sourdough – the results

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It’s a bit like one of those television talent shows isn’t it? Days after the main event – here are the results.

The difference lies in the talent of course – we do have some talented bakers amongst our members, as the pictures will show, whereas the title “Britain’s Got Talent” is probably an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 .

So far everything looks to have great texture and crumb, and is making my mouth water.

But enough of my ramblings – here are the results. What do you think?

Sourdough Days

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In which the Bread Lady gets complicated…

It was sourdough today, but as it takes time there will be no pictures of delicious looking bread. Instead everyone poured the dough into brotforms and went home.

To me that’s a bit like a rugby match I once attended (Leicester Tigers v Bath in 2010). The score was 21 – 15. A drop goal and six penalties to five penalties. There is something immensely unsatisfactory about a game of rugby with no tries. It was raining too, and I had a group of Under-14s with me. The game was televised and I’m told you could see me sitting in the rain in an open stand behind the goal looking more and more miserable every time someone scored.

Anyway, there were some dazzling skills on display today and a number of very competent breadmakers in attendance. If I tell you that the number of competent breadmakers didn’t quite equal the number of people attending I’m sure you will get the picture. We had every possible scenario from one batch that formed a crust as soon as the air got to it and another that looked like the perpetrator was pouring pancake batter.

Gail doesn’t usually betray much emotion in class, but even she looked incredulous at what Barry had done using just flour and water

Gail was at her best; she loves the science of breadmaking, and the more complicated it is the better she likes it. However, before I say too much I will pause and reflect that she had 15 people at her session where I only attracted three last time I filled in for her. People clearly like complication. (Also note that it has not been possible, despite trying for three years, to take a picture of Gail with her eyes open and her hands still.)

Fair enough, I suppose, if you really want simple bread you can jump in the car and buy a crap loaf from the supermarket.

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I always recall a story of Ancient Egypt about the advent of leavened bread (we can tell they used yeast because you can see it in ancient bread remains if you use an electron microscope. (And they say that archaeology is dull!) Conjecture has it that yeast was introduced into bread when an Egyptian baker kneaded the bread with his feet whilst suffering from athlete’s foot.

It’s probably not true. In fact it’s almost certainly not true. However, when you taste sourdough bread it’s hard to stop that suspicion of truth entering your mind.

If you want to join the bread class check out the farm website. It’s great fun and I can recommend it for a good morning out with convivial company.

I will end there. My work is done, and I wonder how many of you will be able to eat sourdough without thinking of Egyptian feet from now on…

Yesterday once more

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Once again, I’m a day behind, so I will do two days in one.

It was the bread group yesterday and we had a bit of a sad one as we broke in the middle to plant a tree in memory of one of the group who died recently. It’s in the area where we sit to drink tea in the summer, so we’ll think of him regularly and in years to come we’ll also pick the apples off the tree.

This is one of those times when I’m not really sure what to say as I’m not a great one for displays of emotion. The sun shone, we read a poem and the birds sang. It was as good as it could be when you consider the reason for the gathering.

Back in the kitchen we made a simple wholemeal loaf. There’s a comfort in gathering to make bread, and as one of the members said, we’ve had births and marriages in the group, and now a death, so we’re just like a family. Well, better than a family really, as none of them ever raid my fridge or hog the bathroom.

As I locked up I walked out of the front and surprised two red-legged partridges dust bathing in the middle of the yard. It really must be getting sunny for them to do that.

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Friday started well with a big flock of fieldfares on the way down the lane and a good sighting of a group of finches that included half a dozen reed buntings (first sighting of the year for them). There were rooks on the sheep field and a single cock pheasant standing in the middle, looking like he owned the place.

We then had a group of 12 kids come out from the city. They come three times a year and they are always a good group as they are brought out as a reward for good behaviour and their hard work in ecological matters. It’s also a lot easier to have a good cooking session when you can get round the kitchen properly.

You also feel that you are actually teaching them something as most of our groups are from local schools and they know quite a lot about food and farming.

The best pizza was the owl, though they all seemed to taste good, judging from the way they laid into them at lunch. We haven’t had olives for a while (I’ve been feeling tight) but they do make a difference to pizza designs. I must make a note of that for future reference.

The bread is excellent, by the way. We ate some as soon as I got home, spread with the home made damson jam. I’ll put the recipe on the recipe page later.

Sourdough Thursday

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It’s a sourdough day on Thursday, and all the new starters (prepared after the last soda bread session) will be coming out for inspection. I have to admit that although I’m fascinated by the history of sourdough (and by the fact that various cultures can claim to trace their roots back to the California gold rush of 1849) I’m not a great fan of the bread.

Sorry if that’s heresy amongst bread makers, but it’s the truth. The flavour of a proper sourdough loaf is too intense for me and although I know there are good reasons for making sourdough, I can’t, in truth, be bothered with all the messing about when you can buy perfectly good tinned yeast from the supermarket. As an aside, I do have a use for a starter, because I use it in my presentation for schools when we show them dried yeast, fresh yeast (often identified as chicken or cheese when I ask what they think it is) and a sourdough starter. I did it last week and, as it hadn’t been opened for a while, managed a very pungent experience for the visiting kids. There were definite smells of beer and vinegar with a particularly noticeable smell of nail varnish remover.

Talking of thoughts on bread flavour, we have done several bread tastings with schools using a variety of bought and home-baked bread. The favourite is always – white, spongy supermarket bread. I’ve even bought TESCO’s cheapest white sliced and it still beats the good stuff. Makes you wonder what you need to do to promote real bread doesn’t it?

The newly made starters won’t be as strong as mine yet (or the one pictured below), and definitely won’t be covered in black liquid yet, but it should still be an interesting session.

Just a short post to start the week, as it’s a busy week and I am supposed to be working.

Correction: Due to a change in plans Sourdough Thursday has been put back by a fortnight.

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Knitting and stuff

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Main feature of the day was the woolly workshop, though the main things that will stick in my mind is the letter from Nottinghamshire County Council wanting to see all our quality assurance documentation and the call from the Fat Police.

NCC, as always, seem to assume that we have a bloated administrative structure with little better to do than produce words and waffle. I will say no more, but you can probably read my mind on that one.

The Fat Police, who aren’t really called that, they are “something for change” or something like that, rang me after the practice ratted me out as a fatty last time I visited. And what did they do? They rang me to make a telephone appointment for somebody else to call me. In two week’s time. It’s a bit of a long drawn out process, but it suits me, as I’m not that keen on the process of starvation that seems to be involved in weight loss. Bit casual for the NHS, considering they keep telling me I’m in danger of dropping dead.

All that plus home baked bread from one of the group, which went down nicely with another version of the cheap orange-coloured soup (carrot, parsnip, onion, potato, black pepper, stock cube). I like white bread, though it seems a bit like a guilty pleasure in these days of wholemeal, sourdough and spelt.

Anyway, as you can see from the pictures Jen Hunter’s woolly workshop was a great success and most of the group, plus some of the village, will be sporting snoods next week. Men in Sheds will be producing the knitting rings in the near future too. She will be talking at the meeting this evening too.

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Life after the Care Farm

Tag Archives: bread

Bread, butter and Brownies – Part 1

Heavy rain and hedgehog rolls

Bread, Birds and Butterflies

Sun, cynicism and salt-dough

Carry on Baking

Sourdough – the results

Sourdough Days

Yesterday once more

Sourdough Thursday

Correction: Due to a change in plans Sourdough Thursday has been put back by a fortnight.

Knitting and stuff