Atomic Shrimp - Tag - Bread2023-02-01T12:10:35+00:00urn:md5:c0b98cd55ab1d3c468ecdbd19e8bc1dbDotclearThe Stuffed-Est Crust Pizzaurn:md5:f8f9658ae39011759c133719497b72b22016-09-11T11:40:00+00:002016-11-02T07:31:00+00:00MikeBreadExperimentsFoodRecipes<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="stuffedestcrustthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/stuffedestcrustthumb.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
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<p>Stuffed crust pizza normally only has a ring of stuffing around the edge - I wanted to take that a bit further - so I made this - the Stuffed-All-The-Crust Pizza. The Stuffed-est of crusts.<br style="clear:both;" />
</p> <h3>The Idea</h3>
<p>It started, as many of my other (and larger) projects do - quite randomly and at the wrong end. I bought a 1 kilo jar of enormous hotdog sausages, without much idea of how I would use them - then I started thinking about making a stuffed crust pizza using all of them - but laid end to end, it would be far too big a pizza to go in the oven.</p>
<p>I decided to sandwich them between two thin pizza crusts, but somehow thread them through the whole of the crust, not just the rim. On removing them from the jar, I noticed they had a natural curve in them, from the way they were packed, so it was easy to arrange them into a decorative swirl - although they still protruded off the edge!</p>
<figure style="margin: 0 auto; display: table;"><img alt="stuffedestcrust1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/stuffedestcrust1.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<h3>The Dough</h3>
<p>The dough was just a batch of my regular bread dough - you can find the recipe <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/03/14/Bread">here</a> - except this time, I used half wholemeal flour and half white.</p>
<p>I kept the toppings fairly simple (the meat is inside the pizza) - so it was just finely chopped onion (because onions go with hot dogs) and red pepper, plus cheese. A lot of cheese.</p>
<h3>The Pizza</h3>
<p>Here's a short video detailing the construction of this monstrosity:</p>
<p class="imagecentre"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="287" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8WV78xVTCMc" width="510"></iframe></p>
<h3>The Result</h3>
<p>It was actually very tasty - the bits of sausage that were sticking out went crispy - the bits embedded in the base stayed plump and juicy - which was a nice contrast.</p>
<p>This was a tasty pizza. I'm thinking it could work well for picnics, as the toppings don't fall off.</p>
<h3>Even Stuffed-Er?</h3>
<p>Maybe this isn't the stuffed-est crust at all. Maybe we can go further (although, if we do, isn't that just calzone?)</p>Hot Cross Gingerbread Melon Panurn:md5:b8f946db3b78dda6d2f15ae26aa137262014-01-12T18:53:00+00:002015-01-24T19:01:44+00:00MikeBreadFoodRecipesVideo<p><img alt="hotcrossgingerbreadmelonpanthumb.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/hotcrossgingerbreadmelonpanthumb.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="hotcrossgingerbreadmelonpanthumb.JPG, Jan 2014" />Japanese Melon Pan is a kind of sweet bread roll, with a crumbly, sugary cookie crust.</p>
<p>Here's a new twist - a fruited hot cross bun, wrapped in gingerbread - Hot Cross Gingerbread Melon Pan!</p> <h2 class="clearleft">The Recipe</h2>
<p><b>Makes 12 buns</b></p>
<h3>Ingredients:</h3>
<ul>
<li><b>For the fruited bun centre</b></li>
<li>300g White bread flour ('strong' flour)</li>
<li>200ml Warm water</li>
<li>100g Raisins</li>
<li>100g Candied citrus peel</li>
<li>40g Caster sugar</li>
<li>30g Butter</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons powdered milk</li>
<li>1 Sachet (6g) instant dried yeast</li>
<li>1 Heaped teaspoon ground mixed spices (this is a blend of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice)</li>
<li><b>For the gingerbread crust</b></li>
<li>200g Self raising flour</li>
<li>90g Caster Sugar</li>
<li>80g Butter</li>
<li>1 Large egg</li>
<li>1 Heaped teaspoon ground ginger</li>
<li><b>Additionally</b></li>
<li>Sugar for dusting (I used a mix of white granulated and demerara)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Method (Video):</h3>
<p>(Scroll down further if you just want to read the method in written form)</p>
<div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jZX2pXfFhGc" width="510"></iframe></div>
<h2>Method:</h2>
<h3>Start the fruited dough</h3>
<p>Sift the bread flour into a large bowl. Add the sugar, yeast, milk powder and mixed spice. Mix these dry ingredients together.</p>
<p>Add the raisins and peel. Mix again.</p>
<p>Melt the butter and add this along with the water. Mix thoroughly until a dough is formed. Cover and leave in a warm place for half an hour.</p>
<h3>Make the gingerbread</h3>
<p>Soften the butter by warming it to room temperature (but don't melt it completely) and put it in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and blend it to a smooth paste with the butter.</p>
<p>Add the egg and mix this thoroughly with the butter/sugar - go carefully at first to avoid splashing; once it has blended a little, beat it to a batter-like consistency.</p>
<p>Mix the flour and ginger together - sift half of this into the bowl and mix it in, then sift in and mix the second half.</p>
<p>Mix until it forms a stiff, dryish dough - form this into a ball, then cover the bowl and put it in the fridge.</p>
<h3>Form the buns</h3>
<p>Retrieve the fruited dough and knead it on a floured board for a minute or two, then divide it into 12 equal pieces.</p>
<p>Roll each piece into a ball, then space these out on the board - cover with plastic film and leave again in a warm place for half an hour.</p>
<h3>Wrap the buns</h3>
<p>Divide the gingerbread dough into twelve equal pieces and roll each one into a ball. Roll each one of these flat between two sheets of plastic, using a rolling pin (the dough will be too fragile and sticky to roll thin on its own, but can be rolled thin between plastic)></p>
<p>Peel off one layer of plastic and place a ball of fruited dough on top of the rolled out gingerbread. Use the plastic to gather up the flattened gingerbread and wrap it around the filling.</p>
<p>Aim for about three-quarters coverage.</p>
<p>Peel off the other layer of plastic and roll the top part of the gingerbread in sugar, then place it (sugar side up) on an oiled baking tray. Leave space for it to double in size.</p>
<p>Using a sharp knife, press a cross cut into the top of each bun. Leave them again in a warm place for a final rise before baking - 15 minutes should do it.</p>
<p>Preheat the oven to 170C (340F or Gas Mark 3).</p>
<p>Place the trays in the oven and set a timer for 12 minutes.</p>
<p>Remove from the oven when baked to an even light brown colour - transfer immediately to a wire rack.</p>
<p>Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving - the inside will be very hot and may seem doughy until cooled.</p>
<p><img alt="hotcrossgingerbreadmelonpan1.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/hotcrossgingerbreadmelonpan1.JPG" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="hotcrossgingerbreadmelonpan1.JPG, Jan 2014" /></p>
<h3>Melon Pan</h3>
<p><img alt="hotcrossgingerbreadmelonpan2.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/hotcrossgingerbreadmelonpan2.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="hotcrossgingerbreadmelonpan2.JPG, Jan 2014" />Melon Pan is a Japanese baked bun - named for its resemblance to the netted skin of a melon - although having acquired this name, it is now also commonly flavoured with melon extract.</p>
<p>This recipe can be used to make a more traditional Melon Pan as follows:</p>
<p>Leave the fruit and spices out of the bread dough.</p>
<p>Leave the ginger out of the crust; add a few drops of melon or other fruit flavouring extract.</p>
<p>Use white sugar for dusting.</p>
<p class="clearleft">Press a grid of lines into the top of the buns before final proving, rather than a single crosscut.</p>Garlic And Herb Focacciaurn:md5:b5155ef4ce05494ab1c05517baf37dbf2012-11-17T22:19:00+00:002015-03-04T22:20:08+00:00MikeBreadFoodRecipes<p><img alt="focacciathumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/focacciathumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="focacciathumb.jpg, Mar 2015" />This recipe takes my basic bread dough recipe and turns it into Garlic and Herb Focaccia</p> <div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HozifF7yjwQ" width="510"></iframe></div>
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<h1>The Recipe</h1>
<h3>Ingredients:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Basic bread dough (see <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/03/14/Bread">here</a> for the recipe)</li>
<li>A sprig each of fresh Rosemary and Sage</li>
<li>A small bunch of chives</li>
<li>3 cloves of garlic</li>
<li>Olive oil</li>
</ul>
<h3>Method:</h3>
<p>After initial kneading and proving (leaving to rise), knead the bread dough again and divide it in half - this recipe uses one half - the other half may be frozen for use later, or used for a pizza base, just baked as bread.</p>
<p>Or you could make two loaves of Focaccia, or one great big one (in which case double the quantity of herbs)</p>
<p>Flatten the dough into a disc about 2cm thick - place it on a greased cookie sheet and cover with oiled cling film. Leave it somewhere warm for half an hour or so, to rise.</p>
<p>Peel and chop the garlic, discard any woody stems from the other herbs and chop these finely too - put the herbs in a cup and pour on just enough olive oil to cover them. Stir it, then set aside.</p>
<p>Preheat your oven to 180C (approximately 350F or Gas Mark 4)</p>
<p>Remove the film from the dough - using your finger, poke deep holes at evenly-spaced intervals all over the top. Spoon the garlic/herb/oil mixture on top of the dough. With your finger, push the herbs and garlic down into the holes.</p>
<p>Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden brown (overcooking will burn the garlic and turn it bitter).</p>Beer Yeast Breadurn:md5:78e4737da50b5b2969e3e21ad54602812012-08-03T21:05:00+00:002015-02-22T21:13:05+00:00MikeBreadExperimentsFood<p><img alt="beeryeastbreadthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beeryeastbreadthumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beeryeastbreadthumb.jpg, Aug 2012" />I like doing things just a little bit wrong on purpose - this time, I thought it might be interesting to try making bread using the wrong kind of yeast - beer yeast.</p> <p class="clearleft"><img alt="beeryeastbread1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beeryeastbread1.jpg" style="line-height: 1.6em; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;" title="beeryeastbread1.jpg, Aug 2012" /></p>
<p>Ideally, I'd have liked to start off with a sample of living yeast scooped out of the bottom of a cleared brew (and I'll try this sometime, but I didn't save any from my recent beer experiment.</p>
<p>So I bought a sachet of beer yeast - a strain named Gervin.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beeryeastbread2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beeryeastbread2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beeryeastbread2.jpg, Aug 2012" />I mixed a teaspoonful of the dried yeast with two tablespoons of plain flour, one teaspoon of sugar.</p>
<p>I added enough cooled boiled water to mix up a thin paste in a large tumbler, which I covered with plastic film and left for an hour.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beeryeastbread3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beeryeastbread3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beeryeastbread3.jpg, Aug 2012" />It frothed up quite vigorously, so I used it to make up a batch of simple bread dough with it (450g flour, 300ml water)</p>
<p>This was late at night, so I left the dough to work overnight in a large covered bowl.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beeryeastbread4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beeryeastbread4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beeryeastbread4.jpg, Aug 2012" />The following morning, it was very lively.</p>
<p>I kneaded it a little, then put it in an oiled loaf pan and covered with a clean cloth.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beeryeastbread5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beeryeastbread5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beeryeastbread5.jpg, Aug 2012" />It took a couple of hours to prove - this is longer than I would normally expect for bread yeast, which is surprsising, given the very fast start.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beeryeastbread6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beeryeastbread6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beeryeastbread6.jpg, Aug 2012" />I baked the bread for 20 minutes at 190C.</p>
<p>The end result was a nice even-textured, spongy loaf.</p>
<p>It doesn't look exactly its best in this picture, as I couldn't resist cutting it whilst still warm.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">The Verdict</h3>
<p>Not bad - really not vastly different to bread made with regular baking yeast - the crust was perhaps a little more flaky and crisp, but that's probably attributable to the overnight initial working and the long proving time.</p>
<p>There's a subtle (possibly subjectively imaginary) fruity aroma - other than that, it's not significantly different - I was expecting something a bit more dramatic - still, it's not a disappointment, as this is a nice loaf.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beeryeastbread7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beeryeastbread7.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="beeryeastbread7.jpg, Aug 2012" /></p>
<h3 class="clearleft">What's The Difference?</h3>
<p>The beer yeast began working very fast - and I'd say the aroma was a little different whilst working - there was a fruity, tangy aroma to the raw dough.</p>
<p>But the chief differences between beer and baking yeast strains would probably be more noticeable if this experiment was reversed - that is, if I'd tried to make beer using baking yeast (I'm going to try this sometime) - beer yeasts work fast and keep going even as the alcohol content rises, then they clump together and settle out. I'm not sure a bread yeast will do that so reliably.</p>Cheese Fondue Breadurn:md5:c84d8035582631496ba4fc8a4afaa72f2012-04-24T14:11:00+00:002015-02-28T14:20:42+00:00MikeBreadFoodRecipes<p><img alt="cheesebreadthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebreadthumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebreadthumb.jpg, Apr 2012" />It's just bread and cheese, but as you've never seen it before - this is an experimental recipe for baking a whole small soft cheese inside a loaf of bread.</p> <h2 class="clearleft">The Recipe</h2>
<h3>Ingredients:</h3>
<ul>
<li>1 batch of <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/03/14/Bread">basic bread dough</a></li>
<li>1 Small soft cheese with intact rind (per person) - I used Pave D'Affinois cheeses, each about 150g</li>
<li>1 clove garlic</li>
<li>Fresh herbs - your choice</li>
<li>1 Teaspoon cider vinegar</li>
<li>(Optional) a couple of rashers of streaky bacon</li>
</ul>
<h3>Method:</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cheesebread2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebread2.jpg, Apr 2012" />Make the bread dough as directed <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/03/14/Bread">here</a>. After proving, divide it into four equal portions.</p>
<p>If, like me, you're only making this for two people, you can use the other half of the dough to make a small loaf, or pizza bases, etc.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cheesebread3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebread3.jpg, Apr 2012" />For each portion, prepare a small ovenproof dish by brushing the inside with oil, then dusting with flour (or semolina, or cornmeal).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cheesebread4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebread4.jpg, Apr 2012" />Roll out a portion of bread dough on a well-floured surface - it doesn't have to be perfectly circular, just big enough to be able to eventually enclose the cheese.</p>
<p>Unwrap the cheese and place it in the centre of the rolled out dough.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cheesebread5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebread5.jpg, Apr 2012" />Peel the garlic and slice it into thin slivers, then insert a few of them into thin slits stabbed into the rind of the cheese.</p>
<p>Drizzle a few small drops of cider vinegar onto the holes in the cheese. Sprinkle a pinch of chopped fresh herbs on top.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cheesebread6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebread6.jpg, Apr 2012" />Fold up the edges of the dough neatly to wrap the cheese, then turn it over and place it (folded side down) into the ovenproof dish.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cheesebread7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebread7.jpg, Apr 2012" />Repeat for as many portions as you are making, then cover them with plastic film and leave for half an hour to rise.</p>
<p>Toward the end of this time, preheat your oven to 180C.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cheesebread8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebread8.jpg, Apr 2012" />Place on metal oven tray, just in case of spillage. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.</p>
<p>Leave to cool in the dishes for five minutes before turning out, then another five or ten minutes before serving.</p>
<p>(The little bread 'handles' you see here are just extra bits of dough I added to prevent the unsupported sides from collapsing, but this turned out to be unnecessary.)</p>
<p>Serve with crispy bacon, or a green salad, or olives. This is a substantial and filling dish, best eaten with the fingers and a knife - tear off bits of the bread and dip them into the cheese, or use the knife to scoop and spread the luscious melted cheese filling.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cheesebread1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread1.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="cheesebread1.jpg, Apr 2012" /></p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Details</h3>
<p><img alt="cheesebread10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread10.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebread10.jpg, Apr 2012" />I used small Pave D'Affinois cheeses for this recipe, but it would work equally well with any small whole-rind soft cheese. It might even work with a whole Camembert baked into a larger crust, to be cut and divided between several people.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Herbs And Flavourings</h3>
<p><img alt="cheesebread11.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cheesebread11.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cheesebread11.jpg, Apr 2012" />The subtle flavours of garlic, herbs and cider vinegar make this dish quite special. I used chives, sage and rosemary. Sherry or white wine could be used in place of the vinegar.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Inspiration</h3>
<p>If you haven't already guessed, the idea for this recipe started out in two places - <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2009/07/16/Box-Baked-Soft-Cheese">box-baked French cheese fondue</a> (which is a popular recipe I didn't invent), plus my own recipe for <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/04/06/Edible-Bread-Bowls">edible bread bowls</a>.</p>Fire Roasted Peppersurn:md5:8a8fd165cbd7da996997d513b00e799b2012-03-09T08:24:00+00:002015-02-08T08:25:48+00:00MikeBreadFoodRecipesVideo<p><img alt="fireroastpepperthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/fireroastpepperthumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="fireroastpepperthumb.jpg, Mar 2012" />Here's a video tutorial on an effective way to fire-roast a red pepper, using a plumber's blowtorch!</p> <div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DiZ82dSiv0E" width="510"></iframe></div>
<h3>The Bread</h3>
<p>I mentioned in the video above that I was planning to use the roasted red pepper in a savoury bread recipe - here's how that turned out:</p>
<div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G6_4tX-BPXc" width="510"></iframe></div>Gleaningurn:md5:0ec0cd5058d1f641281723cf08cd37d32011-08-27T22:26:00+00:002015-02-07T22:59:03+00:00MikeAutumnBreadExperiments<p><img alt="gleaningthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaningthumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaningthumb.jpg, Aug 2011" />My attempt to home-grow cereal crops on a small scale (Project Wholegrain) is not going altogether as well as I had hoped, so I've supplemented my meagre harvest by going out gleaning.</p> <h3 class="clearleft">Gleaning</h3>
<p>Gleaning is the practice of picking crop remnants - usually grains - from harvested fields, that is, picking up the bits that the reaper, or nowadays, combine harvester missed.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="gleaning1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning1.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="gleaning1.jpg, Aug 2011" /></p>
<p>These could be just parts of the crop that had been flattened down too close to the ground for the harvester to collect, or they may just be missed patches or edges. In some cases, they could be feral populations of crop plants growing in a field margin or hedgerow, having self-sown there in previous seasons.</p>
<div class="wikinote notewarning">
<p class="note-title"><strong>Gleaning - Legality And Etiquette</strong></p>
<p>Is it legal to glean the remnants of grain like this? - honestly, I don't know. In times gone by, it was accepted practice, indeed, it was convention that farmers would harvest once-over only, not revisiting any area - so as to leave some remnants for the poor to glean (and I expect sometimes accidentally-on-purpose leaving some missed as an act of charity).</p>
<p>But that was then, and this is now. A few things you definitely shouldn't do though, most of which are common sense - don't take anything from a cropping field that hasn't been harvested and don't make a nuisance of yourself by straying off the path or trampling far and wide across private fields.</p>
<p>I very much doubt anyone will object to you gleaning if it's just from the easily-reachable margins of a field where the main crop has been gathered in.</p>
</div>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="gleaning2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaning2.jpg, Aug 2011" />I found lots of ripe wheat that had been missed at the edge of a field.</p>
<p>A little further along, I found a bit of barley and yet further, there had been oats, but the grains there had all fallen from the ears.</p>
<p>Picking wheat by hand is a prickly business, as the ears are quite coarse and spiky. If I'd planned this better, I might have worn gloves.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="gleaning3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaning3.jpg, Aug 2011" />I picked about a pound of wheat ears and about half that much barley.</p>
<p>This means I can revise my plans for my grain-growing project. I'll try making bread from this wheat, then this barley, along with my own barley and also my wheat can all be malted to try to make beer.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Threshing</h3>
<p><img alt="gleaning4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaning4.jpg, Aug 2011" />The ears of wheat consist of the useful grain enclosed in tough, inedible strawy husks.</p>
<p>These must be separated and the first part of this process is called threshing - not too hard with this clearly modern wheat cultivar - some of the grains just fell out on their own as the bag was knocked about a bit on the way home.</p>
<p>I continued this by tipping the whole lot into a tough plastic sack and crushing/rolling it underfoot.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Winnowing</h3>
<p><img alt="gleaning5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaning5.jpg, Aug 2011" />The loose mixture of grain and husks after threshing still needs to be separated.</p>
<p>Repeatedly dropping handfuls of the mixture from a small height over a large basket allows the breeze to carry away the papery husks (also known as chaff), whereas the heavier grains fall straight down.</p>
<p>This is called winnowing. In larger bulk, it could be performed by flipping the whole basket so as to toss the grain all up in the air at once.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="gleaning6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaning6.jpg, Aug 2011" />The mostly-cleaned wheat grain looks great - fat, orange-buff kernels that are clean and hard.</p>
<p>In small quantities, they can be crunched and eaten raw, but this is quite punishing on the teeth, so I don't recommend it.</p>
<p>They can also be boiled and eaten as an alternative to rice. I've tried this and in all honesty, I don't know why it's not more popular. Wheat is a tasty cooked grain - a bit more chewy than rice, but that can also be nice.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Milling</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="gleaning7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaning7.jpg, Aug 2011" />But I want to try making bread, so I need to grind the grain into flour.</p>
<p>I did this a bit at a time, using a granite pestle and mortar. Really hard work - not a problem for this small experiment, but I wouldn't want to do it this way regularly.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="gleaning8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaning8.jpg, Aug 2011" />After much pounding and grinding, I ended up with 250g of meal comprising a mix of slightly granular white flour, bran in a variety of sizes and a proportion of cracked and kibbled grain fragments.</p>
<p>With a little more time and a lot more effort, I could have continued sifting and regrinding the larger pieces, but my arm was hurting from the work so I decided to just let things be a bit rustic.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="gleaning9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning9.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaning9.jpg, Aug 2011" />I made a simple bread dough - just the whole wheat meal, a little oil, a pinch of salt, yeast and warm water.</p>
<p>It was a bit weird to work with, because the coarse nature meant it took up water more slowly than ordinary flour - so it started out quite loose and wet.</p>
<p>I left it overnight to prove, then tipped it gently onto a tray and baked it.</p>
<p>The result was a flattish, dense loaf with an amazing smell. The texture is quite dense and a little doughy, but I expected this. The flavour is highly complex and interesting - deeply wheaty and malty-tasting. Great, but even better with just a little dab of salted butter.</p>
<p>The loaf has a coarse nutty graininess to it, so it takes a bit more chewing than sliced white, but it's a very satisfying bit of bread.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="gleaning10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning10.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="gleaning10.jpg, Aug 2011" /></p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Barley</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="gleaning12.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/g/gleaning12.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="gleaning12.jpg, Sep 2011" />Threshing the barley was easy, because the task just consists of breaking the grains off the ear and separating them from their whiskers. This can be done by rubbing vigorously between the palms - a bit of an uncomfortable, bristly job, but OK for a small amount like this.</p>
<p>The kernels have a husk that clings very tightly and won't rub off - this is normal, and not a problem, because I'll be malting the barley to make beer.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Update (Much Later)</h3>
<p>Although I started malting the barley by soaking it overnight, then spreading out on a tray to sprout, it just went mouldy and the experiment was a failure (as indeed was much of <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2011/08/13/Project-Wholegrain-Garden-Scale-Cereal-Crops">Project Wholegrain</a> - the parent project of this article)</p>Harvest Celebration Loafurn:md5:fa9368df94346b30ab4fb04984778b3f2009-10-20T22:42:00+00:002015-01-19T01:17:20+00:00MikeAutumnBreadFoodRecipes<p><img alt="harvestloafthumb.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloafthumb.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloafthumb.JPG, Oct 2009" />We were commissioned to make a traditional harvest celebration loaf for the harvest display at a local primary school - here's how we made it</p> <p class="clearleft">In order to make this loaf, you need two batches of <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/03/14/Bread">basic bread dough</a>, one egg and a little water</p>
<p>I didn't have a bowl big enough to mix a double amount of dough, so I made two separate mixes, then kneaded them together to ensure uniformity</p>
<p><img alt="harvestloaf1.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf1.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf1.JPG, Oct 2009" />Make the double batch of dough as per the instructions on the above-linked page</p>
<p>Once it has been kneaded and has risen the first time, divide it and set one half aside</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf2.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf2.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf2.JPG, Oct 2009" />Roll out one half of the dough into a large oval shape, as big as will fit on a cookie sheet</p>
<p>Shake some flour on the rolled dough (to prevent it sticking together), then fold it in half lengthways</p>
<p>Cut it so as to make a sort of mushroom shape</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf3.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf3.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf3.JPG, Oct 2009" />Spread this piece out flat on a lightly-oiled cookie sheet</p>
<p>Prick it all over with a fork, then brush it with water - this will help the rest of the pieces to stick in place</p>
<p>NB: this is a full-sized cookie sheet - 12 inches square - it looks smaller in this picture only because my hand is close to the camera lens</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf4.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf4.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf4.JPG, Oct 2009" />Retrieve the other half of the dough, cut off a piece about half the size of a fist, then divide the rest in half</p>
<p>Set aside one half (and the small piece)</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf5.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf5.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf5.JPG, Oct 2009" />Roll out the piece of dough to about four inches wide and 12 inches long</p>
<p>Cut into thin strips with a long straight-bladed knife - aim for strips about the thickness of a drinking straw</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf6.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf6.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf6.JPG, Oct 2009" />Roll each of the strips between your palms to make them round</p>
<p>Arrange them on the bottom part of the base section - they should all be fairly even at the bottom end, but the exact placement of the top ends is not critical - aim for a generally fan-shaped arrangement</p>
<p>Brush lightly with more water as you go, to help them stick, but be careful not to squash the stalks out of shape</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf7.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf7.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf7.JPG, Oct 2009" />Retrieve the other large piece of dough and cut it in half again, then roll out one half to about a finger's thickness</p>
<p>Cut into a diamond grid - forming pieces about an inch long from tip to tip</p>
<p>You'll need to repeat this for the other half - ending up with about a hundred little diamonds of dough</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf8.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf8.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf8.JPG, Oct 2009" />Using the tip of a pair of good scissors, snip a series of short cuts right along both sides of each diamond of dough</p>
<p>Make the cuts diagonal so as to make it look like an ear of wheat</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf9.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf9.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf9.JPG, Oct 2009" />Arrange a row of wheat ears all the way around the top edge of the base - let them hang over the edge a bit</p>
<p>Continue the row back across the tops of the stalks - so it looks like ears of corn drooping over forwards</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf10.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf10.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf10.JPG, Oct 2009" />Roll out the last small piece of dough into long strip, then cut it into six thin ribbons</p>
<p>Roll each strip between your hands to make it thin and round</p>
<p>Pinch the ends of three strips together, then plait them - repeat for the other three</p>
<p>Now is about the right time to preheat the oven - 180 C</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf11.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf11.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf11.JPG, Oct 2009" />Tuck the ends of the plaits under each edge of the base - then bring them around the front of the stalks</p>
<p>It's not necessary to knot the ends - just loop one over and around the other</p>
<p>Continue adding wheat ears in concentric rows, toward the middle - when you get to the centre, you might need to cut a couple in half to fill in the last couple of gaps</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf12.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf12.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="harvestloaf12.JPG, Oct 2009" />One final traditional touch is the addition of a small harvest mouse, fashioned out of a trimming of dough saved from one of the earlier steps</p>
<p>Then brush the loaf gently with beaten egg and place in the oven - initially for 15 minutes</p>
<p>After the first 15 minutes of baking, remove the loaf from the oven and brush with egg again - the crust should have set by now, so you can brush into every little crevice without fear of squashing any details</p>
<p>Place the loaf back in the oven (the other way around, to help it bake evenly) for another 15 minutes, or until golden brown and glossy all over</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="harvestloaf13.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf13.JPG" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="harvestloaf13.JPG, Oct 2009" /></p>
<p><img alt="harvestloaf14.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/harvestloaf14.JPG" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="harvestloaf14.JPG, Oct 2009" /></p>Pear Brioche Tart With Anise Syrupurn:md5:8f9e9f34451e2505dd651367957feac82009-07-18T21:17:00+00:002015-02-22T21:32:13+00:00MikeBreadRecipes<p>Here's a simple recipe for an outstandingly moist and delicious brioche tart - drenched with spiced syrup.</p> <h2 class="clearleft">The Recipe</h2>
<h3>Ingredients:</h3>
<p><b>For The Tart</b></p>
<ul>
<li>150g Plain flour</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon caster sugar</li>
<li>Half a sachet (about 3g) of dried fast action bread yeast</li>
<li>Half teaspoon salt (omit if the butter is salted)</li>
<li>75g Butter</li>
<li>3 Eggs</li>
<li>A few drops of vanilla extract</li>
<li>Two or three ripe pears</li>
</ul>
<p><b>For The Syrup</b></p>
<ul>
<li>150g Caster sugar</li>
<li>150ml water</li>
<li>1 Star anise</li>
<li>A pinch of cinnamon or ground mixed spices</li>
<li>1 tablespoon dark rum or brandy</li>
</ul>
<h3>Method:</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche1.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche1.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche1.JPG, Jul 2009" />Place the flour, sugar (just 1 tablespoonful), yeast and salt into a large bowl (if you can, sift the flour into the bowl, as it will make the end result lighter). Mix these dry ingredients together.</p>
<p>Gently melt the butter in a cup in the microwave, or in a small pan. Add the melted butter, eggs and vanilla to the dry ingredients.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche2.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche2.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche2.JPG, Jul 2009" />Beat the ingredients together with an electric whisk or a wooden spoon, keep mixing until a smooth, uniform soft batter is produced.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche3.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche3.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche3.JPG, Jul 2009" />Thoroughly grease the inside of an 8 inch (20cm) flan dish with butter, pour in the batter and spread out into an even layer.</p>
<p>Leave the dish in a warm place for about an hour, or until the mixture proves, rising to at least twice the original size.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche4.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche4.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche4.JPG, Jul 2009" />Meanwhile, bring the water to the boil, add the star anise, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for a few minutes.</p>
<p>Add the sugar and powdered spice into the hot water, stir until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat. (Leave the anise in, for now)</p>
<p>Don't add the alcohol to the syrup until later, when it has cooled</p>
<p>Preheat the oven to 180C.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche5.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche5.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche5.JPG, Jul 2009" />When the batter has risen, peel the pears and cut them lengthways into eighths, removing any pips or tough bits of core.</p>
<p>Arrange the pear pieces on top of the batter - just rest them gently on the top - they will sink in when it is cooking.</p>
<p>Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until cooked through in the middle (see below for how to test)</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche6.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche6.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche6.JPG, Jul 2009" />When the tart is cooked, allow it to cool for a minute or two, then add the rum or brandy to the syrup and stir it in and pour the syrup carefully over the tart.</p>
<p>You might need to add it a little at a time, waiting for it to soak in before adding more, Use all of the syrup.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche7.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche7.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche7.JPG, Jul 2009" />Serve while still warm, with ice cream or creme fraiche.</p>
<p>If left to cool completely, the tart can be re-warmed in a microwave for a minute or two, or covered with foil and warmed in a low oven for five minutes.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">About The Recipe</h3>
<p><img alt="pearbrioche9.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche9.JPG" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="pearbrioche9.JPG, Jul 2009" /></p>
<p>The sweet, delicate aroma of anise combines and perfectly enhances the pears in this recipe - the end result doesn't really taste conspicuously of aniseed, but instead, the pear flavour becomes quite intense.</p>
<p>Adding the sugar in the form of syrup, after cooking, guarantees that the end result will be moist and delicious.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Testing, Testing</h3>
<p>When you take the tart out of the oven, it's important to test that it's fully cooked - to do this, poke a clean toothpick or cocktail stick into the centre and pull it out - if it comes out clean, the tart is cooked.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche8.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche8.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche8.JPG, Jul 2009" />If it comes out with sticky, doughy mixture adhering, return the tart to the oven for a further 5 minutes or more (reducing the oven temperature if the top of the tart is already deep brown).</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Sugar Content</h3>
<p>This recipe might seem as though it contains a great deal of sugar, when in fact, it's about the same as any ordinary cake - the difference here is that the mixture is baked more like a bread, with the sugar being added later as syrup - but it's not really any more sugar this way.</p>
<h3>Variations</h3>
<p>The same recipe can be used to make miniature brioche buns - cut the pear using a melon baller...</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche9a.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche9a.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche9a.JPG, Aug 2009" />Put the batter in a greased nonstick bun tray - this one makes 4cm buns, which are just about right - place half a ball of pear in each one.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche10.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche10.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche10.JPG, Aug 2009" />They bake, rising so as to almost completely envelop the pear pieces.</p>
<p>When they are cooled, remove them from the tray and pack loosely into clean jars and immerse completely in syrup (you'll need to at least double the amount of syrup you make, if you're doing them this way)</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="pearbrioche11.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/p/pearbrioche11.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="pearbrioche11.JPG, Aug 2009" />They'll keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks - if you can leave them alone that long...</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>Yoghurt Bread - Another Bread Experimenturn:md5:db867f09d7c7e70987146960924f48f52009-02-17T22:31:00+00:002015-02-21T22:40:09+00:00MikeBreadExperimentsRecipes<p><img alt="yoghurtbreadthumb.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/y/yoghurtbreadthumb.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="yoghurtbreadthumb.JPG, Feb 2009" />Yet another bread-related experiment - I wanted to try baking a loaf of bread using plain natural yoghurt as the main liquid ingredient.</p> <p class="clearleft"><img alt="yoghurtbread1.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/y/yoghurtbread1.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="yoghurtbread1.JPG, Feb 2009" /></p>
<p>It's a really simple bread recipe - just dry bread yeast, 450g of plain flour, 50g of butter and 500g of natural yoghurt - no water at all.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="yoghurtbread2.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/y/yoghurtbread2.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="yoghurtbread2.JPG, Feb 2009" />I put these ingredients in a bowl (melting the butter first) and mixed them thoroughly into a dough using a knife, then kneaded a little with the dough hooks on my electric whisk.</p>
<p>It's quite a wet, sticky dough, so would be difficult to knead by hand, but this recipe doesn't call for extensive kneading anyway - it could just be mixed thoroughly with the knife.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="yoghurtbread3.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/y/yoghurtbread3.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="yoghurtbread3.JPG, Feb 2009" />After a couple of hours in a warm place, it had more than doubled in size. I turned it out onto an oiled tray, shaping it only lightly into a rough heap, then I baked it in the oven at 180C for half an hour (quite a long cooking time, but necessary with a dough this moist)</p>
<p>I put a metal tray of hot water on the floor of the oven to make steam - this helps to form a crisp, crunchy crust..</p>
<p>The result was a rustic-style loaf with a beautifully crunchy crust and an almost cheesy dairy aroma.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="yoghurtbread4.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/y/yoghurtbread4.JPG" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="yoghurtbread4.JPG, Feb 2009" /></p>
<h3 class="clearleft">The Taste Test</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="yoghurtbread5.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/y/yoghurtbread5.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="yoghurtbread5.JPG, Feb 2009" />I ate a slice with butter and blackcurrant jam - the bread has a light, crumbly almost cake-like texture and a rich, slightly tangy flavour.</p>
<p>The butter and yoghurt make this a really tasty loaf and it lends itself well to eating with jam or other sweet toppings.</p>
<p>I declare this experiment a genuine success!</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">About The Recipe</h3>
<p>I'd been wondering about whether this was possible for quite some time, so I just decided to try it.</p>
<p>My loaf came out quite crumbly, with a thick crunchy crust - which was just fine - but I reckon this idea could probably be developed into something that ends up more like Brioche.</p>Apple Juice Breadurn:md5:3accf9f230847e04eed396917bc9fac42008-10-15T23:01:00+00:002015-02-17T23:15:20+00:00MikeBreadExperimentsFoodRecipes<p><img alt="applejuicebreadthumb.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/a/applejuicebreadthumb.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="applejuicebreadthumb.JPG, Oct 2008" />Another bready experiment - I was curious about how a loaf of bread would turn out if fruit juice was substituted for all of the water in the recipe.</p> <p class="clearleft"><img alt="applejuicebread1.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/a/applejuicebread1.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="applejuicebread1.JPG, Oct 2008" />It's the simplest of bread recipes - just yeast (a live sourdough starter), a pound (450g) of flour and half a pint (280ml) of water - except it's not water - it's pure apple juice - frozen when freshly pressed (details <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/09/28/What-To-Do-With-Ten-Gallons-Of-Apple-Juice">here</a>) and thawed out for use in this recipe.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="applejuicebread2.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/a/applejuicebread2.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="applejuicebread2.JPG, Oct 2008" />I put these three ingredients in a big bowl and mixed them thoroughly into a dough using a knife - no kneading was necessary at this point</p>
<p>I set it aside and went out for the day - because the sourdough starter needs a good while to get working.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="applejuicebread3.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/a/applejuicebread3.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="applejuicebread3.JPG, Oct 2008" />Because I left it in a fairly cool place, it took more than 24 hours to get to the point where it would double in bulk within an hour of kneading/knocking back.</p>
<p>So it wasn't until the next day that I put it in a stoneware loaf tin and left it to rise until level with the top.</p>
<p>Then I baked it in the oven at 190C for twenty minutes, with a metal tray of hot water on the floor of the oven to make steam.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="applejuicebread4.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/a/applejuicebread4.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="applejuicebread4.JPG, Oct 2008" />The result was a quite decent-looking loaf.</p>
<p>The split along the top was the result of a slash I made in the raw dough immediately before baking - it's supposed to allow the loaf to expand more as the crust bakes, but I've still to perfect this technique - the splits never quite seem to open up properly for me.</p>
<p>Still, there's nothing wrong with this bread.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">The Taste Test</h3>
<p>I waited an hour for the bread to cool sufficiently to be cut, then I ate a couple of slices of it for my lunch, along with some fried slices of black pudding and some <a href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/10/15/st/content/hawthorn">Hawthorn Sauce</a></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="applejuicebread5.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/a/applejuicebread5.JPG" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="applejuicebread5.JPG, Oct 2008" /></p>
<h3>The Verdict</h3>
<p>It was a light, springy, very moist loaf with a good, even texture. The flavour is sweet and pleasant, but only very vaguely apple-y - which surprised me quite a lot.</p>
<h3>Black Pudding?</h3>
<p>Black Pudding is a spicy kind of sausage (this sometimes confuses non-British people, who are expecting 'pudding' to be some specific kind of dessert).</p>
<p>It's traditionally sliced, fried and served as part of a Full English Breakfast.</p>
<p>It's made from - wait for it - pigs blood, oats, barley, pork fat and spices - this puts a lot of people off trying it, or even <i>looking at it</i> - they don't know what they're missing - it's really good</p>
<p>The flavour is rich, meaty and spicy, the texture is similar, I suppose, to a pate.</p>
<p>It's made from something that came from inside an animal - what's so weird about that?</p>
<h3>About The Recipe</h3>
<p>This idea arose out of two current preoccupations of mine - <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/03/14/Bread">baking bread</a> and <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/09/28/What-To-Do-With-Ten-Gallons-Of-Apple-Juice">doing stuff with apples</a></p>
<p>I've already tried making bread using cider yeast (on the apple page linked just above) so I suppose this experiment is the flipside of that one.</p>
<p>I might try this one again, but add some raisins and other dried fruit - and bake it as small buns, or something...</p>Cider Yeast Breadurn:md5:4267262dece9a49e71969b77158c19f02008-10-10T22:57:00+00:002015-03-01T23:03:14+00:00MikeBreadExperimentsFood<p><img alt="cideryeastthumb.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cideryeastthumb.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cideryeastthumb.JPG, Oct 2008" />In the process of making cider, I had some yeast sediment to discard - this is wild yeast that occurs naturally on the skins of the apples - I couldn't help wondering if I might be able to use it to make bread.</p> <p class="clearleft"><img alt="cideryeast1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cideryeast1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cideryeast1.jpg, Oct 2008" />It all started with a half centimetre layer of buff-coloured sediment left over in the bottom of the bottle - the product of a two week fermentation of natural, pure fresh pressed apple juice - nothing added or removed.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">About Yeast</h3>
<p>Yeast is a single-celled micro-organism classified as a fungus - unlike green plants, it cannot manufacture its own food so it feeds on carbohydrates - sugars and starches.</p>
<p>When this process happens in an environment deprived of oxygen, the yeast cells are forced to respire anaerobically - and one of the waste products of this is alcohol.</p>
<p>There are different strains of yeast in cultivation, each having been selected for a different purpose - so bread yeast is not usually the same variety as wine, beer or cider yeast.</p>
<p>That doesn't mean they <i>can't</i> be used interchangeably, of course - and doing so can sometimes yield interesting results - which is exactly what I'm hoping will happen here.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cideryeast2.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cideryeast2.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cideryeast2.JPG, Oct 2008" />I mixed it with a couple of tablespoons of plain white flour and enough water to make a softish batter. I covered it with plastic film and left it to ferment for a while.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cideryeast3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cideryeast3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cideryeast3.jpg, Oct 2008" />The next morning, the starter seemed to be bubbling away nicely, so I mixed it into a simple bread dough - a pound of flour, half a pint of water, a little salt.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cideryeast4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cideryeast4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="cideryeast4.jpg, Oct 2008" />It took all day to rise to double its original volume, by which time the dough was very relaxed and soft.</p>
<p>I tipped it onto an oiled tray and baked it</p>
<p>The result was a nice-looking and great-smelling loaf - a bit flat and heavy though - I think probably a full 24 hours resting would be required to properly develop the yeast to get a presentable loaf.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="cideryeast5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/cideryeast5.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="cideryeast5.jpg, Oct 2008" /></p>
<p>The taste was very good though - with a great aroma and sweet, but tangy flavour. The yeast flavour was quite noticeable - and not everybody likes that - but I do.</p>
<p>A partial success then - I've proven it's possible to use cider yeast sediment to make bread - I just haven't perfected it.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>Bacon And Cheese Feast Breadurn:md5:fe23552abbfaee47918caa77674ce2322008-05-25T21:35:00+00:002015-02-15T21:37:38+00:00MikeBreadFoodRecipesVideo<p><img alt="feastbreadthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/feastbreadthumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="feastbreadthumb.jpg, Feb 2015" />Here's how you can transform ordinary bread dough (recipe link for that below) into a fantastic feast bread loaf - designed to share with friends - just tear off a chunk and eat!</p> <div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ipu7xv0oj4A" width="510"></iframe></div>
<h1>The Recipe</h1>
<h3>Ingredients:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Basic bread dough (see <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/03/14/Bread">here</a> for the recipe)</li>
<li>Bacon - a few rashers</li>
<li>Cheese - as much as you like</li>
<li>One small onion</li>
<li>Fresh herbs - A sprig or two of Rosemary and Sage and a few Chives</li>
<li>Olive oil - about a tablespoonful</li>
</ul>
<h3>Method:</h3>
<p>Cut the bacon into pieces about the size of a postage stamp - lightly fry it so that it's cooked, but not crispy</p>
<p>Cut the onion into rough chunks and gently fry - just until it turns translucent</p>
<p>Cut up the cheese into small cubes</p>
<p>Chop the herbs into a bowl, add the bacon, onion and cheese - add about a tablespoonful of olive oil, then mix it all together. Cover with film and set aside</p>
<p>Make the Basic bread dough (see here for the recipe)</p>
<p>Preheat your oven to 180C (350F , Gas Mark 4)</p>
<p>After initial kneading and proving (leaving to rise), tear off small pieces of the dough and drop them randomly on a lightly-oiled baking tray. When you've used about two thirds of the dough, scatter some of the cheese/bacon/onion filling over the top</p>
<p>Add the rest of the dough - again, torn into pieces, then the rest of the filling</p>
<p>Bake in the oven for 20 minutes</p>
<p>Allow to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving</p>
<p>Eat it with your fingers - just tear of a chunk and share it around</p>Capturing And Taming Wild Yeasturn:md5:262246fd26be4593a91f3e2518793a282008-05-14T15:52:00+00:002015-01-31T16:08:35+00:00MikeBreadExperimentsFood<p><img alt="wildyeast6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/.wildyeast6_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast6.jpg, Jan 2015" />I decided to have a go at capturing and taming some wild yeast for breadmaking.</p> <p class="clearleft">I started with a clean glass jar and three tablespoons of flour - two white and one wholemeal (the wholemeal is from the working medieval watermill at the <a href="http://www.wealddown.co.uk/" target="_blank">Weald & Downland Open Air Museum</a> - Hoping that this would have enjoyed just a little more exposure to interesting wild yeasts than the industrial plain white flour I have in the cupboard.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="wildyeast1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast1.jpg, Jan 2015" />I mixed the flour with about the same volume of boiled (cooled) water - stirred it up and covered with a piece of gauze.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="wildyeast2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast2.jpg, Jan 2015" />Now I have to wait until something happens - something bubbly... I'll update this article as things develop (or otherwise).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="wildyeast3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast3.jpg, Jan 2015" />Day 3</b> and it's starting to bubble...</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="wildyeast4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast4.jpg, Jan 2015" />Day 4:</b> more bubbling and a layer of clearish liquid on the top. Smells sort of tangy.</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Refreshing</h2>
<p>Time to refresh the mixture - I tipped off the clear liquid, reserved a spoonful of the mix and washed out the jar very thoroughly.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="wildyeast5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast5.jpg, Jan 2015" />Then I made a new mix - just plain flour and cooled boiled water this time, stirred the reserved bubbly mix in and covered it up again. More waiting now...</p>
<p><b>Day 5:</b> Quite bubbly now - and it smells a bit like beer - I'm taking that as a good sign. I refreshed the mixture again with a new batch of white flour, water and two spoonfuls of the existing mix</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="wildyeast6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast6.jpg, Jan 2015" />Day 6:</b> Wow! Very bubbly and active (see below). Smells pleasantly yeasty - looks like I can declare this part of the project a success!</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">OK... now what?</h2>
<p>I've never actually made bread with a live yeast culture before - so it looks like I've got a little research to do before proceeding...</p>
<h3>Onward!</h3>
<p>What I'm doing next is to make up a small ball of dough, using flour, water and my starter paste.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="wildyeast7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast7.jpg, Jan 2015" />The dough is going in a floured container overnight - in the morning, I'll probably transfer it to the fridge. Portions of the dough can then be used to start 'sponge' batters, or used directly to start dough (with a longer proving time). One portion of the dough will always be kept back and refreshed to keep the culture going.</p>
<p>Before we go on and try making some bread, let's just ponder...</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Why Bother?</h3>
<p>In these days of convenient freeze-dried instant packet yeast, why go to all this bother?</p>
<p>It's a good question - In fact, <i>Why bother making your own bread at all?</i> - why not just buy it?</p>
<p>It's certainly not about saving money - although it is generally a bit cheaper to bake your own.</p>
<p>There are quite a few reasons, really, including:</p>
<h3>It's just an interesting idea</h3>
<p>I mean, you're bothering to read this, aren't you? See? It's at least <i>slightly</i> interesting.</p>
<h3>It's a way of connecting with the past</h3>
<p>this is how it used to be done - well, <i>something</i> like this - and the bread I end up making this way will hopefully be something like the bread of yesteryear. So, like visiting a museum or reading a history book, this is a way of connecting with the past.</p>
<h3>It's a little bit like magic</h3>
<p>You start with just flour and water and end up with bread - <i>actual, real bread</i> - that's almost too amazing to believe.</p>
<h3>But it's also science</h3>
<p>it's an experiment. It might fail. it might succeed - anything could happen, but I will learn something.</p>
<h3>And you can't buy stuff like this anyway</h3>
<p>my captured yeast might not be a strain that is in common use by commercial bakers. This might be a good or bad thing - but it will certainly be <i>mine</i>.</p>
<h2>Making the bread</h2>
<p>Here we go then - it's been a week since I started the yeast capture, and now I'm ready to put it to work. I mixed up an ordinary batch of dough - one pound of white flour, a little over half a pint of water (cold in this case, as I don't want it to get going too fast). I had to check and stop myself just adding a packet of yeast without thinking.</p>
<p>Into this dough, I added about three quarters of my starter dough - broken up into little chunks.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="wildyeast8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast8.jpg, Jan 2015" />I kneaded that all together for ten minutes and returned it to the bowl - it will be left in a cool room to prove overnight (that will actually only be about five or six hours).</p>
<h3 class="clearleft"><img alt="wildyeast9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast9.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast9.jpg, Jan 2015" />In the morning</h3>
<p>I got up just after seven to find it looking like this.</p>
<p>- which is just fine. Unlike fast-proven bread doughs made with active dried yeast, this one didn't deflate at the slightest touch, in fact it took some effort to 'knock back' (meaning the second kneading - done to make the gas bubbles in the dough more uniform, resulting in a better texture in the finished loaf)</p>
<p>After knocking back, I formed it into an oblong shape, put it on a tray and left it in the airing cupboard (where the hot water tank resides) - half an hour later, it had doubled in volume - I slashed some diagonal cuts in the top and put it in the oven to bake. I didn't use any egg or milk wash - just put it in plain.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><img alt="wildyeast10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast10.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast10.jpg, Jan 2015" />After about twenty five minutes, it came out looking like this.</span></p>
<p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><img alt="wildyeast11.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast11.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast11.jpg, Jan 2015" />I was pretty pleased with that - it had 'sprung' quite a bit in the oven and had doubled the height. The slashes in the crust obviously weren't deep enough - they should have opened up more - but I'm not crying over that.</span></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="wildyeast12.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast12.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast12.jpg, Jan 2015" />The aroma was just fantastic! - and distinctly different from what I normally experience when I make bread - it's a sort of intensely fresh bakery smell - the 'sour' in 'sourdough', I suppose, although not in any kind of an unpleasant sense of that word.</p>
<p>So lunch consisted of slices of buttered wild yeast loaf, garlic and chive goat cheese, ham, salad and a couple of the pickled walnuts I made last year (which, incidentally, are also very good).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="wildyeast13.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast13.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast13.jpg, Jan 2015" />The bread is very crisp and crunchy in the crust; substantial, but even and springy in the crumb. The flavour isn't as striking, unusual or distinctive as I was expecting - there are certainly subtle complexities to it - and that's enjoyable - but the experience is really just that of eating very nice bread.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="wildyeast14.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/wildyeast14.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="wildyeast14.jpg, Jan 2015" />So all in all, it's been a completesuccess, and a hugely rewarding experience. I've still got some of the dough culture set aside for something in a few days time.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">The Wild Yeast Culture</h3>
<p>It's possible to keep these things going indefinitely - you just keep using most of the starter culture, keeping back a portion to start the next batch</p>
<p>I baked some more loaves - using the third generation of mother dough (since the first baking, that is); I used the second one to make a pizza base one night.</p>
<p>But subsequent generations of bread are better than before - the culture has definitely become more lively and flavourful - I think I made up the dough just a little on the moist side, so it was quite saggy at the time it went in the oven, but it sprang up very well and produced two decent loaves.</p>
<p.>So I was sitting here eating hot buttered bread at midnight - and it was wonderful - this batch had more acidity and character than the first - and I think it's starting to develop the true sourdough characteristics.
<p>Oddly, because sourdough isn't widely available here, I have no real way of knowing if mine is like it's meant to be - but it's good - I would describe it as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Sour, like vinegar, but not nearly so brash and harsh (in fact it's subtle in all of these described characteristics)</li>
<li>Tangy, like yoghurt <lialmost cheesy="" li="">full-bodied - like beer - no - like a brewery </lialmost></li>
</ul>
<p>None of that sounds particularly enticing, I know, but those are all inadequate, fumbling exaggerations - mere description cannot convey what this bread is like.</p>
</p.>Hot Cross Bunsurn:md5:0b432572d86065b8f83e9b3c027abefc2008-05-08T18:40:00+00:002015-01-24T19:03:59+00:00MikeBreadEasterFoodRecipesVideo<p><img alt="hotxbunsthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/.hotxbunsthumb_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="hotxbunsthumb.jpg, Jan 2015" />Here's a recipe (and video demonstration) for making delicious Hot Cross Buns.</p> <div class="clearleft imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZOX4AHDDcUA" width="510"></iframe></div>
<h1>The Recipe</h1>
<h3>Ingredients:</h3>
<p><b>For the buns:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>450g plain flour (approx 4 cups or 1 lb)</li>
<li>50g soft brown sugar (approx one quarter cup or 2 oz)</li>
<li>1 sachet fast action bread yeast</li>
<li>1 heaped teaspoon ground mixed spice</li>
<li>50g butter (that's a cube about 1.5 inches across)</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>130g sultanas or raisins (approx 1 cup or 4.5 oz)</li>
<li>50g candied mixed citrus peel (approx quarter of a cup or 2 oz)<br />
(you can just use more raisins if you don't like mixed peel, but why not try it?)</li>
<li>150ml cold milk (approx two thirds of a cup)</li>
<li>100ml hot water (approx half a cup)</li>
</ul>
<p><b>For the crosses:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Plain flour</li>
<li>Cold water</li>
</ul>
<p><b>For the glaze:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>The juice of 1 lemon</li>
<li>5 teaspoons soft brown sugar</li>
</ul>
<h3>Method:</h3>
<p>Mix the flour, sugar and yeast together in a bowl. melt the butter (15 seconds or so in the microwave. Add the melted butter and the egg to the dry ingredients, then mix well using a table knife.</p>
<p>Add the fruit, mix again, then add the milk and water.</p>
<p>Mix thoroughly with the knife until dough is formed (if it seems too sticky, add some more flour until it is workable).</p>
<p>Turn the dough out onto a clean floured surface and knead it for a few minutes - dusting with flour if it starts to stick.</p>
<p>Return the dough to the bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm until it doubles in size.</p>
<p>Lightly grease a baking tray. Cut the dough into twelve pieces, shape them with your hands to round, flat shapes - place them on the tray with a small gap between them.</p>
<p>Spread a small amount of oil over a piece of plastic wrap (clingfilm) and drape it over the buns to stop them drying out.</p>
<p>Preheat the oven to 200C (400F, Gas Mark 6)</p>
<p>For the crosses, mix some flour and water together - the amounts aren't critical, but you're aiming for a smooth soft paste - pour this into a plastic sandwich bag.</p>
<p>When the buns have risen a little, remove the plastic wrap, cut a small corner off the plastic bag and squeeze the flour/water paste in lines across all of the buns at once - forming crosses on each one.</p>
<p>Place in the oven for 20 minutes</p>
<p>While they're baking, squeeze the juice from one lemon and mix it with five teaspoons of soft brown sugar - stir this until the sugar dissolves and brush this mixture across the tops of the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.</p>
<p>Hot Cross Buns are a kind of sweet, fruity, spicy bread roll - traditionally eaten at Easter time.</p>
<p>They exist in many forms in different parts of the world - the recipe above is for Hot Cross Buns such as you might expect to find in England.</p>
<h2>Try this</h2>
<p>This is my favourite way to enjoy Hot Cross Buns:</p>
<h3 class="clearleft"><img alt="hotxbuns2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/hotxbuns2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="hotxbuns2.jpg, Jan 2015" />Split</h3>
<h3 class="clearleft"><img alt="hotxbuns3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/hotxbuns3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="hotxbuns3.jpg, Jan 2015" />Toast</h3>
<h3 class="clearleft"><img alt="hotxbuns4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/hotxbuns4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="hotxbuns4.jpg, Jan 2015" />Butter</h3>
<h3 class="clearleft"><img alt="hotxbuns5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/hotxbuns5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="hotxbuns5.jpg, Jan 2015" />Jam</h3>
<h3 class="clearleft"><img alt="hotxbuns6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/hotxbuns6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="hotxbuns6.jpg, Jan 2015" />Cheese</h3>
<h3 class="clearleft"><img alt="hotxbuns7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/h/hotxbuns7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="hotxbuns7.jpg, Jan 2015" />Eat!</h3>
<p class="clearleft">No, seriously!</p>
<p>- Cool Cheddar cheese, jam, and the spicy, toasted soft bread - it's a fantastic combination - hot / cold / sweet / tangy / creamy / crunchy in every bite, give it a go!</p>Stuffed Crust Pizzaurn:md5:043d65c45208ce1d05941392559877382008-04-07T20:36:00+00:002015-02-09T20:38:56+00:00MikeBreadFoodRecipesVideo<p><img alt="stuffed.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/.stuffed_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="stuffed.JPG, Feb 2015" />Here's how you can transform basic bread dough (link below) into a stuffed crust pizza</p> <div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zm6DZor6WEk" width="510"></iframe></div>
<h1>The Recipe</h1>
<h3>Ingredients:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Basic bread dough (see <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/03/14/Bread">here</a> for the recipe)</li>
<li>Your choice of pizza toppings</li>
</ul>
<h3>Method:</h3>
<p>After initial kneading and proving (leaving to rise), knead the bread dough again and roll it out into a large circle about 1cm thick.</p>
<p>Slice some cheese into sticks and place them near the edge of the pizza base - fold the outer edge over the cheese and press it down to seal the cheese inside. Instead of hard cheese, you could use cream cheese and garlic, rolled-up sandwich ham or anything else you like (I wonder what it would be like with hot dog sausages in there...)</p>
<p>Preheat your oven to 180C (approximately 350F or Gas Mark 4)</p>
<p>Transfer the pizza base onto a lightly-oiled baking tray and add whatever toppings you prefer.</p>
<p>Place the tray in the oven for 10 minutes (or until it's done to your liking), then remove and serve straight away - hot from the oven.</p>Edible Bread Bowlsurn:md5:fc96216b409f3009fc730381c85296272008-04-06T21:22:00+00:002015-02-15T21:28:46+00:00MikeBreadExperimentsFoodRecipesVideo<p><img alt="breadbowlthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/breadbowlthumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="breadbowlthumb.jpg, Feb 2015" />They're edible - they're bread-ible!</p>
<p>Completely Consumable Crockery! - <span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Tasty, Toasty Tableware.</span></p>
<p>You might have seen Yorkshire Puddings used in a similar way to this - and those are fantastic too, however, making the bowls out of bread in this way results in an edible bowl that is robust enough to contain the food without seeping through or falling apart.</p> <div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ybD-Nor2MS8" width="510"></iframe></div>
<h1>The Recipe</h1>
<h3>Ingredients:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Basic bread dough (see <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/03/14/Bread">here </a>for the recipe)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Method:</h3>
<p>After initial kneading and proving (leaving to rise), knead the bread dough again and divide it into four equal pieces.</p>
<p>Take four small ovenproof bowls, grease them (on the outside surface) and place them upside down on a baking tray.</p>
<p>Flatten each piece of dough into a disc just large enough to drape over the bowl - enough to just be touching the tray all the way around. Leave it in a warm place to rise a little.</p>
<p>Preheat your oven to 180C (approximately 350F or Gas Mark 4)</p>
<p>Place the tray in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool slightly. Carefully remove the bowls from inside the baked dough (you might need to loosen with a knife).</p>
<p>Place the bread bowls open side up on the tray and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely.</p>
<p>The finished bowls can be used to serve soup, stew, chili, casserole, curry, or anything else you like - and when the filling is eaten, the bowl can be too.</p>Breadurn:md5:25c76c7bd3fae999d94dc05787b849622008-03-14T22:32:00+00:002015-01-16T22:37:36+00:00MikeBreadFoodRecipesVideo<p><img alt="breadthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/breadthumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="breadthumb.jpg, Jan 2015" />This recipe is intended to be a simple, foolproof basic bread for beginners. Anyone can do it.</p> <div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hwwxNwVTnP4" width="510"></iframe></div>