In my kitchen ~ August 2015

This months IMK series has come around so quickly I'm sure I can hear Spring calling!!! Hurry up!!! My goodness, I'm sorry to go on about it, but I really don't think I've felt the cold as much as this Winter.  I even brought myself some thermal tops to help layer the cold away.  But, as always, my oven is my saviour and it's been put through it's paces again, with my beloved bread running front and centre....but there are a few other things just so you don't think I'm the size of a sour dough.
Grab a cuppa or a wine and relax while you take a peek....

In my kitchen these amazing soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies didn't disappoint and are stashed up the back of the freezer for those times when only a cookie will do with a cup of tea...they defrost perfectly in minutes.

In my kitchen is my nan's nutloaf tin that I've had a few goes at.  It's over 60 years old and I must say I was in a heaven of memory nostalgia eating the loaf...recipe to come :)

In my kitchen has been lots of pea and ham soup (this recipe is one of my first and is fun to see how much my photos have improved).  I add a big handful of steamed greens from the garden to help boost the vegetable intake and a smidge of chilli.

It wouldn't be in my kitchen if I didn't include some crochet...I made the pink and blue owl beanie for my little lady for our cold walk to school and the other for a friends little one.  Beanies are proving to be one of those things that are trickier to size than you think!!

In my kitchen almost everyday in July and August is this bounty freshly picked from the garden that I never tire from picking nor eating.

In my kitchen is my no knead grain bread that never fails.

In my kitchen has been lots of sourdough baking.  My 100% hydration starter is getting better week by week, gluttonous feed by gluttonous feed.  Bread baking is now well and truly entrenched into my soul - it's the funniest thing how passions are quietly unearthed isn't it.

I travelled to a friends kitchen a few hundred kilometres away and took my sourdough dough and camp oven with me so I could make her 2 loaves as I've been teasing her with too many photos...let me tell you I might start putting my dough that is proofing in the back seat of the car - it traveled beautifully and didn't disappoint on the morning I doled these magnificent specimens out.

In my kitchen is Mr. GW's huge once weekly bacon and eggs.  Our girls haven't missed a day laying even in this cold weather - they are the best and deserve the hot milk soaked crusts I give them most mornings.

and my size....I also was gifted this divine dinner set "Viola" - I'm very, very much in love with it.

look at that golden yolk.....such clever girls.

In my kitchen I made Celia's burger buns that were a big hit.  We had them with thick oven roasted Italian sausages, caramelised onions, lettuce and tomato.....get your laughing gear on it!

Thanks for stopping by....it's a little different format on Celia's blog (link at start of this post) and you can find all other contributors in the comments of her IMK post.  I love reading and getting all of your comments and if you drop me a line, I'll be sure to come and see what you have been up to in your wonderful kitchen.

Ciao, Jan x

In my kitchen July 2015

It's July...only 5 months til Christmas can you believe it!!  We are in the full swing of winter here and my oh my it has been brisk.  Perfect weather for the oven and I've been bitten hard by the sour dough bug this past month, so get ready for lots of bread!  I'm hooking up with 

Celia from Fig Jam and Lime cordial along with hundreds of other food obsessed bloggers from around the world.  If you love to see what's in other peoples kitchens, pop over to Celia's blog and get stalking!
I'll have to apologise for the exposure of some of the picutres - firstly I had to resell my new camera as it just didn't do what I hoped (rookie error!!) so it's back to my phone and secondly it's so dim in my kitchen and it gets dark so early :( but anyway,

 grab a cuppa or a wine and settle in cause here we go.....

I'll admit, I've been crocheting over blogging due to a few orders for my 
granny stripe blanket.  I'm halfway through this one now and am loving it just as much as the first one.  

In my kitchen has been a steady stream of Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips.  

In my kithchen, I've been crushing on this coconut yoghurt - delicious!

In my kitchen has been lots of cos and mint - I had it this day with fried rice, a dry fried egg and wrapped it up in the cos - yummy healthy lunch.  I've been trying to increase my leafy greens and fresh vegetable intake.

In my kitchen has been lots of soup for lunch too, especially this prawn chowder  - I blanch a mix  of freshly picked beetroot leaves, kolrabi leaves, kale and spinach to top this off as a vitamin power house.  I sometimes also add a poached egg to my soups to give it that extra protein hit and they add a natural creaminess to them if you keep the yolk runny.

In my kitchen has been lots of sourdough and changes to my sour dough.  This starter above is from a dear friends which must be around 15 years old now.  I did experiment with this starter some time ago which you can read about here but to be honest, I didn't quite gel with the length of time needed to get to the final product and I killed her.  This is a new one that I hope to keep going alot longer.  There seemed to be so many steps and seeing as I'm an instinctive baker rather than a chronic step follower ( such a rebel :) ) 

I searched for a way that would be more a kin to my favourite no knead bread. 

I did lots and lots and lots of reading online but finally found what I was looking for.

Enter my new 100% hydration starter that contains the original starter.  

Isn't she beautiful!  

I just naturally feel like it's more 'alive' and gets quite bubbly when left in the fridge.  Basically it's 100gm starter, 100gm water(weigh on scales) , 100g flour.  I feed her once a week, and/or the day before I want to bake a loaf or two.  I can do it all the night/afternoon before and bake it the next morning - perfect!

Here are some of the useful blogs I used to get to where I am now.  

How to maintain a 100% hydration starter

Celia's overnight sour dough - this is the recipe I now use - I do halve it sometimes to just make one loaf.

Johanna's take on Celia's overnight sour dough - Johanna has lots of helpful tips and things she has discovered on her sour dough and bread learning curve.  Thanks for all your work Johanna.

Celia's bread section on her blog - this has been a great find.  Celia is very passionate about her bread making and has taken the time to document lots of different types.  Thank you Celia for taking the time to explain this mystery in wonderful terms and taking the fear out of it and for feeding my passion!

I fed my new starter a few times over the course of 5 days.  I did want to make 2 loaves so I needed to double my starter.  To do this you need to start a few days before baking. I took off 150g of starter (discard the rest) and added the same amounts of water and flour(150g). I left it out on the bench for 4-5 hours in a warm spot, then that night I took off 300g starter (discard the rest...you could use it to make another starter to give to a friend or bake with it) and added the same amounts of water and flour (300gm of each).  I then popped her into the fridge.  

The following day after lunch I then started Celia's recipe:

300g starter (it should be bubbly)

570g water (I used filtered or from the kettle)

18g salt

1kg flour

Mix together and leave out for 30 minutes.  Knead for a minute or 2 and then pop on the bench til the morning.

 I used Wallaby bakers flour (I've also had great success with the Laucke crusty white bread pre-mix Mr. GW accidentally brought but it has the salt in it.  

I ideally wouldn't want to use this as my go to flour as it has 

other preservatives in it)  Don't forget to take off 100g starter to keep :)

Above is the bread that resulted - not bad but not great.  5 days later I started again...but with much better results

This is the dough after it has been out on the bench over night.

Very gently tip the dough onto a floured surface and cut in half.  Lightly dust with flour and lightly shape, if at all actually as you want to keep all that air in there.  Your oven should be on as high as it can go and put camp oven or casserole dish to heat up for at least 15 minutes.  Make sure you have a piece of greaseproof baking paper on the bottom of your vessel.

Taking care to take the camp oven out of the oven, gently place your dough in and snip the top with sharp kitchen scissors or a razor and whack the lid on.  After 30 minutes take the lid off and turn your oven down to 180c.

And this is what you should have 30 minutes later.

These loaves where fantastic.  I think the main difference between this lot and the first ones is that the starter has had more feeds and time to settle in.  I was also gentler and didn't knead/shape this batch.  I can't tell you how happy this makes me.  I really have a big passion for bread baking now and never get tired of the loaves coming out of the oven.  I never thought I'd get such pleasure from something I though would be so hard and I'd never be able to do.  Just goes to show you where having a go and not worrying about the failures can lead you.

So that's me for this month.  
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, your comments are greatly loved and appreciated.  I'm now off to see what's happening in everyone else's kitchen this month.

Ciao, Jan x

brother from another mother...rye sour dough

I must admit to gloating.  I've been gloating where ever I can about my attempts at sourdough bread making.  I'm riding high on the thrill of bread coming out of my oven.  I've gotten the bug and been bitten hard.  Months ago, when I started my bread making, I persevered and perfected the 5 minute no knead bread so when I was given the first chance of making sour dough I secretly thought I'd ditch it, it would be too hard, too onerous, but then came the rye sourdough starter and all that changed.  I'm still making the white sourdough and lovingly feeding her each week when she's starving, but this rye mother is less needy.  It is not as time consuming nor do you need to be checking your schedule and clearing it for days in advance, not that my dance card is that full, mind. 

 When I was given these starters it was with the words ringing in my ear "stick to the recipe, to the letter" well I'm afraid that's where I fall down, a bread rebel without a cause....serves me right for getting too cocky. I've killed my first rye mother and I'm devastated....but it was worth it, let me just say.  I've already put the call out for another.  For any of you who want to try her out, here is the recipe, step by step.

Compared to the original sourdough I was kindly given, this mum is sloppier and bubblier, probably more what you might expect from a starter.  I still don't like that you throw out a large portion, but if you live near me and want to start I'll happily hook you up.

To feed the rye starter

take your starter from the fridge and weigh out:

30g starter

60 tepid filtered water

45g rye flour

Mix into a batter, ditching the left over starter or making 2 of these feed starters to give to a friend.  If you are wanting to bake with it from here, leave it out on the bench until it has doubled in size, around 12-24 hours.  If you are just feeding and leaving for another day, keep her out for an hour and then pop back into the fridge.

Step 1  To make bread

weigh out

50g starter

75g tepid filtered water

75g rye flour

Mix into a paste in a bowl and cover with glad wrap and leave at room temperature for 8-12 hours or over night basically

Step 2  Bread dough

weigh out

200g starter (from what has been sitting out overnight)

350g tepid filtered water

350g plain flour

150g rye flour

10g salt

I actually mixed this up with my mixer with the dough hook attachment as it is very sticky and you are trying to avoid adding more flour, it came up a treat.

Stir the 200g of starter with a spatula to break it up and then add all the other ingredients and knead for 10 minutes.  I also made a double batch which worked equally as well.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl large enough to allow for it to rise to 1 1/2 times its original volume which will take approximately 2-2 1/2 hours at room temperature.

Ok, this is where I changed the rules and rebelled....

Step 3  Shaping the dough

The original instructions said to line a colander with a tea towel and dust heavily with rye flour.

Lightly dust your bench with flour and scrape your dough out and shape a rough ball, fold towards the centre.  Place round dough smooth side down into the colinder and cover with glad wrap and allow to prove for 1 1/2-2hrs.

1 hour prior to baking, heat oven to 200c and after 30 minutes add a baking tray to put ice into to create steam.  Uncover dough and gently palce onto a baking tray making cuts on top and throw ice into skillet and bread in to bake for 40-50 minutes.

My Step 3  

What I did instead was just let the dough prove for an extra 2 hours in the original bowl in step 2, no colander used.  After that 1 1/2 hours I turned the oven on to it's highest setting and sat my camp oven in it to heat for 30 minutes.  I then floured the bench, and made a ball, folding towards the centre and let it sit for 15 minutes and then added it to the campoven, with the lid put back on for 30 minutes, then oven turned down to 200c with the lid kept off for a further 30 minutes.  This method/time is the same for a single or a double batch.

Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes if you can stand it.

As I don't eat alot of bread, I love to have 3 or sometimes 4 different toppings on one large slice.  Here is, left to right, my homemade tomato chutney, a friends gorgeous apricot jam and some bartered local honeycomb....mmmmmm  

Ciao, Jan

panzanella bread salad with a twist and Week 9 of the Money Challenge

I don't know about you but our garden is brimming with the summer glut of basil and tomatoes.  Even if you aren't growing them, they should be a great price at your green grocers.

Panzanella bread salad is a favourite of mine as it is packed with flavour and is a perfect way to use up stale sour dough.  It dates back to the 16th century in Italy, where traditionally it is made by soaking the bread in water for a few minutes then wringing it out.  Not too long though, as you don't want a soggy mess.

I make mine a little different but the result is still delicious.

 My love affair with sour dough is continuing and I made this delicious salad using some of the stale slices that were lucky enough to survive.  

Take a garlic clove, cut in half, and rub the inside of a porcelain bowl that will be big enough to make salad for 2 hungry people.   Doing this gives a slight garlic flavour without having pieces of raw garlic in your salad.

Cut your stale sour dough into chunks and add to the bowl along with a good handful of fresh basil and mint.  You could easily use ciabatta or pana di casa also, as long as it's not just white sandwich loaf, or you will have slop on your hands. 

You need a very generous glug of your best extra virgin olive oil, some white wine vinegar or you can use balsamic, chopped up summer tomatoes, a good grinding of black pepper and sprinkling of sea salt.  

Give this all a good toss around and let stand for at least 30 minutes.  

I paired this panzanella with some crisp cos lettuce torn up, a few slices of left over roast chicken breast, an anchovy or 2 if you like and a good shaving of parmesan and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.  Mwah!  Leftovers never tasted so good!

If you have been playing along, you'll know what to do with week 9 of the money challenge.  I hope no-one has broken in to the stash!! Keep your fingers out!!

Ciao, Jan.

A kneady sour dough update and week 8 of the money challenge

I had a play around with the sour dough recipe on the weekend and had such exciting results, I just had to share.  So instead of baking in my oven I baked it in my camp oven like I do for my no knead bread but still following the 4 step process, with such amazing success,  I'm as happy as a mother with a new born....I may have even nursed it like a baby I was so chuffed!  Here are some pictures :D

Now I've shared my baby photos, just a reminder it's week 8 of the  52 week money challenge :D

I also had a wonderful experience of being interviewed by a fabulous, positive Southwest Victorian online mag ~ Bluestone Magazine with an article on me :D  They are 2 ladies showcasing our immensely diverse community of food producers, artists, local hero's and opinion pieces that are well researched and heart felt.    It was a very humbling and heart warming experience.  You can read the article here.  Watch this space for when I turn the tables and find out the whole Bluestone story in coming weeks.  I'd like to also take this time to thank all of my readers and supporters for turning up and reading my ramblings that have kept me sane.  Mwah!

Ciao, Jan.