I’ve been doing some work behind the scenes on the website (again), which has kept me away from the blog. It’s a lame excuse, I know, so to make up for it here is the result of some experiments over the last few days involving cheesecake. There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned baked cheesecake, a read more…
Although the kneading of dough is one of the most familiar and distinctive images people associate with making bread, it doesn’t have to be part of the process at all. So-called ‘no-knead’ recipes dispense entirely with this input of labour, whether human or mechanical. The Scottish nutritionist, author and campaigner Doris Grant invented her no-knead read more…
Still on the subject of brownies, some recent experiments have finally borne fruit. For no particular reason that I know of, it occurred to me that salted chocolate brownies might be a good idea. By now we’re all familiar with salted caramel, which seems to be enjoying a spike in popularity though it isn’t by read more…
Years ago when I lived in London I used to frequent a small newsagent-cum-delicatessen run by a Turkish family. From under a glass counter at the front of the shop they sold freshly-made pastries and, as it was directly opposite where I worked at the time, it was a convenient lunch stop. Among the regular read more…
Named after the town of Eccles, a few miles west of Manchester, Eccles cakes are thought to date back to the late 18th century when a gentleman by the name of James Birch began selling them to an enthusiastic public. Patties made from flaky pastry wrapped around a sticky filling of spiced currants, Eccles cakes read more…
In my last post I talked about Sekowa ‘Special Baking Ferment’ and how to prepare a starter with it. Once the starter is established it can be stored in the fridge until required, and doesn’t need to be revived as a refrigerated sourdough starter does. But how do you actually make bread with it? The read more…
As I mentioned a few posts ago, I’ve been experimenting with an alternative form of yeast, Sekowa ‘Spezial-Backferment’ or ‘Special Baking Ferment’. Made from ground wheat, maize and peas and dried honey, it is a sort of dried starter culture, but not quite a sourdough. The yeast in the baking ferment comes from the honey. read more…
Everyone recognises the French macaron, the almond-and-meringue based confection sandwiched together with buttercream that looks so chic in a rainbow of different colours on the counters of shops such as the famous Ladurée. Like so much associated with French cuisine, the macaron is delicate, refined – and very difficult to make properly. Macarons have a read more…
When I posted about my attempts to make the Welsh fruit bread bara brith last year, I mentioned so-called osmotolerant yeast: yeast specially developed to cope with dough with a high sugar content. At the time, this sort of yeast was only readily available through commercial wholesalers. Since then, Bakery Bits have started selling ‘Saf read more…
If you have a healthy rye starter, making a 100% rye loaf is easy. This is what is called ‘black bread’ throughout central and eastern Europe, although it isn’t actually black. There is no kneading involved – the point of kneading dough is to develop gluten, but the gluten in rye dough is too weak read more…
