#bread and breadstick

To celebrate Epiphany today, I baked this beautifully scrumptious Cranberry King's Crown, which is delectably soft and butter-y and literally glistening with jewels! A delicious way to feast, on this Twelfth Day of Christmas, when the Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and a gift to one's departing loved-ones after the Holidays. And, this may will only be the first of many more Kings’ Crowns and Cakes, a month-long celebration here in France! Happy Epiphany!

Ingredients (makes 1 brioche):

4 cups strong white flour

1/3 cup caster sugar

4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

4 large eggs

½ cup milk

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

3/4 cup Spirited Cranberry-Apricot Sauce

a fève*

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ tablespoon milk

the leftover syrup from Sugared Cranberries (about 3 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon pearl sugar

a few Sugared Cranberries 

The day before, combine strong white flour, caster sugar, yeast, salt and ground ginger (the yeast and salt shouldn’t touch at this stage) in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Turn on low speed until well-combined.

Turn on medium speed and add the eggs and milk, and mix 4 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough will be quite sticky at this stage. Gradually add butter, a few chunks at a time until fully incorporated. When all the butter is incorporated, increase speed to high and mix, 4 to 6 minutes, until dough is soft, shiny and slaps the sides of the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to form a ball. Pop the dough ball in a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with cling film. Let rise at room temperature for an hour.

Again, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Shape into a ball, and return dough to the lightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling film, and prove once more a couple of hours or until the dough has tripled in size. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. The dough will continue proving, which will give the brioche a light and airy texture.

In the morning, remove the bowl from the refrigerator, and allow the dough to come back to room temperature, for 1 hour.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Set aside. 

Remove cling film and turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Roll two of the portions into large rectangles onto a lightly floured surface.

Spread half of the Spirited Cranberry-Apricot Sauce onto the first dough rectangle, leaving at least an inch on the outward edge, and roll it tightly like you would a Swiss roll, seal the seam, and gently roll into a long “sausage”. Set aside. Repeat with the second dough rectangle, generously spreading remaining Spirited Cranberry-Apricot Sauce onto it, before rolling it, too. Hide the fève* in one of the “sausages”!

Place both of them vertically on the work surface, pinching the end of both of them firmly together. Twist, and shape into a crown. Place on prepared baking tray. Leave to prove for 30 minutes to one hour in a warm, draught-free room.

Whisk the egg and milk together.

Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Once the brioche has risen, brush thoroughly with egg wash. Bake at 190°C/375°F  for 35 minutes, until a nice golden brown colour.

Meanwhile, combine Sugared Cranberries Syrup with water in a small saucepan. Warm over a low flame until dissolved, well-blended and syrup-y. Set aside.

Remove Cranberry Kings’ Crown from the oven. Immediately and generously brush all over with Sugared Cranberries Syrup. Sprinkle liberally with pearl sugar and top with Sugared Cranberries.

Transfer to serving plate and let cool for a bit before serving and finding out who’ll be crowned Queen or King! It pairs nicely with chilled Cider or Champagne!

Deliciously piquant, these Chilli Flatbreads are also so easy to make for whenever you need bread in the next few minutes!

Ingredients (makes 2):

2/3 cup plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground chilli or Cayenne Pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup plain yoghurt

1/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large bowl, combine  flour, baking powder, salt, ground chilli and paprika. Give a good stir.

Dig a well in the middle of the ingredients, and spoon in the yoghurt. Gradually add water, stirring with a wooden spoon until a dough starts forming. Dust work surface with a little bit of flour. Turn dough out and knead lightly for a couple of minutes. Return dough to the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside, at room temperature, for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over high heat. Lightly grease with olive oil. Divide the dough into two portions. Roll them into balls and flatten them out slightly. Roll them out on a lightly floured surface. Add and cook flatbreads, one at a time, about 2 minutes on each side. 

Every year, I make Dinner Rolls for Thanksgiving, although we don’t eat much of them at dinner, but rather at breakfast over the next few days. So, one might say I’ve rolled with it this year, and baked these fluffy Cinnamon Dinner Rolls, which are equally delicious dipped in a parsnip soup or with butter and jam at brekkie! Happy Saturday!

Ingredients (makes 8 large rolls):

1 cup semi-skimmed milk, warmed

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3 ½ cups plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

sunflower oil

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl, stir milk and yeast together. Let sit 5 minutes, or until foamy.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, sugar and cinnamon. While on low speed, gradually add yeast mixture. then add eggs, one at a time until dough just comes together. Increase speed and gradually add butter, until completely incorporated. the dough must be smooth and shiny, and “slap” the edges of the food processor.

Tip dough out of the food processor, into a lightly oiled large glass bowl. Cover with cling film and prove, 1 hour and a half to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

Line two baking trays with baking paper. Set aside.

Punch down dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Knead, 5 good minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll into a smooth ball. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Cover with plastic wrap and prove a second time, about 25 to 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat  egg with milk. Brush rolls with egg wash and bake until brown, about 20 minutes at 190°C/375°F, rotating trays halfway through baking time so they bake evenly. 

As I often say, the food I cook and eat is inspired by many, many things. From travels I’ve made to trips I dream of, from childhood memories to recent discoveries. From books I’ve read to films or series I’ve watched. I may have been late to the lockdown-sourdough party; I only started my Starter during the third lockdown, in April of last year. But that meant that by the time My Life Is Murder finally came back from its long hiatus -the first series aired in the Summer of 2019; how far that seems, eh?- Alexa Crowe and I shared a hobby. I do not have German kitchen appliances, and I do not sell my loaves to the local café; but she and I knead, slap, shape, bake and generally love the soft dough that turns into a crusty, tasty loaf. Unlike Alexa, I do not use the all-important meditative phase of the kneading to solve murders and other crimes --although I might plot some, for literary reasons!-- but I’m happy to share a passion with a fierce, fearless and brilliant detective played by the wonderful Lucy Lawless. And I’m chuffed as that the second series is set in her (and Alexa’s) native Aotearoa-New Zealand, because I’m bound to see my favourite Kiwi actors, from Rawiri Jobe I missed on The Brokenwood Mysteries, to Sara Wiseman and Ryan O’Kane I loved on One Lane Bridge and most of the main cast of Go Girls, plus William Shatner and Bill Bailey, because why not? And this also allows me to improve on my recipe with ingredients I imagine Alexa is using, like Manuka Honey! So, bake a loaf of Alexa Crowe’s Sourdough and have a Happy Sunday!

Ingredients (makes 1 loaf):

1 tablepoon pure raw Manuka Honey

about 180 millitres/3/4 cup hot water

½ tablespoon vegtable oil like sunflower or grapeseed

450 grams/1 pound strong white flour

1 teaspoon salt

325 grams/11.5 ounces Sourdough Starter

about 60 millilitres/1/4 cup lukewarm water

Spoon Manuka Honey into a small bowl. Stir in hot water until completely dissolved. Allow mixture to become lukewarm.

Grease a large glass bowl with grapeseed oil; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine strong white flour and salt, and give a good stir. Add Sourdough Starter and Honey mixture, and stir, gradually adding more lukewarm water, as necessary, until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. You may not need to add all the water, but your dough should not be dry, it should just stick a bit to your fingers.

Tip dough out onto a claen surface, and knead, a good 10 to 15 minutes. Kneading will make it smooth and elastic and no longer sticky. Shape into a ball, and pop into prepared bowl. Cover with an oiled sheet of cling film, and allow to rise, in a warm enough, draught-free place, 3 hours.

Line a bowl or basket with a clean tea towel, and flour it generously (if it isn’t floured enough, the dough will stick to it!)

At this point, the dough should have doubled in size. Tip it out ont the kitchen counter and knead well to knock the air out, 5 minutes, slapping the dough onto the countertop. Shape the dough into a ball and place into lined basket or bowl, seam-side up. Cover loosely with a lightly oiled sheet of cling film, and prove a second time, overnight, in a draught-free room. This second prove should take about six to eight hours.

Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F, placing a dish filled with water on the bottom shelf of the oven, to create steam and a beautiful crust.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Once second prove is complete, gently lift off cling film. Then, carefully tip risen dough out of its basket and onto prepared baking tray, lifting off tea towel gently. Spritz gently with water, and slash with a sharp knife. Place baking tray in the middle of the hot oven, and bake at 220°C/430°F, for 30 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 200°C/395°F, and bake, for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and lift off the baking tray.

Let Alexa Crowe’s Sourdough cool completely (if you can), before eating slathered with butter, honey and jam, with tasty cheeses and good wines… like a chilled Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, with an episode or two of My Life Is Murder, of course!

During the first lockdown, I baked a lot of bread, but often things I knew like Baguettes or Soda Bread. This time around, I’m trying new things. Our parents have returned to Laos, and Dad has left heaps of Guiness cans behind, which neither Jules nor I drink, so I’m using it for stews and for this delicious Stout Loaf, which definitely is a favourite of ours!

Ingredients (makes a loaf):

3 cups strong white flour

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 level teaspoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup stout (like Guiness)

½ cup water

In a medium bowl, combine strong white flour, caster sugar, yeast and salt; making sure yeast and salt don’t touch at that stage.

Stir in stout gradually, stirring with a wooden spoon until a dough starts forming. Tip dough onto a very, very lightly floured surface, and knead for a good fifteen to twenty minutes, until dough is soft and elastic, and no longer sticky.

Pop dough into a lightly oiled  bowl, and cover with cling film. Prove, for about 40 to 45 minutes, in a warm, draft-free place, until doubled in size.

Tip dough on the counter-top, and knead again, about five minutes. Shape into a round loaf and place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with flour. Prove again, for an hour.

Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F, placing an empty cake pan at the bottom of the oven. 

Place baking tray in the middle of the hot oven.

Bake, at 220°C/430°F, for about 20 TO 25 minutes, until a lovely brown colour.

Sourdough bread is special. I love its taste, its texture, it makes tasty sandwiches and great toasts; we always buy a loaf at the bakery. But until then, I had resisted the urge to bake my own. I felt that a starter was too big a commitment; but what better time than now. I work from home, I have no social engagements or travel plans... And the commitment I give it will be turned into comfort for me (and Jules), because bread is comfort! So, I started a starter last month. My first attempt wasn’t completely satisfactory; the starter had not fermented enough and the bread was very flat, albeit very tasty. This Sourdough Loaf, my second attempt, is far better: a rustic-looking (I do not yet master the art of slashing) but absolutely delicious loaf. I’m very proud of it, and a third is on the way! For it makes one’s Sunday morning tartines, slathered with butter, a little bit more special when one has baked the bread! My Sourdough Loaf also makes a great companion to a selection of very good cheeses and an excellent bottle of wine -I suggest a robust and earthy Australian Shiraz- Happy Sunday!

Ingredients (makes 1 loaf):

1/2 tablespoon vegtable oil like sunflower or grapeseed

450 grams/1 pound strong white flour

1 teaspoon salt

300 grams/10.5 ounces Sourdough Starter

1 teaspoon pure clear honey

about 250 millitres/1 cup lukewarm water

Grease a large glass bowl with grapeseed oil; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine strong white flour and salt, and give a good stir. Add Sourdough Starter and honey, and stir, gradually adding lukewarm water, until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. You may not need to add all the water, but your dough should not be dry, it should stick a bit to your fingers.

Tip dough out onto a claen surface, and knead, a good 10 to 15 minutes. Kneading will make it smooth and elastic and no longer stick. Shape into a ball, and pop into prepared bowl. Cover with an oiled sheet of cling film, and allow to rise, in a warm enough, draught-free place, 3 hours.

Line a bowl or basket with a clean tea towel, and flour it generously (if it isn’t floured enough, the dough will stick to it!)

At this point, the dough should have doubled in size. Tip it out ont the kitchen counter and knead well to knock the air out, 5 minutes. Flour lightly, shape into a bowl and place into lined basket or bowl, seam-side up. Cover loosely with a lightly oiled sheet of cling film, and prove a second time. 

Depending on the temperature, the humidity, the strength of your Sourdough Starter, the second prove can take between 4 to 8 hours. You want the dough to have doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F, placing a dish filled with water on the bottom shelf of the oven, to create steam and a beautiful crust.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Once second prove is complete, gently lift off cling film. Then, carefully tip risen dough out of its basket and onto prepared baking tray, lifting off tea towel gently. Slash with a sharp knife. Place baking tray in the middle of the hot oven, and bake at 220°C/430°F, for 30 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 200°C/395°F, and bake, for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and lift off the baking tray. 

This fragrant and tasty Olive, Thyme and Parmesan Focaccia makes a delicious, fuss-free dinner for a Saturday night, an excellent alternative to pizza if you haven’t been to the shops, and have no toppings other than olives!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

½ tablespoon caster sugar

¾ cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water

1 ½ cup strong white flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tablespoon salt

¾ extra virgin cup olive oil, divided + more for kneading

8 green olives

6 black olives

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

In a small bowl, combine yeast and sugar, and cover with water. Set aside, for about 5 minutes, until foamy.

In a large bowl, combine strong white flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Give a stir. Dig a well in the middle, and stir in yeast mixture and ¼ cup olive oil with a wooden spoon until dough just comes together.

Tip dough out onto a lightly oiled surface, and knead thoroughly, for about 8 to 10 minutes, adding a drizzle of olive oil if necessary, until dough is smooth, soft, shiny, and no longer sticky.

Pop dough into a lightly oiled glass bowl, and cover with cling film. Prove, in a warm, draught-free place, until doubled in size, about an hour.

Pour remaining oil into a rectangle pan, and swirl to coat completely. Tip risen dough into the pan, and flatten into a rectangle with your fingers, leaving indentations. Cover with cling film, and prove a second time, in a warm, draught-free place, until risen to the edges of the pan, another hour.

Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F.

Once the dough has risen, gently remove cling film and carefully scatter green and black olives liberally on top, gnetly pressing them ever so slightly. Sprinkle  with dried thyme, and grate Parmesan generously all over. Drizzle with olive oil, and bake in the middle of the hot oven, at 220°C/425°F, for 30 minutes.

This beautifully fluffy Soft White Bread makes great breakfast toasts to slather with butter and Marmalade, is precfet for tea-time Finger Sandwiches, and is very easy to make when you don’t fancy walking to the bakery on a rainy day! Happy Saturday!

Ingredients (makes 3 medium baguettes):

1/2 cup  lukewarm water

1 level tablespoon active dry yeast

2 ½ cup strong white flour

1 teaspoon salt

40 grams/1.40 ounce cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

½ cup milk, at room temperature

1 egg

1 teaspoon milk

Pour water in a large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast, and stir well until well-blended. Set aside, a couple of minutes until yeast is dissolved.

In a medium bowl, combine strong white flour and salt; give a good stir. Rub butter into the flour mixture, between your fingers, until it resembles coarse meal.

Stir milk into the yeast mixture.

Add flour mixture to the yeast mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a dough starts forming. Tip dough onto a very lightly floured surface, and knead for a good ten minutes, until dough is soft and elastic.

Pop dough into one of the bowls, and cover with a tea towel or cling film. Prove, for about 40 to 45 minutes, in a warm, draft-free place. 

Butter a loaf tin and line with baking paper. Set aside.

Tip dough onto the counter-top, and knead again, about five minutes. Shape into a loaf, and place in prepared tin. Cover with a tea towel. Prove again, for an hour.

Preheat oven to 215°C/420°F. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Gently brush the top of the loaf with egg wash.

Place tin in the middle of the hot oven. Bake, at 215°C/420°F, for about 20 minutes, until a lovely golden brown colour.