I find I am mostly drawn to the sections about breakfast, brunch and baking. Funny that! It's where I found the recipe for Mor Monsen's cake, a cake with an unlikely sounding combination of flavours - almonds, lemons and currants. It was delicious.
Today I've made the Spelt and Fennel Seed Bread (recipe here). Whole and refined spelt flours mixed with buttermilk, treacle and butter and then sprinkled with fennel seeds before baking.
The dough seemed very wet and sticky to start with and was difficult to work with. Resisting the temptation to add more flour, I remembered that I have a dough scraper (well it's really a royal icing smoother, but what's the difference?) and went at the dough with that to start with. I didn't need more flour in the end.
The dough seemed very wet and sticky to start with and was difficult to work with. Resisting the temptation to add more flour, I remembered that I have a dough scraper (well it's really a royal icing smoother, but what's the difference?) and went at the dough with that to start with. I didn't need more flour in the end.
I left it to rise for a second time while I went to get the children from school - a trip that takes about an hour... 15 minutes for me to get there and 45 minutes for us all to get back home. By the time we got back the dough had risen a lot and looked like it was about to collapse...
Anyhow, I wasn't going to knock it back a second time, so I just carried on.
Look at it, fresh out of the oven... I could hardly wait to try it...
In the end I don't wait until it's completely cold. I love warm bread. This is a delicious loaf; soft and light with a slight tang from the buttermilk; a loaf that makes me wonder why I don't bake my own bread more often.
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To use up what was left of the buttermilk I made a small loaf of Spotted Dog.
Well, what else was I going to do with it?
Perfect with an afternoon cup of tea or for an after school snack.
Well, what else was I going to do with it?
Perfect with an afternoon cup of tea or for an after school snack.
And (oh, I can hardly wait), look what's being published this Summer. That's going straight to the top of my wish list.
Gosh that loaf of bread looks AMAZING! There is nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked bread and then of course to eat a slice (or2) whilst still hot...yum! This is seriously my comfort food if ever there had to be a choice. The book looks great, some new and different ideas to try, my recipe book collection is slowly enlarging and I had to do a little de-cluttering the other day. Maybe, just maybe I could find room for just one more :0)
ReplyDeleteHave a great Friday and weekend Victoria, oh and thank you for all your lovely encouraging comments xox
Warm fresh bread has to be most people's weaknesses doesn't it? I always think whenever I make bread why don't I do this more often.
ReplyDeleteI like nigella lawson's oat rolls in her kitchen book, they have guiness and honey in them and the combination of that and the wholemeal is just heavenly!
Happy weekend!
Yum ~ Yum ! I can almost smell it from here! Think I'll put the kettle on and just dream of it....
ReplyDeletethat book looks right up my street - must say your spelt bread looks magnificent, yum yum I am drooling!
ReplyDeleteLooks absolutely delish I need to get back into baking but would prefer someone like you to make bread for me :)
ReplyDeleteOh your bread does look delicious, I bet the smell in your kitchen was wonderful. :)
ReplyDeleteMmmm the bread looks lovely - I can smell it!
ReplyDeleteSitting here drooling. (not very becoming eh?) Good job I'm gluten-free, otherwise I'd have scoffed the lot. Those were the days...sigh. :) Your kitchen must have smelled heavenly. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I've found your blog :D
ReplyDeletethe bread looks amazing, I can never resist still warm bread either and thanks for the link to the Scandilicious baking book, I have a Swedish Cakes and Cookies book that I bought at Skansen which I love and I will get this to complement it
Yummy...
ReplyDeleteHave a nice week-end... eating...
Anna
One word ... YUM!!!
ReplyDeleteYour school run sounds much the same as mine. It's only 4 miles away. It takes 15 minutes through country lanes but having to collect one son from preschool and then get the baby and him strapped in takes a while. Then the three of us go and get the other kid from primary school. By the time I have collapsed the pushchair, got the helmets off the boys and their scooters loaded and then the three of them strapped in. It's an hour. An hour to do an 8 mile round trip. Twice a day....I should really have fresh bread waiting for me on my return. I should. I really really should! That bread of yours looks so good.
ReplyDeletexxx
Bin grad ein bissel im Bloggerland spazieren, hab Dich hier entdeckt und freu mich so schöne Dinge hier zu sehen. Ich bin auch eine Kreative und wollsüchtig. Vielleicht klickst Du mal rüber, würde mich freuen.
ReplyDeleteLiebe Rosaliegrüße∙∙♥♥∙∙