Breads

Ingredients: Makes a single 8″ loaf

– 1 stick unsalted butter
– 1 cup of granulated sugar (substitute 1/3 cup honey + 1/3 cup maple syrup if preferred)- 2 large eggs
– cooking spray (olive oil style is best)

– 1/4 cup of milk (any style, nut milk can be used)
– 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
– 3 full size bananas (extra ripe)
– 1/2 of a cup of dark chocolate chips
– (optional) 1/4 cup of lightly toasted walnuts, pecans or almonds (finely chopped)

– 2 cups all purpose flour (you could do half/half with almond flour if you have it)
– 1 teaspoon of baking soda

– 1/4 of a teaspoon salt (regular table salt works best)
– (optional) 1/4 cup apple sauce

Prep:
– heat oven to 350°F
– temper butter or melt in microwave and have ready to the side
– mash-up bananas and put to the side (texture is up to you)

Instructions

– best to line loaf pan with parchment paper + spray w/light cooking spray (unless you have a silicone loaf pan – easiest)
– combine butter + sugar in a bowl (medium to large) with a whisk or big ole fork ’til consistency is a lil fluffy

– add eggs, one at a time, until smooth
– then add the vanilla and milk (not necessarily in that order)
– whisk the bananas into the batter (add apple sauce – optional – for moistness and a touch of fruit/sweet)

– use spatula to add the salt, flour and baking soda (just ’til flour is no longer visible)
– fold the chocolate chips and nuts (if desired) into the larger mix, do this slowly to incorporate
– now you can pour the whole batter into the loaf pan as evenly and smoothly as you can
– pop in the oven for about one hour – do a toothpick test to double-check its ready – but don’t over cook (for moist consistency)
– cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes

– gently take loaf from pan, let sit for 5-10 addtl mins (note this is tasty when fairly warm)
– cut into slices and serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream (if desired)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Coconut flour

1 stick butter (8 tbsp)

6 large eggs

1 tsp Baking powder

2 tsp Dried Rosemary

2 garlic cloves

1 french shallot

1/4 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt

Instructions:

Combine dry ingredients (coconut flour, baking powder, onion, garlic, rosemary and salt) in a bowl and set aside.

Add 6 eggs to a separate bowl and beat with a hand mixer until you get see bubbles at the top.

Melt the stick of butter in the microwave and slowly add it to the eggs as you beat with the hand mixer.

Once wet and dry ingredients are fully combined in separate bowls, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients as you mix with the hand mixture.

Grease an 8×4 loaf pan and pour the mixture into it evenly.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes (time will vary depending on your oven).

Let it rest for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Slice up and enjoy with butter or toasted!

40ml sunflower oil
300g flour
teaspoon of baking powder
60g caster sugar
100g dried fruit eg raisins
150ml soya milk
Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.

Mix together the baking powder, oil and flour. Add sugar and raisins. Add the soya milk and fold in little by little. The dough shouldn’t quite stick to your hands… so add more milk or flour as necessary.

Shape into round balls of dough – there should be enough for 6. Bake for about 25 minutes on a tray with a bit of flour to stop them sticking.

Check after 20 minutes… they are ready when the top is a light brown and if you turn them over and tap the bottom, they should make a firm sound rather than a squishy one.

DEVOUR!

I like butter or cream and jam, with a cuppa!

You need a sourdough starter. Best to get some from someone. My partner Carina made ours about two years ago according to Dan Lepard’s recipe in his great book ‘The Handmade Loaf’. We keep it in the fridge. You can make crumpets with the starter straight from the fridge, but they do like it if you can let the starter warm up a little bit. The texture and crumpet-ness of the finished thing is entirely dependent on how loose/floury your starter is – hard to explain so best just to experiment.

Put 250/300g of starter in a bowl – or whatever amount you would usually remove to make a bread or refresh it. This should make one giant crumpet. This is the best way rather than pretending you only want a small one and using the ring, but up to you. You can always cut it up to share.

Add half a teaspoon of bicarbonate soda to the starter and stir through. Leave starter to sit and swell for a few minutes while you heat a large frying pan and melt a good click of salted butter in the pan so that the bottom and sides are completely covered. Pour in the starter – it will probably gather together in a big clump in the middle, but its best to stretch it out to the sides, reduce the heat a bit. Starter will start to form bubbles… try to get it so that its almost completely cooked before flipping it to finish off the top. Bottom should be crispy and a bit salty from the butter. Flip it onto a plate. Honey, cinnamon, greek yoghurt, fruit… done.

Very healthy and easy to make bread. No proofing needed since the rising is a chemical process not organic one. You can add nuts or seeds as desired.

Ingredients:

20ozs. Strong brown flour (or 10ozs Canadian Strong Brown and 10ozs normal strong brown)
5ozs. white flour
2ozs. porridge oats
2ozs. wheat germ
1 teaspn (rounded) Baking soda.
625mls =1 ¼ pts Buttermilk or diluted 500ml tub of Yogurt works too
1/4 teaspoon Salt

METHOD

Preheat Over to 180°C
Mix flours, wheat germ and porridge oats in a bowl sieve in soda (to make sure no lumps) and salt.
Mix well then add the buttermilk.
Mix but just enough (a minute or two tops) – if you mix too much the bread will be flatbread – purists say you need to use a wooden spoon for this part.
Mixture should be wet but hold together in a ball.
Use non slick bread tins (for a loaf effect) or more traditionally flattened the mixture on a non stick baking tray.
Sprinkle with more oats if desired.
Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 160°C and bake for a further 20 minutes approx. Its done if you put a skewer into the bread and it comes out dry.
Remove from tin and place on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy

Pan de Muertos (Mexican Bread of the Dead)
Original Recipe Yield 1 large round loaf

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons aniseed
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1/4 cup white sugar (for the glaze)
• 1/4 cup orange juice (for the glaze)
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (for the glaze)
• 2 tablespoons white sugar (for the glaze)

Directions

• Heat the milk and the butter together in a medium saucepan, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add them warm water. The mixture should be around 110 degrees F (43 degrees C).
• In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and beat until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and shape it into a large round loaf with a round knob on top. Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with glaze.
• To make glaze: In a small saucepan combine the 1/4 cup sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes. Brush over top of bread while still warm. Sprinkle glazed bread with white sugar.

for breadmakers…

200 g spelt flour
100 g wholemeal flour
75 g white flour – all flours to be bread flours
280 g warm water
20 g butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon yeast

That’s it !

1 loaf
1 + 1/2 tsp dry yeast
150 mls warm water
1 tblsp honey
Combine and set aside in warm place
1 cup spelt (or wheat) flour
2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
1/4 cup wheat germ or buckwheat flour
1/3 cup bran
1/4 cup kibbled spelt (or whole oats or whole wheat)
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup sunflower (or pumpkin) seeds

Combine dry ingredients

Add to water mixture 300mls warm water and 1 tblspn cider vinegar. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Put into greased and floured loaf tin.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and leave to rise for one hour

Bake at 180 degrees for 45-50 mins until hollow-sounding when tapped on the top.

Slice and eat with lots of butter.

Ingredients:

500g spelt flour
1 tsp sea salt
3 tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
15g fresh yeast (if available)
400ml warm water

Method:

1. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl.
2. Blend the yeast into half the water and roughly mix into the flour.
3. Dissolve the salt in the remaining water and add to the flour, followed by the oil. Knead for 15 minutes.
4. Leave the dough dusted with flour and allow to rise in a warm place (best covered with a towel to avoid draft) for 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Divide the dough into two large greased bread tins.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C, 370F, Fas Mark 5 and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Tips:

Spray the dough several times with water to make a nice crust.
Take the dough out of the tin and leave to cool down, otherwise bread might go soggy.