2.1 Breads and Pastries

February 17, 2022February 16, 2022

Gyoza skins

Gyoza are Japanese dumplings. I first came across them in Waggamama, and it was a few years before I was brave enough to attempt them myself. They are 1/2 moon shaped dumplings that are steamed then fried, with sauce for dips, and they are utterly delicious.

Because I live in the middle of no-where my choices for the pastry are either to buy it online, or make it. Big supermarkets sell the gyoza skins and that makes the whole process a lot less fiddly. But, for me, the fiddle is part of the fun…

I use a recipe that includes oil in the pastry – some don’t, but it’s what I like. I also use the flour I keep in the house rather than authentic Japanese flour.

Ingredients (for 24 skins)

90g strong bread flour

90g plain flour

1/5tsp salt

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp veg oil

~100ml hot water

Method

Mix the flours together and add the oil and salt, stirring with a fork
Add about 2/3 of the water (just off the boil from the kettle) and quickly mix it in with the fork.
Add more water if needed to just bring the dough together and no more (be slightly sparing if anything)
Turn out onto a board and knead/roll to get a lovely smooth, silky and elastic dough.
Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20min.
take to cooled dough and roll it into a sausage. Cut the sausage in half, then half again making 4 nice round mini-sausage. Each of these is cut into 3 and rolled out on a lightly (plain) floured board into circles about 10cm diameter.

The hot water makes the dough really silky and elastic – and is essential because you will be rolling these out really thin (translucent thin). When they are rolled you can stack them with either a little flour in-between or using baking paper (I use flour). Use them that day.

January 7, 2022

Pizza Toppings

This is a list of the toppings and mixes I use for my pizza base. I’ll typically pick two different ones to do at once.

Venison and Blue Cheese: 1/2 onion sliced; 100g of venison fillet into thin strips; 100g soft blue cheese as small chunks; 1/2 a mozzarella as small cubes.

Add the onion first, then venison, then cheese. First had this in Finland – awesome combo.

Balsamic Onions: finely slice an onion and soften with olive oil and 1dstspn of really good balsamic – drive off the acetic acid, then top the pizza and sprinkle 1/2 a mozzarella as small cubes.

If you use a watery balsamic add 4-5times as much and cook it off part way before adding the onion to the pan.

Ham and Pineapple: 1/2 onion finely sliced; 3 slices Parma ham torn into pieces; 2 pineapple rings cut into small pieces and patted dry; 1/2 a mozzarella as small cubes.

A classic, you can do it like this or if you want you can use a tomato base as well – cook down passata to 1/3 to 1/2 volume and a couple of tblspn will cover the base.

Partridge and Pear: 2 partridge breasts cut as thin strips; a ripe pear, peeled cored and cut into ribbons with a potato peeler; 2 smoked streaky bacon rashers cut as tiny pieces; a 1/4 onion or shallot finely sliced, 1/2 a mozzarella as small cubes. (optional add a few cubes of soft blue cheese or goats cheese)

Smoked Bacon and Mushroom: 3 rashers smoked bacon cut into thin strips, fine slices of 1/2 a portabella mushroom, small handful of fresh basil leaves ripped in half, 50ml thick tomato sauce, 1/2 a mozzarella as small cubes

Partridge and Chilli: 1 partridge breast as small batons, 1 chilli finely chopped, 50ml thick tomato sauce, 1 small sprig of thyme finely chopped, a small handful of rocket, 1/2 a mozzarella as small cubes. (optional – goats cheese)

Margarita: 50ml thick tomato sauce, small handful of torn basil leaves, pepper, grating of parmesan and 1/2 a mozzarella as small cubes.

Courgette and Bacon: 1 or two small (baby) courgette as ribbons (use a potato peeler), one or two courgette flowers ripped, small handful of basil leaves ripped, 2 slices smoked streaky bacon as fine baton. Tiny drizzle of tarragon oil, 1/2 mozzarella as small cubes.

Rocket, pear and ham: 3 slices Parma ham torn, 1 small dessert pear peeled cored and as fine slices, handful of rocket, 1/2 a mozzarella as small cubes.

Venison tomato and chilli: 100g venison sirloin as thin batons, 1 finely chopped chilli, 1/2 finely sliced onion, a few fine slices of a beef tomato patted dry, 1/2 mozzarella as small cubes.

Prawns, rocket and garlic: 1/2 pack of prawns, 1/2 onion finely sliced, 30ml olive oil with 2 crushed garlic cloves, handful of rocket, 1/2 mozzarella as small cubes.

January 4, 2022January 2, 2022

Pizza Base – light and crispy

Pizza is a great dish – but it’s only as good as the base – this is my favourite, enough for 2 large bases that cover the biggest baking trays that fit in my oven.

Prep: 10 min Prove: 1hr Prep: 10min Prove: 1hr Cook: 12min

Ingredients

75g semolina flour

175g strong bread flour

1/2tsp salt

30ml olive oil

1 dstspn sour cream

1/2 pack (3.5g) yeast

~80ml water

1/2tsp sugar

Method

Add the yeast and sugar to the water and stir, leave it for a few minutes to activate the yeast.
While that’s happening mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl, then add most of the yeast mix.
Mix until you have a dough, add more of the yeast if you need it, or more strong flour. Knead for 5min until you have a soft springy dough.
Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth, leave it to at least double (about 1hr at room temp).
Split the dough in half, place each half on an oiled nonstick baking tray and roll out as thin as you dare.
Put them somewhere to rise for another hour (20min in a proving oven).
Preheat the oven to 225c (fan) cook for 6min then add the topping and cook for another 6-8min.

The first cooking period makes sure the bread is going to be crispy in the middle – it helps against the topping making it soggy. The oil is also important as it crisps the bread to a lovely golden crunch. Use olive oil as it’s a better flavour and gives a better colour.

January 3, 2022January 2, 2022

Not a Naan Bread

When I cook curry, more often than not I’ll make a bread to go with it. I suppose it comes from the Balti houses I used to go to when I was in Birmingham. For me a curry is made better by a bread.

I don ‘t have the right sort of oven for cooking naan, and pre-bought just don’t pass muster for me (sorry), so I make this bread instead. It’s not authentic by any stretch, but it’s tasty and fresh and always disappears.

I’ve listed different fillings below, my favourite is almond.

Prep: 10min Proving: 2 lots of 2 hours Cooking: 8min

Ingredients

40g semolina flour

135g strong white flour

1 dstspn sour cream

1 dstspn veg oil

pinch of salt

1/2 pkt (3.5g) dried yeast

1/4 tsp sugar

80ml water

Method

Mix the yeast sugar and water and set to one side for a few minutes to wake up the yeast (gives you a quicker and more even rise)
Mix the flour(s), cream, oil and salt in a bowl
Add the yeast mix and work into a dough. Knead the dough for 4-5min until smooth. Add extra water/flour as needed to get the right consistency. (if you’ve got a bread-maker you can get it to do the mixing and kneading for you, just check the consistency after a few minutes)
Leave it to rise (cover with a damp cloth) about 2 hours room temperature or 30-45min in a proving oven.
Halve the dough and flatten each half to the size of a frying-pan (use flour to stock it sticking to the board). Add the filling to one half, put the other half on top and seal. Leave to rise for another 2 hours (or 30min in proving oven)
fry for 4min each side in a little butter or ghee. Cut like a pizza and serve.

Fillings:

You can use garlic butter, finely sliced garlic, fennel seeds, sultanas, chopped figs or a spoonful of ground almonds – they all work. You just need a thin coating – don’t be too heavy handed.

For garlic it’s better to boil it for a few minutes then cool before cutting. It stops it being raw and crunchy because the bread takes so little time to cook.

I’ve also found it’s better to fill the ‘not naan’ than mix the fillings with the dough – they can really slow the rise – and they make the bread heavier and tougher. It should be light, tiny air bubbles in the dough, slightly golden in places from frying.

December 15, 2021December 18, 2021

On the day crusty bread

400g as two ‘ciabatta’ style crusty loaves

When I cook a roast bird perhaps my favourite accompaniment is bread and butter. When it’s crusty and fresh from the oven I love it. Same goes for BBQ and warm salads.

The thing is my favourite bread for that is ciabatta – but because I have to prep a sour dough I have to know the day before I want the bread. When that’s not possible, and I’m not that organised here is what I do…

Prep: 2min Rise time: 4 hours Cook: 16min

Ingredients

70g semolina flour

330g strong white flour

tsp salt

15ml olive oil

tsp sugar

280ml water

1/2 a 7g pack of yeast

Method

Place all the ingredients together and use programme 16 on the bread-maker. This programme makes a dough and completes 1 rise. You can do this manually, leaving the dough to rise for about 90min.
turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled baking sheet, tear in half and pull out the two halves into sausages.
Sprinkle with salt and leave to rise for about 40min in a proving drawer.
Heat the oven to 225c (fan) and cook for 16min, serve immediately.

December 3, 2021

Basic Breads

I bake pretty much all my own bread, except bagels (so far). And for basic bread (loaves for toast), I use a bread maker. It’s a Panasonic that’s all singing and all dancing. I use it for basic breads, rye, sourdough starters, dough of all sorts as well as jams. I use it a few times a week and it quickly paid for itself, not least because the bread tastes amazing and making ciabatta or french baton fresh makes the world of difference.

However, as with most things I don’t quite follow the recipes in the book. It’s not that they don’t work – they do, but these are slightly modified for my taste. I use a 4 hour cycle for the white and a 6 hour cycle for the brown, you can set most bread makers to pause before starting so it’s ready when you get home, or fresh for the morning.

Basic white loaf

350g strong white flour

50g semolina flour

tsp salt

10ml olive oil

tsp sugar

280ml water

1/2 a 7g packet of yeast

Brown’ish loaf

60g rye flour

100g wholemeal bread flour

240g strong white flour

10ml olive oil

tsp salt

1 egg

280ml water

1/2 a 7g packet of yeast

I use sugar in the white to get the yeast started, but the longer brown cycle doesn’t need it. I do fortify the brown with an egg (for texture and rise) and the white with semolina for a crumblier texture I prefer.