TARRAGON & THYME

Further to my post on the Sourdough Starter for the bread machine here is the basic recipe for the  plain white bread dough which is made in the bread machine, shaped by hand and then popped into the oven.  I tend to make my dough and then cook in the oven in any event as  I amm not too clever at kneading with my hands being arthritic. "Sourdough is tempermental and the bread can vary from batch to batch because the sourdough starter is left open to colllect wild yeasts.  In addition the dough may require varying amounts of liquid because the starter also absorbs varying amounts of liquid from the air.  Be patient watch the dough as the bread machine kneads it and add a splash of water or a tablespoon of flour as necessary.  A traditional French Sourdough loaf is made without sugar or fat. We have included  a small amount of each - sugar to encourage the yeast to ferment and butter so that the bread does not turn stale and hard too quickly.  Pur...

I am very interested in Sourdough bread but not knowing very much about it and never having tasted it  I am not quite sure what I a dealing with but from what I have read it is meant to be better for us.  From what I understand the natural yeasts used for the ferment are much kinder to our systems and our absorption of nutrients by our bodies is thus easier as a result.  When you have medical conditions where you re recommended to cook from scratch with wholefoods and not pre-prepared food items because there are all sorts of unnecessary additions which affect the way your body works then somewhere along the line for your own health you have to start taking control of what you eat. I happened to be browsing some of my existing books over the Christmas holiday and I found this Sourdough Starter for the Bread Machine which has to be made three to five days ahead of when you want to make bread (and then kept going) so I thought I would have a play and see how I get on. ...

Here's a second recipe that I have found for Soda bread which is white flour and not a combination like the other one. Ingredients 700g/1 1/2 lb plain flour 1 x 5ml spoon/1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1 x 5ml spoon/1 teaspoon salt 1 x 5ml spoon/1 teaspoon cream of tartar (if using fresh milk) 250ml/8 fl oz buttermilk or soured cream or fresh milk or a mixture of plain yogurt and milk flour for dusting fat for greasing Method Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add enough buttermilk, soured cream or fresh milk or a mixture of plain yogurt and milk to make a fairly slack dough putting it in all at once rather than a tablespoon at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon lightly and quickly. With floured hands put the mixture on a floured surface flattening the dough with your hand into a rough circle about 3 cm/1 1/4 inch thick. Turn onto a greased baking sheet, score a cross in the top of the bread with a floured knife (this stops the dough ...

I love good home cooking its full of flavour and using simple recipes means that you can create memorable dishes with the simplest of ingredients.  One of the habits you do have to get out of though is that there is no need to nip to the supermarket or shop to get  items that you have run out of.  Half the battle is finding a compromise or using what you actually have to hand and a touch of experimentation, or finding a recipe that will suit your purposes;. that's half the battle finding recipes that work for you. When you need a bit of bread in a hurry why not try this recipe which is quick and simple to get you out of the mire and is an ideal accompaniment to a home made soup. Ingredients: 1lb 6 oz wholemeal flour 10oz strong white flour 2oz oatmeal 2 teaspoons salt 2 taspoons bicarbonate of soda 4 teaspoons cream of tartar 2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/2 pints milk and water mixed, or all semi-skimmed or skimmed milk Method Pre-heat the oven to 180degrees C/3...

Well I made this loaf last Friday night when I got home from work in the bread machine. I used a different recipe from one of my many books - recipe as below. This loaf was made using Allinson bread machine yeast and Allinsons white bread flour. The recipe was for the largest sized loaf and yet it only seems to have made a medium sized loaf. I am putting this down to the flour as I have noticed a vast difference between the flours. The best flour so far has been the Waitrose Canadian Extra Strong White Bread flour which can also be used to make pasta. It nearly came out of the pan and the resulting bread was very light and tasty. I am going to have a go and play some more. As the loaf above although not bad, seemed a little heavy. Here is the recipe I used. Next time round though I am going to use this recipe with the Waitrose Extra Strong White Plain flour and see if there is much difference between them - I think there will be. WHITE BREAD This is an all purpose white...