Aussie Pete's blog

Hi Floyd,

Just recently, about 3 to 4 weeks ago I think I started getting two lots of the daily forums on my email from you. . All entries are the same and they are about half an hour apart from each other. Is this normal or is this the way it is done. Could I possibly be listed twice in your system? Don't get me wrong I look forward to them daily but I am wondering if twice a day of the same forums is normal? If it isn't what can I do to correct this situation? 

Keep up the good work............Cheers Aussie Pete.

 Easter as we know is shared and respected over most of the world. Last year I noticed  people were asking for recipies for Easter breads.

So I noted that for next year(being 2011) I would start a blog asking people of different nationalities to share their traditional easter bread from their homeland or even a recipe handed down through their families over the years that comes out as family treat at easter only.

Easter means a lot of different things to different people and their cultural values. Sharing is just another aspect of respect and understanding between cultures and nationalites.

So lets start a blog in the Fresh Loaf site to start sharing your favorite Easter Bread recipe and see how many variations of Easter breads are displayed for all to share and enjoy.

Here is mine, naturally it is Australian.

Australian Hot Cross Bun

• 4 cups bakers flour

• 1/4 cup caster sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
• pinch of salt
• 40g butter
• 300ml milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Flour paste

• 2 x 7g sachets dried yeast

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 4 to 5 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 cups currants, raisins or mixed dried fruit 
• Glaze
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

Method

1. 
   

   place flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt and your choice of dried fruit in a large bowl. Soften your butter/margarine in a small saucepan over low heat. Then add and heat your milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm. Then add warm milk mixture and eggs to your fruit choice. Mix until dough almost comes together.  Form to a soft dough.

   
   


2. 
   

   Place dough on a floured surface. Knead  until dough is smooth nearly 10 minutes. Place into a lightly oiled bowl. Do the usual bread routine by placing in a warm place for 1.5 to 2 Hrs. Spray a tray or use baking paper to line. Punch dough down and knead on a floured surface til smooth. Divide into 12 even portions and shape each into a ball. Place onto the prepared tray cover with plastic wrap, setting it aside in a warm area till buns double in size. Preheat oven to 190°C.

   
   


3. 
   

   Make flour paste: Mix flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if paste is too thick. Spoon into a small snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner of bag. Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until buns are cooked through.

   
   


4. 
   

   Make glaze: Place water and sugar into a small saucepan over low heat. Stirring till sugar dissolves and it comes to the boil. Boil this mixture for 5 minutes. then brush this glaze while still warm over the warm hot cross buns. Serve warm or at room temperature..........Care to Share your recipe. Cheers to All...........Pete

   
   

This is a story not about recipies, how good is my loaf, hydration or bakers percentages or any thing to do with my baking ability(or lack of after reading some blogs on TFL....that is a compliment to others that I am in awe of).

I have a lovely natured 11year old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel named Beau. Besides his hobby of wanting always to be with us, sleeping and eating his nose will sometimes get him into trouble as I will explain.

For a long time now I have tried making without great success a baguette. They were only passable but not great. My sandwich loaves and sourdoughs were far more successful. Just before Christmas some one posted the recipe for  Anis Boabsa 2008 winning reciepe for baguettes(I think DMSynder was the contributor). I decided to try again but I was putting myself on trial here this night. We were going to dinner at a friends home where our French Rotary Exchange student from 5 years ago had come back to visit. My wife and I were his legal "guardians" so to speak back then. I thought why not try my baguette on a genuine Frenchman. The only way to find out.

I made 2 loaves using Anis's recipe with cold fermation as stated. The loaves were cooled on a rack and duly individually wrapped in a cotton T.Towel and placed on top of a ground vase about 20 inces high at the front door. The idea being we would not forget them as we walked out.

Now back to Beau the KC Spaniel  of mine whose love of all foods except onions and garlic is legendary. He literally sits on the entrance of our kitchen waiting to prounce on any possible dropping of food. So  Picture this...the old fashion movie or cartoon where the dog is sitting outside the butcher store, the butcher's back is turned and next the dog is running down the street with a trail of long skinny sausuges in his mouth and the butcher chasing him.

Now in real life......I heard a small commotion and the sound of my dogs paws on a hard surface floor running and slipping and generally being quicker than the normal. They are a lazy dog by nature. All I saw was this baguette disappearing around the corner into the TV room floating about 20 inches in the air. About the height of my dog.

So here is Beau, Baguette in tow with one end in his mouth and the other 18 inches floating back down his body scrambling for daylight and his eating mat where nobody touches his food. And me..........I was the above butcher.

Thank heavens I had two loaves.........my French friend thoroughly enjoyed my effort and baguette but was certainly more entertained by the above story as Beau was still a silly young dog when they first met.

Mind you Beau did demolish another exchange students Easter chocolates when she left them on her bed. I'm sure in his previous life Beau was a food critic.......A blessed 2011 to one and all.

Cheers...........Pete.