A fond adieu to Portugal with this light semolina loaf, pao Alentejo, from Nelson Carvalheiro's recipe. It starts off with two different starters, one made with bread flour and one with rye. Left them overnight to bubble and mixed the bread the next morning. I got busy in the garden, so it overproofed a bit. I gently knocked it down and shaped the loaf according to Berndt's method and let it rise in a bowl lined with well-floured cheesecloth. It all worked well except that I could not get the required ridge when it baked. I probably did not flour the end of the roll enough before putting it down to rise. It is one of the nicest tasting breads I have ever baked. I will make it again and keep on trying to get the right ride along the loaf.
Pao de Figo. Another Portuguese bread. The filling is made by slowly cooking dried figs and fresh rosemary in port wine. You roll out the dough and spread the filling on half. Fold the other half over, cut into strips, twist and braid. The braid is formed into a circle and left to rise. But the recipe did not specify the amount of water to use. I started with half a cup and it was a bit too dry. I added another quarter cup, which was too much. The dough was a bit too soft and it collapsed in the oven. It looked like the sultan was in a hurry when he put on his turban in the morning. Oh well, it is still very good with a strong cheddar.
My sister recently bought a house in Portugal. That got me interested in Portuguese breads and I discovered their treasure trove of breads. For the next few weeks I will be baking breads from that little sunny land and aided by Miguel Forte's blog on Portuguese breads. Bolo do Caco is from the Islands of Madeira. They are made with a sourdough starter and contains sweet potato. Traditionally baked on a slab over an open fire, mine was cooked in a dry skillet on the stove over a very low heat. Soft and moist inside, probably due to the sweet potato. Tradition in this house demands that the first roll/slice of a fresh bread is eaten warm with heaps of butter.
This sourdough loaf owes its colour to activated charcoal. I discovered this bread and heaps of information on the use of charcoal on Bake-Street.com and could not resist. My dough did not look dark enough to me. I thought it resembled window putty so I added 1/2 gram extra charcoal. I still thought it was too light but resisted the temptation to add black food colouring. It turned quite dark during baking, so I need not have worried. It is a tasty loaf with a good crust and soft as a cloud inside.
To decorate my loaf I cut a stencil with hearts from baking paper both because I love baking and, while preparing it, the radio played Melanie Gardot singing: Your Heart is as Black as Night. An appropriate title for this post. Don't leave out the black sesame. It really complements the taste of this bread.
No tangzhong in this method. I used my rye starter and also replaced 25% of the bread flour with wholewheat flour because I like a bit more texture. It cooled its heels in the fridge for nearly 2 days but rose beautifully and still produced a supersoft, light loaf.
I am finally settled and, with a lively rye starter bubbling away in the fridge, baking again. Happiness is...
A simple sourdough enriched with 60 grams of butter and 100 grams of raw honey purchased from a farm nearby. I have dedicated it to the lovely little Blue Chequered Cuckoo Bees that love my big rosemary bush even more than I do.
For the love of a simple sourdough. We have been gradually packing up our home for an interstate move next month and the baking has been neglected. Using up the leftover flour and sourdough starter this week. Looking forward to a new life and lots more baking.
Although I usually prefer bread with lots of texture, I decided to do something a little different. This soft, moist and tasty white sourdough developed over three days. It almost did not last long enough for a photo.
This recipe uses the starter you were going to discard when feeding your starters. It is a tasty, moist cake that is not very sweet. The bananas are placed in a caramelised sugar and brandy sauce before the batter is dolloped on top. The original recipe used bourbon, but I had some brandy on hand, in preparation for making plum puddings. I used my discarded rye starter and wholemeal flour to give it more colour and texture. I also baked it in a ring pan instead of a skillet. It is a great combination of flavours and I may try it with apple wedges or pears in future.
