I visited the Vale Harvest market in Haddenham on Saturday morning - what a revelation!
This is a quote from their website -
Vale Harvest is a group of local food producers within a 10 mile radius of Haddenham and the immediate area. They say "Our aim is to make it easier for local people to connect with local produce. The markets will host a range of stalls selling hot and cold food and drink to have there and to take home." Stalls selling some of the following will be there (rain or shine): free-range lamb and pork; cupcakes and ice cream; fresh bread and eggs; sausages and charcuterie; jam and chutney; fresh herbs and vegetables; cider and apple juice; hand-made chocolates; Oriental sauces and food; Chiltern rapeseed oil; Italian sauces and lasagne.
It was a wonderful market with meats from local suppliers. I purchased some black pudding from Orchard view farm and some Bacon and Sausages from the Egghouse Butchery and Charcuterie who also supplied me with a cheeky bag of little sausage rolls (they did not last very long at all). I also bought an equally cheeky couple of bottles of beer from the XT Brewery.
I plan to buy a "lump" of Dexter beef next month.
The real joy, however, comes from the fact that I can comfortably walk from my front door to this market in about half an hour. Bring on the first Saturday of every month!
Monday, 6 May 2013
Friday, 3 May 2013
So about this bread making thing...
This should really carry a warning. Making your own bread can become addictive. I have been asked to give my standard bread recipe out on this blog so here goes.
500 gms strong bread flour (the better the flour, the better the bread)
350 gms of water (yes I do mean gms)
10 gms salt (the better the salt....)
10 gms fresh yeast (ask at your local independent baker)
Crumble the yeast into the flour, pour in the water and get your hands in there. Mix with a hand (held like a claw) for a few seconds and then add the salt. Bring the whole together to form a dough (the bowl should come cleanish).
Now for the kneading. Everyone develops their own style; mine is based on a method used by Richard Bertinet (who is a bit of a bread god). I push the dough down on the surface (no extra flour needed) and pull the dough towards me. I then fold this back over the dough, pick it up from the bottom and do the same process again with an occasional turn. It is very obvious when the dough is ready - I know it sounds mad, but it just starts to feel alive.
Her come's the trick. I use a heavy earthenware bown bowl which I now fill with clean hot water. After a few minutes I empty this water (I use it for washing up) and dry the bown completely. A little flour is sprinkled into the bowl and the dough placed on top of this. I cover the bowl with cling film, "Spaghetti Western tight."*
This is then placed in a warm area to rise for and hour or longer - it needs to be twice the size that it started.
After the rise, I tip the dough out and shape it as I require. I then sprinkle it with flour and gently lay the clingfilm over the top. I leave this for another hour.
The oven is popped on hot (220 ish) and a roasting dish of water is placed in the bottom. A couple of slashes with a scalpel are made in the top of the bread and it is placed in the oven.
This is where the judgement is required - Take the bread out when it is ready (slightly darker than you think) and allow to cool on a rack.
* Whenever, in Spaghetti Westerns, the director wished to give a sense that native Americans ("INJUNS") were about there was a sound of drums. This is what the cling film should sound like when you tap it.
I have been asked about which books on bread making I like and here they are -
Dough, by Richard Bertinet, ISBN 978 1 85626 762 5
The Fabulous Baker Brothers, by Henry and Tom Herbert, ISBN 978 0 7553 6365 0
Bread, by Paul Hollywood, ISBN 978 1 4088 4069 6
All of these books will teach you how to make a basic loaf (and more besides) and once you have that sorted the world is your bakery.
500 gms strong bread flour (the better the flour, the better the bread)
350 gms of water (yes I do mean gms)
10 gms salt (the better the salt....)
10 gms fresh yeast (ask at your local independent baker)
Crumble the yeast into the flour, pour in the water and get your hands in there. Mix with a hand (held like a claw) for a few seconds and then add the salt. Bring the whole together to form a dough (the bowl should come cleanish).
Now for the kneading. Everyone develops their own style; mine is based on a method used by Richard Bertinet (who is a bit of a bread god). I push the dough down on the surface (no extra flour needed) and pull the dough towards me. I then fold this back over the dough, pick it up from the bottom and do the same process again with an occasional turn. It is very obvious when the dough is ready - I know it sounds mad, but it just starts to feel alive.
Her come's the trick. I use a heavy earthenware bown bowl which I now fill with clean hot water. After a few minutes I empty this water (I use it for washing up) and dry the bown completely. A little flour is sprinkled into the bowl and the dough placed on top of this. I cover the bowl with cling film, "Spaghetti Western tight."*
This is then placed in a warm area to rise for and hour or longer - it needs to be twice the size that it started.
After the rise, I tip the dough out and shape it as I require. I then sprinkle it with flour and gently lay the clingfilm over the top. I leave this for another hour.
The oven is popped on hot (220 ish) and a roasting dish of water is placed in the bottom. A couple of slashes with a scalpel are made in the top of the bread and it is placed in the oven.
This is where the judgement is required - Take the bread out when it is ready (slightly darker than you think) and allow to cool on a rack.
* Whenever, in Spaghetti Westerns, the director wished to give a sense that native Americans ("INJUNS") were about there was a sound of drums. This is what the cling film should sound like when you tap it.
I have been asked about which books on bread making I like and here they are -
Dough, by Richard Bertinet, ISBN 978 1 85626 762 5
The Fabulous Baker Brothers, by Henry and Tom Herbert, ISBN 978 0 7553 6365 0
Bread, by Paul Hollywood, ISBN 978 1 4088 4069 6
All of these books will teach you how to make a basic loaf (and more besides) and once you have that sorted the world is your bakery.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
