From the streets: Village Bakery 100% rye bread

Published on April 9, 2013 | Posted by Clare Garcia

Posted in: DF, Featured, Reviews, S, SF, V, WF

Or more specifically, from Waitrose. In light of my recent The best thing since sliced bread article and Spelt & tahini soda bread recipe, here’s a good value, off the shelf option which is hard to beat.

I’ve sampled innumerable rye breads over the past 15 plus years, finding all but a few either too chewy, dense or Pumpernickelesque. This one on the other hand, is a clear winner in terms of flavour, health and value. Lighter in texture, colour and taste, it’s perfect toasted with scrambled eggs, butter and Mum’s Seville orange marmalade, or smoked salmon. And it’s yeast free! All for under two quid. Thank you Village Bakery.

Gails Artisan Bakery also do an excellent 100% rye that many of my wheat loving friends ask for when they come to stay.

Spelt & tahini soda bread

Published on March 27, 2013 | Posted by Clare Garcia

Posted in: DF, S, SF, V

For me, Soda bread’s a true winner: Yeast and hassle free (no sweat provoking kneading required), you can have a batch in the oven within 10 minutes. Genuinely. It’s so quick in fact, I’ve adjusted, binned and tweaked this ambitious (for someone who doesn’t make bread) combo countless times. I’m now ready to disclose.

Ingredients

275g spelt flour
175g rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp sea salt
1 tbsp tahini
250ml milk retain drizzle for to brush over top (based on semi skimmed milk)

Method

Preheat oven to 190C / 375F / Gas 5. Sieve dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix to a soft dough with the milk. The dough should be slack but not wet.

Knead until smooth, form into a ball and flatten dough to 3 – 4” thick. Put on a greased baking tin and score a large cross o the top. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35 – 40 mins.

The bread should still be quite moist in the centre due to the tahini so a knife shouldn’t come out clean. If you over cook, the bread will become dry quickly after cooling.

Serve warm or toasted with good, salty butter and soup. Or with Mum’s Seville orange marmalade.

Mum’s (MAFF) Seville orange marmalade

Published on March 13, 2013 | Posted by Clare Garcia

Posted in: DF, Uncategorized, V, WF

Following on from last week’s post The jam co-operative, here’s the promised 1929 recipe for Seville orange marmalade. Taken from The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries & Food, HMSO Bulletin 21: Home Preservation of Fruit & Vegetables. Tested, tweaked, tasted and approved by Mum Garcia.

Makes 10 jars

Ingredients

1.4 kg Seville oranges
4.5 – 6 pts water
2.7 kg sugar
1 tsp citric acid or tartaric acid. Or juice of 2 lemons

Method

Scrub, scald and peel the fruit.

Cut the peel into shreds, first removing some of the pith if thick. This is where we enlisted the ingenious Magimix shredder blade:

Put the shredded peel, acid and half the water in a jam pan (I use lemons and grate some peel into the pan too). Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 2 hours or until the peel is tender. Add more water if you think it’s needed.

Cut the rest of the fruit and pith coarsely. Simmer with the rest of the water in a closed pan for 1.5 hrs then strain through a colander. Alternatively, rub the pulp through a fine sieve for a very thick marmalade.

Add the strained pulp to the peel, bring to the boil and cook off excess water if necessary. Add the sugar, stir until dissolved then boil rapidly until setting point is reached. To test: Put a tsp full onto a plate and allow to cool slightly. If the jam wrinkles when you press gently with your finger, it’s ready.

Remove the scum from the top, allow the marmalade to cool slightly and pour into warm jars – cooling prevents the peel from rising in the jars.

Cover with waxed circles while still hot and tie down when cold. If using plastic or metal lids, sterilize by boiling for 5 mins first and screw on immediately.