Saturday, 16 January 2021

Bread Baking Babes Toast the New Year – with Toasted Oats, that is….

6 responses

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BBB: Let's Keep Baking summary: it’s wild again; revisiting Toasted Oats Bread inspired by Casper André Ludd, Martin Ivar Hveem Fjeld, and Chad Robertson; and we’re back into lockdown; panic and crankiness; making the best of things; a Bread Baking Babes (BBB) project;

Your tip on toasting the oats… OMG… won’t skip that step again… […] hard to stop eating the resulting bread
 
– Gordon C, FB message, 22 November 2020, 12:49

Toasted Oats Bread (BBB)

Bread Baking Babes: Toasted Oats Bread, January 2021

oatmeal dressing Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, to go into our roast bird, I make the quintessential dressing, using the recipe that Mum always used: Nana’s dressing recipe (actually, it’s my great grandmother’s recipe – or possibly my great great grandmother’s). Nana’s dressing recipe is of Scottish origin. Unsurprisingly, it contains oatmeal. It is NOT, however, even remotely porridgy.

In exactly the same way, Toasted Oats Bread is not even remotely porridgy. I first made toasted oats bread last November. My friend Gordon C used a recipe from Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book to make what he considered to be his “best ever bread“.

It is indeed wonderful bread! Bread made with toasted oats is beautifully lean (but not at all dry) and slightly nutty tasting; it is the perfect antidote to all the recent holiday richness.

But this time round, for the BBBabes, I thought it would be wise to actually pay attention to when to add the toasted oats to the bread dough…. :-)

Toasted Oats Recipe in Artisan Sourdough (continue reading →)

Saturday, 26 December 2020

What to do on Boxing Day

...

summary: We have snow!! It’s Boxing Day; St. Stephen’s Day; warm up by helping to feed/clothe everyone;

Forget Boxing Day Sales! Let’s emulate Good King Wenceslas, and get back to the true origins of Boxing Day.

:hohoho:
The Gate of the Old English Gentleman - illustration by Robert Seymour (1798-1836)
:hohoho:

[T]he country gentleman stood of old, at his own gate […], and superintended the distribution of alms to the aged and the destitute. The hall, prepared for the festival of himself and his friends, was previously opened to his tenants and retainers; and the good things of the season were freely dispensed to all.
 
– Thomas K. Hervey, The Book of Christmas, 1888

(continue reading →)

Thursday, 24 December 2020

Wild Times with Lussekatter (BBB December 2020)

5 responses

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BBB: Let's Keep Baking summary: recipe for wild Lucia Buns based on Swedish JG’s mother’s recipe; difficulties with enriched dough – so what else is new? still staying at home where there are an unbelievable number of rabbit holes; I’m posting late again! Really late… one of these days I may learn to plan ahead; …maybe; information about Bread Baking Babes;

Santa Lucia

Dagen skall åter ny, stiga ur rosig sky,
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.
(A new day will rise again / From the rosy sky, Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.)

Here it is at last, as promised, the long long long long version:

Bread Baking Babes (BBB): Lussekatter (St. Lucia Saffron Buns)

Wild Lussekatter (BBB)

With COVID-19 numbers rising alarmingly, cold weather setting in, and strict government orders to stay at home as our part of the province is in the Red Zone (physically distance, mandatory mask in indoor public spaces, avoid non-essential travel, no visiting any other household or allowing visitors in our home, only go out for essential reasons, such as: work – but preferably work at home, school, groceries, pharmacy, health care, outdoor exercise), we neeeeed comfort and joy. And what could be more comforting, and more joyous than sweet saffron buns? (continue reading →)