Crikey, we have a lot to get through this week… and because I became totally hyper-fixated on a ciabatta project earlier in the week, it’s now Saturday morning, and this sentence is all I have to share with you…
… so, there will be no faffing around, we need to dive straight into this week’s headline news… I can already sense your excitement.
I’ve been informed that we’re into ‘British Tomato season’ and I am here for it, I love most fruit and veg, but a good British tomato is hard to match. I also feel particularly inspired having watched Marcus Wareing whip up some tomato-y delights in episode one of his new series ‘Simply Provence’.
I’m sat outside in the garden as I type this, it’s 10am and I’m sipping coffee in the hope that it supercharges my writing. I’m home alone which always feels a bit quiet and errr scary - I suddenly become very pre-occupied with the idea that someone’s going to break into the house and steal everything and maybe kill me too - reasonable thoughts ya know? Anyway, I’ve just noticed that I’m accompanied by a flurry of ladybirds, bees, and butterflies and it’s really very magical watching them dance around in their flowery wonderland beside me - nature’s beautiful, isn’t it?
… I’ve already gone off on a tangent, must focus…
Lando Norris won his first Grand Prix in Miami last Sunday and it was a very special moment – it did however majorly upset my bedtime routine as I watched the program well into the evening – I then had jet lag on Monday… actually I’ve had jet lag all week – I’m so tired, anyone else?
I went for a walk in the countryside with my little tribe on Wednesday; my best friend, her daughter, Mum, and the dogs – it was beautiful – I also drove the pram for the 3rd time and I think I’ve pretty much grasped pram-ing, although rocky terrain and 3-point turns are not my strengths.
… now I have a cake story for you, one that you probably don’t need to hear but you’re going to anyway…
I saw someone making a cake on Instagram last week and became completely hypnotised by how perfect it looked. It was comprised of a simple vanilla sponge that was part baked before being draped in a syrupy coconut layer that become thick and caramel-y after a second bake in the oven. The cake crumb looked so velvety and soft, perfectly contrasted with the rich sticky topping - I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was tormenting me so much that by Monday afternoon I had to try this god damn cake.
The trouble is that I had put this cake on a pedestal with very little solid evidence that it was any good. My expectations were so high, that there was a strong possibility I’d end up disappointed – thus we were on rocky ground from the get-go. Oh and there was an added layer of danger; having eyeballed the recipe for this cake, I immediately had some doubts – the ratios and method just didn’t look right. Nevertheless, the Instagram video made me believe it was going to be superb and so I ploughed on.
You probably know what’s coming here, but as predicted, it was totally underwhelming – verging on poor. Don’t get me wrong, the cake had an unbelievably soft, uniform, moist crumb that looked picture perfect (see pic below), but it was prime example of style over substance. My best description of it would be a bit rubbery and flabby and unbearably sweet. Obviously, I was terribly disappointed (with myself) and very angry at the silly cake that didn’t live up to the image I had painted in my brain. I had a second go to check that I hadn’t been a complete fool with the recipe – it was equally terrible and so (with some reassurance from Mum) I decided now was a good time to part ways with said cake and move on. There are two morals to this very lengthy story, they’re golden oldies but ones I find I need to remind myself of frequently:1. ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover’
2. ‘When you have high expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment’.
I also spent two whole days majorly overthinking a post for Instagram about confidence… and ironically I now don’t have the confidence to post it…. Soooo that was good use of my time!
Have I told you how anxious I get posting things on Instagram? I can just about cope with posting stories – I somehow feel I’m hidden behind a veil there - and writing on here doesn’t feel scary, I genuinely feel like we’re all best friends. But for some reason, putting stuff on my grid, well that feels really exposing and scary. I worry that what I’m sharing isn’t good enough, or that it’s boring, self-indulgent, and that no-one is really interested. I also struggle to concisely articulate my thoughts in the caption - I’m just useless when it comes to that aloof, witty, ‘social media’ lingo… I feel a bit awkward and serious and eurgh it’s annoying because I want to share more stuff on there. I’m also very aware that this all sounds terribly superficial and silly but here I am admitting it.Already on episode 5 of Clarkson’s farm - absolutely NOT pacing myself - and it’s bloody wonderful; I’ve become very emotionally invested. The show just has everything, there’s humour, heartbreak, beauty, it’s enlightening - I’m obsessed with Wildfarmed - Andy Kato and George Lamb are incredible - and pigs and mushrooms - it covers environmental issues and raises philosophical questions, it gives a frank account of what farming in Britain is like and best of all it demonstrates the power of collaboration, and is a wholesome example of the value of friendship. I just love it.
Bridget Jones style comedy moment on Friday as I crossed the main road near my house on my way back from the gym. A car drove past and sloshed through what must be the only puddle left in the UK right now, and showered me in muddy puddle juice. I also clocked a dog poo bag near the scene and managed to convince myself I’d been showered in poo as well - it was a truly delightful experience - not. You know they say that being pooed on by a pigeon is good luck? Do you think being showered in watery dog poo is like SUPER good luck? I’m hoping so!
I made a chilli and realised it was NOT chilli weather and that it was really time I switched from my winter menu to a more summer-y one….
…. And as mentioned above, I baked around 5,000 ciabatta rolls this week, which I’m not mad about – more on that below (including a recipe which I hope you’ll love!)
OK, I think we’re caught up – oh wait, I’ve also popped the chickpea and chicken curry recipe that I mentioned in last week’s newsletter below for those of you who fancy having a go. If you try it, let me know what you think! AND AND AND… I’m thinking next week is going to be about cake again, I’m missing cake.
Hope everyone is doing ok and that you’re managing to enjoy some sunshine wherever you are.
Sending so much love to you all!
Steph X X X
Chicken & chickpea korma curry.
Ok, I’m no chef, but I’m really into this curry, so I hope you like it too! You could probably use chicken thighs instead of breasts but – don’t judge – I always find chicken thigh meat cooked into dishes like this to be… errr, slimy? I know, I’m weird! I think it’s a texture thing – I’m definitely team anti-slime, so I stick with breasts, but you do you!
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts Cut into large chunks
150g Full fat Greek yoghurt
Squeeze of lemon juice
Crush seeds form 7 cardamom pods
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 white onion chopped
2 Bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 fat garlic cloves grated or crushed
15g fresh ginger – a knob - finely chopped
½ Green chilli finely chopped – add more if you like things HOT.
Heaped ¼ tsp ground turmeric
Heaped ½ tsp ground cumin
Heaped ½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp Garam marsala
1 tsp tomato puree
30g ground almonds
1 heaped tsp desiccated coconut
1 heaped tsp mango chutney.
1 x 400g tin chickpeas drained - reserve the water (or ~ 1/2 large jar of Bold bean co. or Perelló chickpeas - drained weight of chickpeas should be approx. 240g)
150g warm water
50g chickpea water from above
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of Chopped fresh Coriander.
Drizzle of cream to serve (optional)
Method
Measure the chicken, cardamom, lemon juice, salt, and 1 tbsp (30g ish) of the yoghurt into a bowl - mix well so that everything is nicely combined. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge – give it 2 hours if you can or overnight if you’re super prepared.
Place a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the oil. Once hot, add the chopped onion with the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Cook for around 10 minutes or until softened – stir to prevent it from catching.
Add the garlic, ginger, and chill, stir through, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander and garam marsala and cook for another minute. Stir in the tomato puree and leave to cook for 1 more minute. Lower the heat and add the remaining yoghurt, water, chickpea water, 50g of the chickpeas, almonds, coconut and mango chutney, and stir to combine. Once all mixed together, temporarily remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender and blitz until you have a smooth, thick sauce – I use my Nutribullet but a food processor should work too, this step isn’t entirely necessary but I find it makes the sauce lovely and rich and creamy. Transfer the soupy mixture back to the pan - along with the bay leaves and cinnamon stick - and bring to a simmer.
Next add the chicken – ensure all the spices and yoghurt go in too, stir it all together, bring back to a simmer and pop the lid on. Allow it to bubble away for 20 minutes.
Add the remaining chickpeas and stir to combine, simmer again for a further 10-15 minutes – season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the fresh coriander and serve with a drizzle of cream, and some rice or naan, veg and obviously more chutney. I actually make this in the morning and reheat it to eat in the evening or even the following day, I find the meat tenderises a bit and the flavours infuse more, I know it’s not always feasible but it’s my top tip.
Oh and I freeze leftovers to eat the following week.
Enjoy! X X X
Ciabatta
Last week, I mentioned that I was burrowing down a ciabatta shaped rabbit hole… well, that hole went DEEP this week… I made 30 rolls across 5 days, surprisingly did NOT experience any ciabatta fatigue (my bread addiction is bottomless) and learned quite a bit during the process. I still feel there are gaps in my knowledge – I always will – but I’m now confident in my recipe, which I’m excited to share with you.
I’ve always had a real soft spot for ciabatta – my early experiences of it were limited to M&S’s ‘bake at home’ loaves – you know the ones you buy in a packet and rejuvenate in the oven? As a kid, I’d eat hunks of them smeared in Lurpak alongside Lasagne – FOND, FOND memories. Then during a trip to Rome in 2017, I had a sandwich (I may well have told you about it before because it’s a food memory that lives with me – dramatic I know). The sandwich was a ciabatta style roll layered with slow roasted herby and oily vegetables and buffalo mozzarella, it was so unassuming, yet bursting with flavour. The bread absorbed the flavour from the veg. It was the most perfect melange of flavours and textures and yeah, it was great.
My personal baking journey hadn’t really taken off back then, so I didn’t attempt my own ciabatta until shortly before Bake off - (obv crammed in an emergency ciabatta bake just in case it was a technical challenge lol) – all I remember was mess and stress. I produced this hideously wet and unmanageable dough that was sticky and flabby and eurgh – a flop. Since then, I’ve made various attempts that have been ‘ok’ but nothing to rave over.
Over the past week I’ve learnt a lot about the process, I’ve understood more about the handling of the dough, and I’ve worked at a hydration level that suits my preference (as I said last week, I’m not a big fan of the custardy, damp crumb of super high hydration bread so here I stick to 80% hydration – I said 76% last week but I lied – 80% is now my idea of perfect, ok?).
I won’t harp on too much more here with detail and science - there are people out there, much more qualified than me, sharing this level of knowledge – see Nicola Lamb. But I do have a few tips to impart based on my own experience and I’m hopeful that my recipe will help you to produce some very lovely rolls that will make you happy.
*(ok I have 9 tips - maybe I am harping on - sorry)
Firstly, this is boring and frustrating to hear, but from my perspective, baking bread is all about practice – and generally speaking, the more you add to the dough party - the more water or fat or sugar etc, the more difficult it gets to manage (and understand).
Second, I’ve found that higher hydration loaves require a greater level of intuition when it comes to handling the dough – I will try to give you some visual cues that I’ve found useful, but again, practice helps.
Third – you may see recipes that suggest using a Biga or preferment – I absolutely love this technique for introducing more flavour… it also can make the dough a bit more manageable, BUT it’s also a bit faffy and I wanted to keep things as streamlined as possible today.
Fourth – I suggest using a mixer – I know they’re a luxury to have, and it IS possible to prepare this style of loaf simply by reducing the yeast and stretching and folding the dough over a longer period but… I’m impatient and I’ve found I get more consistent results in my mixer so that’s what I’ve stuck with here.
Fifth, I faffed about with different flours this week – I have a real soft spot for T55 bread flour which is a French flour that’s great for baking baguettes and I like the flavour it imparts. However, I tried it for ciabatta and whilst it worked (ish), I’d recommend using a strong bread flour that has a protein percentage of 14% or above – it’s going to really help you out.
Sixth, I controversially add a tiny bit of sugar to my rolls – it’s imperceptible but also just rounds the flavour for me – I like it ok, don’t come at me!
Seventh – one of the trickiest parts I find is shaping, (or more accurately), portioning the dough. It requires a combination of gentle and confident that I used to find really unfathomable. Again… some of it comes down to practice but also a bench scraper and a HEFTY, I mean HEFTTY dusting a flour (not usually advised during bread shaping) is going to be your friend here.
Eighth – less a tip, more a ‘YOU MUST’! Having made these, you are going to have so much fun with your sandwiches. Cheeses: cheddar, ricotta, mozzarella, or meats, you could go for spicy tuna/egg with mayo, layer it up roasted veggies, or pickles, add salty crisps (obv), rub it with garlicky oil, toast it, dunk it… LOVE IT!
Oh oh, a 9th note – the weather seems to have turned (for the better in my opinion) and it’s no longer arctic in my kitchen. The ambient temperature in my kitchen when I made these was around 18C – if you’re making them in warmer or cooler conditions, your timings may alter a bit – I’m afraid this is where experience comes in but as I said above, I’ve also suggested things to look for which show that your dough is developed, strong, and nicely proofed.
Right, I think I’ve prepped you enough for this one, go have a go!
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