Fig and fennel pull-apart bread

October 11, 2020 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments

A Nordic, more savoury dough to be enjoyed with butter and black coffee – easy to make.

Ingredients

  • 125 g(4½ oz/½ cup) Greek-style yoghurt
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 3 Tabs olive oil
  • 2 tsp dried instant yeast
  • 225 g (8 oz/1½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 225 g (8 oz/1½ cups) wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour
  • 1 Tab raw sugar
  • ½ tsp salt

Filling

  • 185 g(6½ oz/1 cup) soft dried figs, chopped
  • 30 g(1 oz) butter, melted
  • 100 g(3½ oz) fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 Tab dark brown sugar

    This recipe makes 1 x 800 g ( 1lb 12 oz ) loaf.

    Rising time 45 minutes

    Mix the yoghurt, egg and olive oil together in a bowl with 170 ml (6 fl oz/⅔ cup) of water until well combined. Stir in the instant yeast to dissolve.

    Gradually add the flours, sugar and salt and mix everything together to form an elastic dough, then tip onto a clean floured work surface and knead for 2–3 minutes until smooth. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

    While the dough is rising, prepare the filling by putting all the ingredients in a bowl and gently tossing together.

    Once risen, transfer the dough to the work surface and form into a snake-shaped log about 60 cm (24 in) long. Fold the log back on itself to create a ‘U’ shape with a trough running down the middle of the dough.

    Line the trough with the filling ingredients then, holding the end of the dough with two ends, twist the opposite end clockwise three times on itself. Filling will go everywhere, but you can stuff it back in the right places once you have your basic twisted shape. Place the shaped loaf in a greased and floured 25 cm x 12 cm (10 in x 4½ in) loaf tin and set aside to rise for another 15 minutes.

    Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

    Once risen, transfer the loaf tin to the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the loaf is lightly golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Turn out and serve warm, spread with butter and accompanied by a pot of coffee.

    Cook’s notes

    Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Sticky Cranberry Gingerbread

June 8, 2020 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments

8 to 10 servings for dessert – with whipped cream

INGREDIENTS – halve all sugars, leave butter as is.

  • 2 cups/8 ounces/266 grams fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1 cup/200 grams white sugar
  • 113 grams unsalted butter
  • ⅔ cup/133 grams dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup/120 ml whole milk
  • ½ cup/120 ml maple syrup
  • ¼ cup/60 ml molasses
  • 1 ½ cups/185g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon/5g ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon/1g ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon BP
  • ½ teaspoon/3 fine sea salt 
  • ¼ teaspoon bicarb
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 Tab /14 grams grated fresh ginger (from 1-inch piece)

    PREPARATION

    1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9-inch square or round baking pan with parchment.
    2. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir together cranberries, granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Stir the cranberries over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and cranberries form a sauce that is syrupy and bubbling thickly, about 10 minutes. Aim to have about half the cranberries broken down, with the remainder more or less whole.
    3. In a separate saucepan, stir together the butter, brown sugar, milk, maple syrup and molasses over medium heat. Bring it to just barely a simmer and then remove it from the heat. Do not let it come to a boil, or the mixture may curdle.
    4. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda and black pepper. Beat in the butter-maple syrup mixture and then beat in the eggs. Stir in the ginger.
    5. Scrape the batter into the pan. Drop fat dollops of cranberry sauce onto the surface of the cake batter. Drag a long, slender knife through the batter in a swirly design, as if you are marbling a cake. Transfer the cake to the oven and bake it until the top is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire baking rack and let the cake cool completely before eating it.

 

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