Soft White Dinner Rolls

Softness like a little pillow!

Recipe adapted from Nigella

Ingredients:
For the dough:-

• 500-600g plain flour
• 1 sachet rapid rise, bread machine or other instant yeast
• 1/2 tablespoon salt [I actually less but I'm fanatic about keeping salt to a minimum]
• 1tablespoon caster sugar
• 375ml milk
• 20-25g butter

Optional for toppings:-

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoons poppy seeds

Directions:

Serves: Makes 30

1. Combing 500g of the flour with the instant yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Put the milk and butter into a saucepan and heat until the milk is warm, and the butter is beginning to melt.
3. Pour into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix with a fork or a wooden spoon to make a rough dough, adding more of the remaining flour if the dough is too wet. Then either using your hands or the dough hook on an electric mixer, knead the dough until it is smooth and silky.
4. Put the ball of dough into a greased bowl and cover the top with clingfilm, then leave in a warm place to rise for an hour by which time it should be double the size. Punch the air out of the dough with your fist and then turn it out on to a floured surface.
5. Pull pieces of dough the size of walnuts off the dough and form them into small round rolls, like ping pong balls, placing them as you go on to a greased or lined baking sheet. The balls of dough should be about 5mm apart so that once they have sat to prove they will be just about touching. I get 30 balls of dough, and I arrange them in six lines of five.
6. Cover them with a tea-towel and leave to rise again in a warm place for about half an hour, preheating the oven to gas mark 7/220°C, while they sit. When the buns have puffed up, beat together the egg, milk and a pinch of salt and paint them with the glaze. Scatter alternate lines of buns with sesame and poppy seeds, leaving plain rows in between. (A teaspoon of seeds should decorate two rows.) That's to say, a row of poppy-topped, then a row of sesame-topped, then one row of plain and then repeat again.
7. Bake the buns for 15 minutes by which time they should be golden brown and joined together in a little batch. Remove them to a cooling rack or serve immediately. 

Enjoy warm with real butter!

Tomato & Mozzarella Crown Loaf

A delicious variation of the COURONNE loaf - super for picnics.

The name COURONNE comes from the French for Crown - shaped in a circle so it could be easily carried on your arm.


Ingredients:

For the bread: 

• 500g Strong White Flour
• 1tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried active yeast
• 175ml warm water
• 200g natural yoghurt

For the filling:

• 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 ball (approx 100g) mozzarella drained and diced
• Hand full of fresh basil, torn.

Directions:

Create the dough in the traditional way - add the yeast to the warm water and allow to activate, then mix in the yoghurt.  Add to the flour and salt and mix into a soft dough.  Kneed for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Set aside for ~1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.

Knock back the dough and kneed for another few minutes.  Roll the dough out into a rectangle (approx 10 x 13in).  Cover the dough with the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.  Roll it up from the long side until it resembles a Swiss roll.  At this point, you can bring the two ends together to form a circle or for a more interesting bread, cut length ways along the roll and not quite to one end.  You will have two long pieces joined at one end; plait them together.  Twist into a circle shape pressing the ends together to join.

Place the dough on a greased baking tray and place a small bowl over the dough to help it keep the shape. Leave to rise for ~30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated over at 220c for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  Best eaten when still slightly warm.  Not my picture, but this is what you should get - looks nice!

Variation: You could also use this to make rolls -divide the dough into twelve balls.

Best ever - Irish Brown Soda Bread

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day; Sure where you be without it?

After much trial and tribulation here it is, tried and tested.


Ingredients:

• 1lb / 450g coarse wholemeal flour
• 6 oz / 175g self raising white flour (or use plain flour and add a teaspoon of baking powder)
• 2 oz  / 60g wheat germ
• 1 rounded teaspoon bread soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• ¾ pint / 450ml buttermilk (approx.)
• 1 tablespoon of Olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 360 °F / 180 °C.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl taking care to sift in the bread soda - lumpy bread soda causes burnt yellow spots in your bread.
• In a well in the centre add the oil and stir in enough buttermilk to make a fairly soft dough.
• Turn on to a work surface dusted with wholemeal flour and lightly pull together; no heavy kneading required.
• Form into a circular shape, about 3" thick, and place onto a baking sheet. Mark a deep cross in the top with a knife.  No need to be precise with this as any shape/design will do.
• Bake for about 15 minutes and then turn the heat down by 10 degrees and bake for a further 30-40 minutes until bread is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. 
• Cool on a wire rack and optionally wrap in a clean towel if you want to keep the crust on the soft side.

This recipe scales well so adjust as needed to make smaller or larger cakes [yes, Irish Brown bread is often referred to as a cake].

Softer Crust - Part II

How to achieve that elusive soft crust on home baked bread

Previously I wrote about tips and tricks to ensure that homemade bread (Irish brown bread in particular) doesn't suffer from an overly hard crust.  The adding of Oil and wrapping the bread in a tea-towel both help.

Recently I read that adding an egg would also help so I tried it last night.

Success !  This morning's bread is pretty much my best ever - here what I did:-

• Followed my basic Brown Bread Recipe
• Added two tablespoons Olive Oil
• Added one egg
• Lightly beat the egg and oil together before adding with the milk
  
• When finished baking, wrapped the bread in tea towel and allowed to cool
  

The result is slightly crumbly but definitely a softer crust.  Hooray!

Bruschetta

Get a taste of Italy with a superfood twist by using wholegrain bread. You can either serve the bread on its own with some garlic and olive oil or serve it with some tasty tomatoes.
Makes four slices

Ingredients

• 4 slices of wholegrain bread
  
• Half a clove of garlic
• Olive oil
• Tomatoes

Method

1. Take each slice of bread and cover lightly with half a teaspoon or so of olive oil
   
2. Put the slices under the grill, taking care not to overcook them
   
3. Hold the cut side of the garlic towards the bread and rub it lightly
   
4. Eat and enjoy
   
5. For extra flavour, chop some tomatoes and mix with olive oil
   
6. Place loosely on top of the cooked bruschetta

Brown bread ice-cream

Surely a candidate for the healthiest ice cream ever? A novel way of including wholegrain into your kid’s diet.

Serves 4- Suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients

• 110g wholemeal breadcrumbs
  
• 110 dark brown sugar
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 290ml of double cream
  
• 150ml of single cream
  
• 2 drops of vanilla essence
  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6
   
2. Leave the breadcrumbs to dry out in the oven for around 15 minutes or so
   
3. Mix the sugar in with the breadcrumbs and bring back to the oven for another 15 minutes
   
4. Remove from the oven, allow the mix to cool
   
5. Crush the sweetened crumbs together with the back of a spoon
   
6. Separate the egg yolks from the whites
   
7. Beat the yolks and mix in with the cream and the crumb mix
   
8. Whisk the egg whites until they are slightly stiff
   
9. Add to the mix and freeze in an airtight plastic container.

For a softer crust (Soda Bread)

A few tips on baking bread to get that elusive soft crust

These tips are, for the most part, aimed at soda bread recipes (white, brown, treacle, railway cake etc) although you can use this tip for any type of bread really.

1. Add a tablespoon of Oil to buttermilk - you can also make this a health benefit!
   
2. When the bread is ready, remove it from the oven and wrap the bread in a tea-towel or cloth and allow to cool on a wire rack. The heat releases slowly through the cloth and softens the crust.
   

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Currant Cake

Railway Cake / Currnie Cake / Sweet Soda Bread

A variation on the standard White Soda Bread is a sweeter bread with a variety of names - depends what part of the country you're in! The addition of sugar, an egg and Currants/Raisins/Sultanas to the bread results in ... a Cake!

So, by following the same basic recipe a bread can quickly become a Cake; in reality it is more of a sweet bread which is great with butter, jam and cup of tea.


Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450g/3¼ cups) white flour, preferably unbleached
• 1 level teaspoon/½ American teaspoon salt
• 1 level teaspoon/½ American teaspoon breadsoda
• Sour milk or buttermilk to mix - 12-14 fl ozs (350-412 ml) approx.
• 1 cup Currants or Raisons or Sultanas (I prefer plump juicy Sultanas)
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 egg

Directions:
First fully preheat your oven to 230ºC/450ºF/regulo 8.

Sieve all the dry ingredients and mix in the fruit. Make a well in the centre. Beat the egg and mix it with the buttermilk. Pour most of the milk mixture in at once. Using one hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well floured worked surface. WASH AND DRY YOUR HANDS. Knead lightly for a second, just enough to tidy it up, flip over. Pat the dough into a round about 1½ inches (2.5cm) deep and cut a cross. Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this. Bake in a hot oven, 230ºC/450ºF/regulo 8 for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/regulo 6 for 30 minutes or until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.

Wrap in a clean tea-towel and leave on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy with butter, jam and a cup of tea!


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Irish Brown Bread

Irish Brown bread - also referred to as Brown Soda Bread; this is very similar to the White Soda bread except for the wholemeal flour... and I love to add a few extras.

Ingredients:

• 1lb / 450g coarse wholemeal flour
• 6 oz / 175g plain white flour
• 1 rounded teaspoon bread soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ pint / 450ml buttermilk (approx.)

Directions:

• Preheat over to 400 °F / 200 °C / gas mark 6.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir in enough buttermilk to make a fairly soft dough.
• Turn on to a work surface dusted with wholemeal flour and lightly pull together; no heavy kneading required.
• Form into a circle, about 2" thick, and place onto a baking sheet. Mark a deep cross in the top with a knife. 
• Bake for about 45 minutes, until bread is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. 
• Cool on a wire rack and optionally wrap in a clean tea/dish towel if you want to keep the crust soft.

Optional Ingredients:

I like to add Wheatgerm and Flaxseed to my brown bread - it adds colour, complexity and of course it's good for you. Usually a few tablespoons will do but feel free to experiment. I also add a little oil which makes the bread nice and soft, lately I've been using Flax Oil as it has some additional health benefits over Olive Oil (which is also great by the way); a couple of tablespoons added along with the buttermilk.

Garlic & Coriander Naan Bread

Follow the basic recipe for Naan Bread but add some grated Garlic and finely chopped Coriander leaves to the dry ingredients. I'm not giving amounts here as it's a matter of taste as to how much is enough or indeed too much!

In fact there are lots of variations you can try - I recently added some sun dried tomatoes and it proved to be delicious.

Naan Bread

Okay, I know -it's not Irish but I love Indian food and Naan bread just goes with Indian food so well.

Ingredients:

450-grams Strong White Flour
2-tsp Sesame Seeds
1-tbsp Baking Powder (*You can also use yeast in this recipe, use the ready-prepared type)
½-tsp Onion Seed
1-tsp Granulated Sugar
2 tbsp Yoghurt
1 tsp Aromatic Salt
Ghee, melted
Luke Warm Water

Directions:

Place in all ingredients except the ghee in a large glass bowl. Add warm water incrementally, while working the flour into a lump with your fingers. Transfer the dough onto a floured board and knead it until it is well combined. Return the dough to the bowl and place it in a warm place for 2 hours to rise. When risen the dough should have doubled in bulk and become bubbly and elastic. Knead the dough back down to its original size.

Divide the dough into 2 identical portions. Work each ball into a 5mm thick disc on a floured work surface.

Preheat your grill to ¾-heat, cover the rack with foil and set it in mid-way . Grill the Naan on the foil; bear in mind Naan burns easily . Take the Naan off the grill as soon as the 1st side develops brown patches. Turn the Naan over and brush the uncooked side with melted ghee. Return the bread to the grill and cook it until sizzling, the remove it. Repeat with the other Naan

Serve it hot with a spicy curry (like Madras, Vindaloo if you're insides can take the heat).

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450g/3¼ cups) white flour, preferably unbleached
• 1 level teaspoon/½ American teaspoon salt
• 1 level teaspoon/½ American teaspoon breadsoda
• Sour milk or buttermilk to mix - 12-14 fl ozs (350-412 ml) approx.

Directions:

Soda bread only takes 2 or 3 minutes to make and 20-30 minutes to bake. For the novice, it's a great way to start baking!

First fully preheat your oven to 230ºC/450ºF/regulo 8.
Sieve the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre. Pour most of the milk in at once. Using one hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well floured worked surface. WASH AND DRY YOUR HANDS. Knead lightly for a second, just enough to tidy it up, flip over. Pat the dough into a round about 1½ inches (2.5cm) deep and cut a cross. Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this. Bake in a hot oven, 230ºC/450ºF/regulo 8 for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/regulo 6 for 30 minutes or until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.

We have had the greatest fun experimenting with different variations and uses. It's also great with olives, sun dried tomatoes or caramelized onions added, so the possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread.


Variations:

We have had the greatest fun experimenting with different variations and uses. It's also great with olives, sun dried tomatoes or caramelized onions added, so the possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread.

Also try different shapes and of course, you can make soda bread scones!