I have been on a health kick. It's not my usual style and I suspect it may not last long, but whilst I've been in the right frame of mind I've been going for it. My main driver for this has been the yoga teacher training course that I am now nearly half way through (how did that happen). In yogaland, if not in the real world, it's been spring time and I have decided that if I am ever going to embrace the yogi lifestyle it should probably be now.
Spring is all about cleansing: getting rid of the winter love handles, clearing out your house, planning for the future, and giving your body a stretch and some much needed respite from the every day excesses that usually get me from 9 to 5 and beyond. Feeling inspired, I set to work. The cupboards have been emptied and ebayed, I've done my home yoga practice and meditation like a good girl most days, and I've been trying to cut back on caffeine, alcohol and any processed food whilst getting lots of green onto my plate to alkalise my diet which is supposed to be the best way to energise your life.
The most extreme part of all this has been a 7 day juice detox, where I drank 5 freshly squeezed fruit and veg juices every day, and nothing else (apart from the odd home made lemon or fennel tea). Most of them were spiked with spirulina (a blue green algae superfood) or wheatgrass and were various shades of yummy greenness apart from the odd vibrant carroty orange or bloodred beetroot.
It was hard.
The first few days were full of aches and pains as my body went cold turkey on all its usual stimulants, and even though I wasn't hungry I spent a lot of time fantaising about eating Greggs pasties and Chinese all you can eat buffets, which is strange because I really don't like either much. However, I did it and at the end of the week I felt great; full of energy and just a little bit smug! Since then I've kept up the caffeine free life (apart from the odd square or two of dark chocolate) and I've been juicing each morning and keeping up the effort to make sure my plate has much more healthy green stuff on it then anything else. The wine, however, is back although in a much more restrained style.
For all the difficult bits, I would do it again, and it certainly taught me some things about myself that I wasn't fully aprreciative of before:
1. I have much stronger will power then I thought I did
2. I love cooking and eating food with my family and friends much more than I thought I did.
The planning, preparation and consumption of good food is a sociable, relaxing and enjoyable part of my every day life and I really missed it. Fortunately, springtime is also about having fun and being a social animal, so without further ado I am off to open a bottle and sit in the sunshine with an Italian inspired feast to celebrate the important things in life and the fact that my shorts from last year, now that I've finally got a chance to wear them again, are significantly less snug then I remember them. Cheers to that!
Saturday 25 May 2013
Sunday 12 May 2013
Celebrating Sourdough
One of the things that has surprised me most about starting Hels' Bakehouse has been the number of people who say "I'm not sure if I could get through a whole loaf." Perhaps I am just very greedy but my problem has always been more like, "I'm not sure if I can stop myself eating a whole loaf in one go!"
Anyway, last week there were a couple of unsold Sourdough's from Edenmill Farm Shop, so I decided that to tie in with Real Bread week (11th-17th May) that I would do a special blog post all about the mighty Sourdough loaf; how it is made, what makes it special and how you can make sure you use it all up.
Sourdoughs tend to be more expensive then your average loaf, which I think probably puts people off unless you have tried it before, but there are some very good reasons for this:
1. A good one will take around 24hrs to make from start to finish, whilst your average yeasted loaf takes just 3. This is because sourdoughs are made using a fermented starter, and therefore take much longer to rise and much more effort on the part of the baker to make something that looks like a loaf.
2. They tend to be larger and keep really well, so you don't need to worry about them going stale after a day or so. Make sure you store your bread in a cotton bag so it can breathe. It won't go mouldy and should be useable for up to a week.
3. They taste amazing! The texture of a good Sourdough should have a thick crust and a chewy flavoursome crumb. The flavour comes from using a starter of fermented flour and water which will have been lovingly fed and nurtured for many weeks, months and if not years. Google them and be amazed at how much you can sell some prized starer for!
4. They are good for you. Not only are the natural yeasts developed in the dough full of friendly bacteria, but the long fermentation process also makes the bread easier to digest. Sourdough is therefore a great choice for people who want to avoid that bloating feeling without giving up bread. People with mild wheat intolerances may also want to give Sourdough a go for these reasons as many have reported they find it much easier to tolerate. It's not gluten free though!
5. A little goes a long way - not only will this bread make the most delicious toast, it is the bread that keeps on giving! From dunking in soups to Italian salads or being the soup itself (I first ate Sourdough in San Francisco where they turn it into bread bowls for their famous clam chowder). This week I transformed my 4 & 5 day old Sourdough into the following delicious meals:
Bread & vegetable stew with white wine, chickpeas, fennel and home made basil pesto - an Ottolenghi recipe from The Guardian website:
Panzanella salad with oven toasted sourdough soaked in a tomato, red wine vinegar & garlic dressing with cucumber, capers, basil and black olives. This particular recipe comes from Rick Stein's Food Heroes book but there are loads out there:
I also attempted to capture the 12 step Sourdough making process on Twitter this week in my real time Life of a Bakehouse Sourdough photo diary. Check it out and find out what it takes to get from here...
to here...
to here!
If you fancy having a go at making Sourdough yourself then there is plenty of information out there about how to get started or you could sign up for a bread class with your local friendly Real Bread maker. Personally, I first went on a one day course with the wonderful Lesley Martin of Lesley's Kitchen and have never looked back (Tip: her cakes and welcome are as good as her bread!).
In conclusion, if you haven't tried it before give some Sourdough a chance this week and help to celebrate Real Bread by supporting local artisan bakers. Think of it as a bread investment and enjoy a great bread, made with love and packed as much with good feeling as it is flavour.
Anyway, last week there were a couple of unsold Sourdough's from Edenmill Farm Shop, so I decided that to tie in with Real Bread week (11th-17th May) that I would do a special blog post all about the mighty Sourdough loaf; how it is made, what makes it special and how you can make sure you use it all up.
Sourdoughs tend to be more expensive then your average loaf, which I think probably puts people off unless you have tried it before, but there are some very good reasons for this:
1. A good one will take around 24hrs to make from start to finish, whilst your average yeasted loaf takes just 3. This is because sourdoughs are made using a fermented starter, and therefore take much longer to rise and much more effort on the part of the baker to make something that looks like a loaf.
2. They tend to be larger and keep really well, so you don't need to worry about them going stale after a day or so. Make sure you store your bread in a cotton bag so it can breathe. It won't go mouldy and should be useable for up to a week.
3. They taste amazing! The texture of a good Sourdough should have a thick crust and a chewy flavoursome crumb. The flavour comes from using a starter of fermented flour and water which will have been lovingly fed and nurtured for many weeks, months and if not years. Google them and be amazed at how much you can sell some prized starer for!
4. They are good for you. Not only are the natural yeasts developed in the dough full of friendly bacteria, but the long fermentation process also makes the bread easier to digest. Sourdough is therefore a great choice for people who want to avoid that bloating feeling without giving up bread. People with mild wheat intolerances may also want to give Sourdough a go for these reasons as many have reported they find it much easier to tolerate. It's not gluten free though!
5. A little goes a long way - not only will this bread make the most delicious toast, it is the bread that keeps on giving! From dunking in soups to Italian salads or being the soup itself (I first ate Sourdough in San Francisco where they turn it into bread bowls for their famous clam chowder). This week I transformed my 4 & 5 day old Sourdough into the following delicious meals:
Bread & vegetable stew with white wine, chickpeas, fennel and home made basil pesto - an Ottolenghi recipe from The Guardian website:
Panzanella salad with oven toasted sourdough soaked in a tomato, red wine vinegar & garlic dressing with cucumber, capers, basil and black olives. This particular recipe comes from Rick Stein's Food Heroes book but there are loads out there:
I also attempted to capture the 12 step Sourdough making process on Twitter this week in my real time Life of a Bakehouse Sourdough photo diary. Check it out and find out what it takes to get from here...
to here...
to here!
If you fancy having a go at making Sourdough yourself then there is plenty of information out there about how to get started or you could sign up for a bread class with your local friendly Real Bread maker. Personally, I first went on a one day course with the wonderful Lesley Martin of Lesley's Kitchen and have never looked back (Tip: her cakes and welcome are as good as her bread!).
In conclusion, if you haven't tried it before give some Sourdough a chance this week and help to celebrate Real Bread by supporting local artisan bakers. Think of it as a bread investment and enjoy a great bread, made with love and packed as much with good feeling as it is flavour.
Monday 6 May 2013
Breaducating Strathblanefield
So Real Bread week is but a stones throw away, but I decided to get the party started early in Strathblanefield with my first foray into Breaducation: teaching 25 Girl Guides how to make their own bread. We knew it would be messy, we knew it would be fun, but would any of them get the baking bug or would it all end in a sticky, yeasty mess? The answer of course is yes to both!
With only an hour and a half to get them baking I did a 'Blue Peter' and had prepared dough in different stages before hand so they could see each bit of the process before making their own in teams of three, which then got divided and bagged to take home, prove overnight in the fridge and bake the next day. They were then tasked with sending me a picture of their creations to be in with a chance of winning some Hels' Bakehouse goodies. Here's what they made:
First prize went to Iona Campbell for her amazing plaited loaf (second from top, puts mine to shame!), whilst Eilidh Jones picked up the runners up award for her well risen and nicely fired mini loaf (top). Vivienne, was disqualified despite making multiple beautiful loaves (bottom picture), as she is one of the leaders!
I for one needed a large glass of wine and a long sleep to recover, and I did feel slightly guilty about the amount of dough stuck to clothes, hands, hair, tables and the floor, but it was great fun and brilliant to see all the Guides having fun and getting involved in their bread making efforts.
Hopefully it will not be the last time I venture into the world of bread making education, but for now I will enjoy the relative serenity & cleanliness of the Hels' Bakehouse kitchen at 5am with renewed appreciation!
Well done to everyone who took part and thank you for inviting me to share my enthusisam for Real Bread with you!
With only an hour and a half to get them baking I did a 'Blue Peter' and had prepared dough in different stages before hand so they could see each bit of the process before making their own in teams of three, which then got divided and bagged to take home, prove overnight in the fridge and bake the next day. They were then tasked with sending me a picture of their creations to be in with a chance of winning some Hels' Bakehouse goodies. Here's what they made:
First prize went to Iona Campbell for her amazing plaited loaf (second from top, puts mine to shame!), whilst Eilidh Jones picked up the runners up award for her well risen and nicely fired mini loaf (top). Vivienne, was disqualified despite making multiple beautiful loaves (bottom picture), as she is one of the leaders!
I for one needed a large glass of wine and a long sleep to recover, and I did feel slightly guilty about the amount of dough stuck to clothes, hands, hair, tables and the floor, but it was great fun and brilliant to see all the Guides having fun and getting involved in their bread making efforts.
Hopefully it will not be the last time I venture into the world of bread making education, but for now I will enjoy the relative serenity & cleanliness of the Hels' Bakehouse kitchen at 5am with renewed appreciation!
Well done to everyone who took part and thank you for inviting me to share my enthusisam for Real Bread with you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)