Challenge six: Focaccia

Ala,

First attempt at olive dough, similar to a basic white dough but with the addition of semolina (for texture) and olive oil.

Unfortunately I didn't have a strong white bread flour left- the downside of upping the baking! My baking cupboard is very well stocked in regards to variety but I need to bulk buy white flour it seems. I wanted to make the Focaccia for a dinner party and there wasn't time to go to the shops so I had to improvise. I used the remaining strong white bread flour and added wholewheat- which I sifted, and self raising flour. I worked the dough as i would any other, it is slightly wetter but I found that the oil meant it didn't stick to my hands as much. I left it to prove for an hour under a tea towel in a warm cupboard while I prepped the evening meal. Once it had doubled in size, I transferred it to a high sided rectangular cake tin. Making sure I didn't stretch the dough I prodded it until it resembled focaccia- this process is strangely satisfying. This was then drizzled in olive oil and it then went back in the cupboard to rest for 45 mins. 

At this point we attempted to make gnocchi- EPIC FAIL!! I think the potato was overcooked and then I think i needed to add more flour. The dough came together easy enough, but when it hit the water it didn't hold together and became waterlogged. We served up spagetti with homemade pesto instead.

By this time the Focaccia was nearly ready to bake. I prodded it again, doused it in oil and gave it a final 30 min snooze under the tea towel. When it was ready, I used ample fresh rosemary and rock salt and put it straight in a hot oven for 25 minutes. The final oiling happened when it was hot out of the oven.

I was pleased with the look of the bread, but the consistency was wrong. I think it may have been the self raising flour as it tasted slightly cakey. It was slightly dry on its own so we served it with a prune infused oil that we bought from Buzzards Valley Vineyard. Sweet and sticky like an aged balsamic.

Overall I was pleased it went down well at the dinner party and we took the leftovers to a Halloween party on Saturday. It all went so it cant have been that bad.

Polly x

Challenge Five : Multi-seed Brown Loaf

Ala,

After a quick trip to Waitrose to get some specialist flour, I decided to turn my hand at a multi seed dough. Although not the prettiest of bread compared to the fougasse or the plaited loaves this one really delivers on flavour. This is my first non white dough recipe. It used strong white bread flour, wholemeal flour and malted multi-seed. As you would think it is quite a gritty dough as a result. You work the dough using the same method, or my method which involves quite a lot of flinging as if in a pizzeria! The basic aim being to add air into the dough. As I find it virtually impossible to stick to a recipe without adding my own touches, I added sesame seeds and oats to the mix. It didn't rise as much as some of the white dough have, but it had a good crumb. Unfortunately I was too quick bringing it out of the oven and so it was under baked :( I think it was because the crust is darker due to the darker flour and next time I need to be a little less cautious. Even though the bread was slightly under baked the flavour was really something special. 

Enjoyed warm with cheddar cheese.Simple. Delicious.

Polly x