Sue

People who follow this blog but are not in any other contact with me may not have heard that Sue Wilson, my wife and partner of nearly 50 years, died very suddenly on 10 December. It was a very strong and enduring relationship that I’m not yet ready to talk about. Many of you who […]

Challah-gain

What haven’t I baked for a long time? (The familiar cry of the retired baker. It was easier to have variety when there was a potential sixty customers than there is for just the two of us.). I know, Wholemeal Raisin Challah, the old one I put together years back, not the Babka Zana one […]

Bad Boy Bread

I like a loaf that looks a bit of a ruffian. I get so tired of rows of perfect white batards that bakers seem to be aiming for these days. An ear and an edge of feathery foliage delicately cut along its length. Yuck! lets have a bit of aggression. It’s bread we’re talking about […]

2K #137

Yes, I know. I’ve posted about 2 Kilo loaves dozens of times. But this is the first one I’ve baked in ages. Can’t remember the last time I baked one in the Pico and I’ve had the oven for four years now. 2K’s used to be available to order every week and it was unusual […]

Elephant!

Le Grand Elephant at Les Machines de l’Ile, Nantes has to be the daftest and most wonderful creation ever. 12 meters high, 8 meters wide and able to carry up to 49 passengers, it weighs 45 tons. And it can squirt water at you from its trunk. I’m afraid I only got a snippet of […]

Old Favourite

Black Olive, Rosemary and Caramelised Onion Focaccia – a classic … 400 grams 80% hydration dough, in this case 72 hours in the fridge, couple of hours rising in the tin, about 16 minutes in the Pico 300C top and bottom. Topping: couple of onions, garlic sliced and fried in olive oil with a few […]

Bannetons

The time has come for me to get rid of most of my proving baskets. They’ve been sitting around since I retired a few years ago with only a couple of them in regular use. I’m particularly fond of them, especially the Vanerie de Villaines baskets which are serious pieces of work and come at […]

Mongrel Brioche

Sue provided the goodies for her reading group garden party at the start of last week – chocolate cake, gluten free, of course, when two or three are gathered together, plus individual nectarine pavlovas – lucky scoffers … A few days later there were various scraps still lurking in the fridge – egg yolks from […]

Panwozzo II

Actually it’s more like Panwozzo VI (see Panwozzo? to learn about it’s meaning and origins). It’s not difficult, I just have trouble getting it right. You make your pizza dough (c. 200g each) and give it a day or two in the fridge. Shape each pizza into an elongated shape like a pita bread. This […]

Bottle Bank

This was our neighbourhood bottle bank in Arcachon during our recent holiday. This is Saint Thomas Illyricus. This is where Catholic guilt kicks in. They’ve parked him right opposite so he can count your empties as they crash into the bottle bank …