Update: End of August 2026

What can I say? I just checked and it’s been about three months since I posted on this blog and yet I still get between ten and twenty hits a day and the odd two hundred, presumably when I get a mention on another bread site. I know this is minuscule compared with the current […]

Crevette & Squid Pizza

This is a mighty beast of a deep-pan pizza I made for two German friends of my neighbour Steffi. Just back from France myself, I had to improvise with what was in the freezer or on the shelves. To start off with, the dough. I used an old, handleless, non-stick frying pan, 10½” in diameter, […]

Improv

My turn to cook on Saturday at the Sporadic Neighbours’ Late Late Lunch Club. Asparagus to start followed by Garlic Lovers’ Italian Sausage deep pan pizza and Steffi, our neighbour of many years, contributed some imaginative salads. Still finding cooking for one difficult – not talking about the social and emotional aspect which is a […]

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 […]