Snaps II

Rye starter after five and a half weeks in fridge: White granular crust on surface, fine underneath. Refreshed a.m. – pictured following morning. As I expected took longer to pick up than the white. Starter had risen, fallen and was quite active.

Holiday Snaps

Well, yes, we’re home after getting a final comprehensive soaking (and a fabulous last meal at Tupina) in Bordeaux on Saturday night. As well as the annual self portrait of Sue and me sitting against the hedge I usually do the starter snaps for those doubters who are scared of their leaven. Before we left […]

Suntan!!!

After being here the best part of four week I’ve finally got a light suntan – on my burger buns. Decided to make the perfect burger/frites in the most difficult conditions – crap oven, impossible to get any serious heat into the frying oil. Did pretty well really. Made brioche buns and green olive and […]

Still here …

…. but less tha two weeks left. The only thing you can say about the weather after three weeks is that the rest of France (and Europe) are having it worse. This oven gives a new meaning to “white bread”: Doesn’t matter what flour you use, it comes out white. Had a go at olive […]

Page 43

“Please may I buy a copy of this wonderful book?” emails Martin. I’m totally impervious to praise, you understand. But, if you’ve already put your hand in your pocket and bought Bethesdabasics, here’s a bit of bonus so turn to Page 43 – Tortillas. We had the second half of a chicken in the fridge […]

Technology!

Been here best part of two weeks already and it is the feast of St Honore, patron saint of bakers and it’s pissing it down. I am being SERIOUSLY challenged by technology. Just before we came to France I bought a Blackberry Playpad and a little keyboard and we brought this and a laptop over […]

France 2013 01

Well, here we are back in France yet again, in Arcachon yet again, in the studio at Villa l’Alma yet again. For all of you suffering from starter phobia: I refreshed my starter last Thursday, put some in the fridge for the next bake in the middle of June, put a little in the corner […]

Dutch Banana Bread

Gert, one of my commercial customers, translated a bunch of Dutch sourdough recipes for me some time back which was very kind of him but now, of course, it’s payback time. I’ve already been called on to make him sauerkraut bread; this time it was banana. The politest way of describing the style of the […]

A Kitchen Drawer

There is something about Bethesda Rugby Club that is just beyond description. You could say it was tatty, even scruffy but that tells you nothing. It’s a huge rectangular single storey building that you feel is standing up better in some places than others – part of the ceiling over the pool table collapsed recently […]

Dead Thatcher Bread

It’s a problem ain’t it. It’s easy enough to create a bread for a special occasion: St David’s Day, St Patrick, The first Barack Obama Inauguration, Wales Grand Slam last year. But what do you do when someone like Thatcher dies? Never mind the fact that no one’s going to buy Dead Thatcher Bread, or […]