Bramley Apple Bread

A sort of cross between a hearty wholegrain loaf and a cake. It’s absolutely brilliant warm with butter and honey for breakfast, or with a slab of cheese and a bowl of soup for lunch or tea.

10 mins (prep) | 30 mins (cooking)

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

• 150g plain flour
• 200g wholewheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 large Bramley apple, peeled and coarsley grated
• 50g butter, melted
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 egg, whisked
• 250ml apple juice
• A few handfuls of dried fruit 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
2. Brush a loaf tin with oil or butter. Coat with a dusting of flour – the old fashioned way to prevent it from sticking.
3. Combine dry ingredients. Fold in the grated apples. Top with the wet ingredients and nuts dried fruit.
4. Gently fold all the ingredients together, careful not to overmix.
5. Tip into the tin. 
6. Bake for 30 mins, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
7. Let it cool for 10-15 mins before serving or trying to remove from the pan.

Swedish Cinnamon Buns

From Anne's Food
Makes 40

80 g fresh yeast
2 eggs
500 ml finger-warm milk (2 cups)
1 kg wheat flour
200 g demerara or muscovado sugar
150 g butter, softened
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cardamom

Filling:
80 g butter, softened
demerara or muscovado sugar
cinnamon

Decoration:
1 egg, beaten with 1/2 tsp water, and a tiny pinch of salt
pearl sugar

Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Add some of the tepid milk, and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the rest of the milk, half of the flour and both of the eggs. Leave to proof, covered, for one hour.

Add the rest of the flour, the sugar, salt, cardamom and butter. Work into a smooth and silky dough. Here's when you might need a bit more flour. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover and leave to proof for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into two. Roll out each part to a large rectangle. Spread with butter, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll each rectangle into a tight roll, starting at the long edge, and cut each roll into about 20 pieces. Place each piece in a paper cup on a baking sheet (covered with parchment paper so you won't end up with a mess), cover and leave to proof for 30 minutes.

Beat the egg with a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp of water, and brush this carefully on the buns. Finish by a light sprinkling of pearl sugar.

Bake at 250°C for 6-8 minutes, until they're as golden as you like them.

coriander flat bread

Mix together in a bowl

7 oz self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

pinch of salt

Add 2 tbsp sunflower oil, then gradually mix in 6-7 tbsp water to make a soft dough.

Cut the dough into 6 pieces  and roll out each piece thinly on a floured surface to form an oval.

Fry in a frying pan untill puffy, about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Carrot Seed Bread

adapted from Anne's Food
makes 20
1 sachet dried yeast
500 ml milk
50 ml golden syrup (molasses would work well, or honey)
1 tsp salt
100 ml neutral oil, such as canola
50 g crushed linseed
50 g sesame seeds
100 g dried apricots, finely chopped
200 g carrots, grated
1 kg high-protein bread flour
Add ingredients in order suggested by your breadmaker. Use the dough cycle.
Divide into 20 equal pieces (mine weighed about 100 g each), and shape into nice, firm rolls. Place on baking sheets, cover with a tea towel again and leave to rise for about 30 minutes.
Bake at 200°C for about 15 minutes. (I use a fan-assisted oven, it might take a bit longer in a regular one.)

ratatouille bread

Seeing as it's Mabon I am making a batch of my delicious ratatouille bread. Firstly I need to cook my ratatouille (unless of course I have some ready cooked in the freezer).

Ratatouille

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 sliced aubergine

2 sliced courgettes  

1 deseeded and chopped red pepper

1 deseeded and sliced yellow pepper

2 chopped garlic cloves

14 oz chopped tomatoes or 1 tin chopped tomatoes

1/4 pint vegetable stock

rosemary

pepper (add salt as well if not intending to bake with it).

Method

Fry your aubergine, peppers, garlic, onion, and courgettes in the olive oil. Set aside to cool.

Add everything to your slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours.

Measure into 1 and 1/2 cup servings and freeze. Reserve one serving if you wish to bake your bread straight away.

Now you can make your bread

Ratatouille bread

Ingredients

Add to your bread maker in this order

1 1'2 cups ratatouille (if frozen make sure it's defrosted thoroughly before you use it.)

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp margarine

1 tsp salt

3 cups strong bread flour

2 tbsp dried yeast

Press the button and away you go, it's really that easy.

I suggest you check on the consistency after 5 minutes, if it's too dry add a little water, it really doesn't matter if it's too wet.

This bread is absolutely delicious with any baked beans recipe. It also makes sandwiches to die for.