Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

 There are four names regularly mentioned with great affection in our house whenever the topic of breadmaking arises – Kevin Sherrie and Johnny B (the millers), Richard Bertinet (aka “The Frenchman”) and Dan the Man.

Dan Lepard, a former Melbournian and all round good guy, has gone on to become one of the most respected bakers in the UK.  The Handmade Loaf is as comprehensive and enjoyable a read as you’re ever likely to find in a bread book.  A few of his recipes have become our household staples, particularly his sourdough focaccia, which was the basis of all school lunches for nearly two years.

This book provides a wealth of ideas and techniques, interwoven with photos and stories of old and new world bakers from all over Europe. Whereas most bread texts deal with manipulating a given dough in a multitude of ways, Dan’s book is full of innovative recipes and suggestions, such as this one for including leftover ricotta in your loaf.

If you live where I do, you’ll often end up with half a tub of ricotta in the fridge.  That’s because the lure of warm, fresh ricotta for  the price of a gold coin tempts you daily, often before you’ve finished the perfectly fine batch you bought a few days ago.  Loathe to throw out Friday’s purchase, I tried this recipe yesterday.  Pete was very happy with the results, which went particularly well with his homemade pluot jam.  This is a moist, fine-grained loaf with the distinct flavour of ricotta and just a little added richness from the curds.  Here are a few photos of the process…

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The best thing to do with leftover ricotta loaf is…bread and butter pudding!