This week…I learnt that my high hydration sourdoughs need to prove during daylight hours so that I can fuss over them and give them the folds and turns they need to build strength and elasticity.
Otherwise, as I found out a few days ago, the result is dough soup. I’d mixed up a batch before going to bed and left it on the bench overnight. It took several hours of regular folding the following morning before it was manageable.
I also learnt that baking in an enclosed pot is a blessing with these super wet doughs! I literally scooped and plopped the un-slashed dough into my heated Falcon Ware roasters and this is how they came out.
Third lesson of the morning – if I don’t pay attention to what I’m doing, I cock things up. Like putting twice as much dough as I normally would into each pot, resulting in humungous loaves that weighed nearly two kilos each…
Happily, the results were surprisingly good! If I’d tried to bake them uncovered, I’m pretty sure I’d have ended up with flat heavy loaves…
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This week…I visited the Maritime Museum to view Bryant Austin’s amazing Beautiful Whale exhibition. These lifesize whale photos are glorious and imposing, and well worth a visit to Darling Harbour.
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This week…has been hectic! So we’ve been eating simple meals.
Remember our Aldi egg cooker? It made perfect boiled eggs for dinner the other night. Somewhat counter-intuitively, you need to add more water for one egg than you do for seven. Naturally, this led to an entire dinner conversation on the physics of water evaporation and surface area…sigh…
As I knew we were in for a busy week, I’d slow cooked two pork hocks on the weekend (as I mentioned in my last post)…
The huge platter of pulled pork that resulted was enough to feed us for the entire week. Last night we had Cuban bread filled with meat, boiled broccoli raab, cheddar cheese and sriracha sauce (the latter was Pete’s suggestion, and it was a good match in flavour)…we toasted the sandwiches in the cafe press until crispy and hot…
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This week…I’ve been riding the Light Rail. We residents of Sydney’s inner west are benefiting from the service being extended this year to Dulwich Hill, which means we can now get into the city on comfortable new trams in just fifteen minutes. Today I paid my $5 return fare and went to the Sydney Fish Market. It was glorious weather, given that we’re still technically in winter…
Oysters were plentiful…
…and cooked lobsters were heavily discounted (I know all our North American friends will be astonished, but yes, that’s a very cheap price for local lobster!)…
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This week…I was inspired by a conversation with Sandra on her IMK post to make a batch of spiced nuts. We ended up with two kilos’ worth to eat and share…
The leftover yolks became microwave custard…
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This week…has been grand. How was your week?
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
A rather torrid week here Celia, as always lightened by your post. Thank you. We have been eating blood oranges fresh from a friends tree. Delicious.
Madge, I’m sorry to hear that. I hope this week is better.. xx
I’m glad you’ve had a grand week – and I’m jealous that you live so close to the wonderful city of Sydney !! My husband & I went there once quite a while ago and we loved it! This week – I’ve gotten back to blogging, after having been away for a while. And it feels so good to be back ! (If you get a second, check out my recent post featuring my gardens at night & an original poem.)
PS I’m hoping to do an ‘In My Kitchen’ post soon – I love that idea !!
Cecile, please do an IMK post, that would be wonderful! Cut off date is the 10th wherever in the world you are..so there are still 3 – 4 days to get your post up for August. If not, there’s always September! :)
I remember how happy I was when you posted my recipe for Maple Walnut Scones a while back – as part of International Scone Week !
What a week…and those painting so real…
Not paintings Norma, photos! :)
2kg sounds a pretty might loaf – I don’t think my bread knife would be big enough to cut across it. Just off to tend to my neglected bowl of dough that’s been sitting unloved and unfolded all day – just as well I don’t make high hydration loaves. Glad your egg cooker worked.
Anne, my bread knife wasn’t! That’s why it’s cut in half in the photo. :) I can’t get over how much better my loaves are looking coming out of the roasting pan – much nicer crust too!
Beautiful whale exhibit. Nice big loaves. Mine are often a similar size and shape, but baked on a cookie sheet. Nice harbour picture. The sandwich would be welcome here! I’ve been busy harvesting, freezing, canning. Winter will be here before we know it!
Manuela, you bake 2kg loaves regularly? That’s huge! I’ve actually tried baking another one and have now stored it in the large roasting pan (I figured it was similar to an old fashioned bread box). I’m going to see how long it lasts us – normally I’d divide it up and freeze it. Do you do that?
Been messing around with cornbread recipes here as well as other southern dishes. We’ve been eating a lot of black eyed peas and sweet potatoes. Hugs, Maz
Snap! I’ve been playing with cornbread recipes too!
My you have been busy this week! We have as well, though not nearly as much cooking and baking, despite my best laid plans. Ewan had three mornings of kindergarten orientation, we have a pool party tonight and Jack had a fever for a while. I’m sleep deprived and exhausted! Your breads look wonderful, even if it wasn’t how you planned them. Consider it a happy accident!
Sounds like you’ve been pretty busy too, Gretchen! :)
Gosh Celia, you cook more in a busy week than I do in a slow week! Love the idea of the spiced nuts and would you share your recipe for microwave custard, it looks delicious. I loved your dinner conversation around physics, actually, I just love dinner conversation when it is interesting. Thank you!
Ardys, of course! The recipe is at the bottom of this post:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2012/03/24/peach-friands-and-microwave-custard/
Interesting news about your high hyration loaves and cooking them in pots. I am keen to try this at some stage. Celia junior is calling me, I need to wake her up and feed her then plan a sourdough pizza.
Busy weeks require good freezers and pre-planning. I was chatting to Mr T about the disappointing crap we have eaten at restaurants since being back in Australia, and that from now on, eating out means pre- planning too.
This week has been a domestic goddess week also, catching up on outrageously neglected rooms. I realised that we have hardly been around all year and so things have piled up. My larder ( which doubles as a laundry) now looks quite inviting and has ceased being a dumping ground for the homeless.
Francesca, we freeze single portions of leftovers, and when we’re shattered, we go to the freezer and everyone gets to choose a frozen dinner. Works well for us! :)
A wonderful week – how lovely!
Thanks Tanya! Hope yours was too!
Celia, we’ve already finished the 500g of spiced nuts I made on Saturday, we totally pigged out they were so delicious! Wow those crays are cheap! Just off the boat they are still $70kg which means special occasions only!
Sandra, I won’t even tell you how the 2kg we made is going.. ;-) (But we did share them around a bit)
Glad your bread turned out surprisingly good in the end. Fantastic whale photos.
Such gorgeous seafood, How many lobster did you buy.
Norma, I didn’t buy any! I came home with mussels instead – they’re a steal here, organic Aus mussels for $5 – $10/kilo!
Wow! Your week has been full, Celia! I’m incredibly impressed by the size of those loaves and the photos of the fish market. I love fresh seafood. I’m lucky my week has been light cooking-wise, as we are still relishing in the summer produce and need only some chopped greens and veggies to toss into a salad. I’m looking forward to seeing all those scones next week!
Ngan, the Sydney Fish Market is famous and great fun to visit (and quite expensive, as it’s so touristy). It was a fun afternoon! :) Don’t you have the most fabulous seafood markets in San Fran?
Yes, we have some great seafood markets. I just don’t get to go to them as often as I’d like. :)
Sounds like a great week Celia, I hope the weekend is even better!
This week… I realised some of my Enthusiasms (as mentioned in your previous post) are really quite odd. Inner commentary in form of haiku just being one of them. I was perfectly happy with myself until you bought it to my attention Celia… :) xox
Enlightenment and
Self Awareness is never
A bad thing, Darling
:D
No, I’m not that deep,
I just like feeling smarter
Than everyone else :P xox
Ha ha ha ha ha!!
Humbled by auto correct!
Should read ‘Anyone’
So awesomely funny!
LOL! You were auto de-haiku’d!! ;-)
Hi Celia
Firstly, thank you for your blog I really enjoy it. I made your focaccia last week – yummo. I am a bit behind the times having bought the River Cottage Everyday cookbook only a couple of weeks ago. In one of yr posts (about 3yrs ago!) you mention that you make the digestive biscuits from this book. The recipe asks for oatmeal – is this the same as oat bran which is what I use for oatcakes?
Thanks. Ann
Hi Ann, thanks for stopping by. I’m not sure which post you’re referring to? Oatmeal over here is the stuff they sell for breakfast cereal – might be known as porridge oats? Hope that helps..
That’s it, no more being put off by the G.O.’s response to my suggestion we visit the Fish Markets, with “it stink’s”. As soon as we get a free weekend… arrgghh… I’m remedying that. And I really need to bake more bread. I might give baking it in the Chasseur a try :)
ED, the pots give the loaves such a nice shape! And let the Gorgeous One know that Fish Market doesn’t stink, and the views are lovely! :)
We called in late Saturday on our way home, too late for shopping but perfect timing for a lovely sunset over the water. I’m not too fussed on the outside dining area but will be back for seafood purchases :)
What a busy week and how wonderful that Sydney has actually invested in public transport. Here in Melbourne we are going to have another awful road built when all the figures show that we Melbournians want more public transport. As usual your breads look amazing,:)
Jody, I’m pretty sure the Light Rail has been modeled on the Melbourne tram system! :)
Hi lovely…. sounds like you have been busy, as always. Love the whale exhibition! How wonderful. We too have been busy, as you will have seen on Instagram… swimming is at the top of my agenda right now xo
Sounds like you’re having a fabulous time, Lizzy!
Hehe I can imagine that conversation about water and eggs! I thought of you when we walked past the Rabbit gallery the other day that you go to a lot!
We must get back there soon, haven’t been for ages!
Lots happening for you, Celia! Looked like a “sea week” with all those seafood and whale watching. I bet it was fun!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Jules, it was a bit! The whale photos are amazing – the large ones are composite photos from hundreds of others, but they look seamless!
A 2kg loaf is pretty hefty – good job you have two strapping young men at home to work their way through it! I love the photos of the whale especially the long blue one. I’m heading home and can’t wait to get back into my kitchen.
It really was a huge loaf – they managed to eat it though over a few days! :)
You could sell your pulled pork sandwiches for good money! The whale photos look incredible. A 2kg loaf of bread is impressive :)
The whale photos were fabulous! Not the hugest of whales, but we could still see how big they really were…
Hi Celia, my parents are in Dulwich Hill I’m so happy for them they now have the tram, I think they are very lucky to have the train and tram. They have been to the fish markets also, so convenient. Have had a busy long week at work, looking forward to a relaxing weekend and family dinner at my parents with great food and lots of it :) enjoy your weekend x
Stefanie, how nice for your folks, it really has made a difference to all of us living out this way. Hope the weekend was fabulous!
No matter how busy you are, you always eat well. Not sure I could have contributed much to the physics conversation but I definitely would have livened up at the whale exhibition xx
Hehe..I didn’t contribute to the physics conversation either.. ;-)
Everything is better with sriracha! :) I love that your frugality and food forethought let you rustle up delicious meals with “leftovers” Celia. I found a funny meme on Pinterest the other day that said “My mother fed us amazingly well on leftovers for 20 years…the funny thing is that none of us can remember the original meal!” ;). Lucky you with the trams. Out here we get 2 buses a day. One in the morning and one in the afternoon and if you miss your bus…TOO BAD ;). Love the physics conversation over dinner by the way. You are family after our own heart and it isn’t unusual (when we get together, my kids are all adults now) to be off on tangents about robots, gem stone hunting (thar be sapphires not too far away from Serendipity Farm), Korean pop bands and food. ALWAYS talk about food. I went out last night and had some amazing garlic chive pot stickers that I am still raving about today. Simple food but SO satisfying. Love your gorgeous bread and even though I retired “Herman” I am so tempted to give him another bash (he is dehydrated on my pantry shelf where he can remain in stasis and think about his (lack of) actions!) whenever I see your gorgeous sourdough loaves.
Fran, have you tried baking bread in your old Romertopf yet? And how annoying about the buses – we’re so spoilt living in a major city, you can almost always get where you want to go WHEN you want to go. Sapphires? That sounds very exciting.. ;-)
I haven’t tried baking bread in my old Romertopf but I figure I would have to avoid wet doughs as my Romertopf isn’t glazed inside. I might try it with a regular yeasted loaf first and see how it goes (how long it takes me to soak the stuck crumbs off ;) )
Remember, just line it with parchment paper – no problem with sticking then.. :)
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2014/05/22/more-bread-experiments-and-romertopf-sourdoughs/
Cheers Celia, that’s one thing that I DO have here :)
Busy. That’s what it’s been around these parts lately with another busy week coming up. But good busy this week :-)
How wonderful are those beautiful whales, glorious creatures they are.
Hope this week is as much fun as last week, Brydie!
OOOh I would love to have tasted your two kilo loaf. It looked fab. So what is A Falcon ware oven? Is it a bread oven?
Hi, it’s not an oven, it’s a roasting tin…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2014/05/20/high-hydration-sourdough/
that bread looks amazing!!
My but you did have a busy week! I know just what you mean about paying attention – how many times have I halved a recipe amount only to forget & dump the other ingredients in for a full…then try to remember which I halved to go ahead & make an entire batch….well, you know what I mean.
Aren’t whales magnificent? Have you ever been on a whale watch? We have a number of the cruises going out of Boston Harbor & of course down on Cape Cod. You don’t always see them but on a nice day the boat ride is terrific no matter what.
Okay, I’ve picked my jaw up off the floor at the price of your lobsters! Wow!!!!
I’m always so envious of your bread-making efforts, Celia!