A couple of weeks ago, I bought myself two bags of bakers flour.
I usually buy one at a time, and I’d already picked up a 12.5kg bag of Manildra flour on our last trip to Harkola.
A few days later, Big Boy took me out for a decaf piccolo at Coffee Alchemy in Marrickville. I asked him to swing past Southern Cross Supplies on the way home – after all, it’s foolish not to take advantage of a strapping 23 year old when you have access to one. The addition of the 25kg sack of Ben Furney Premium Bakers meant that I suddenly had 37.5kg of bread flour in my kitchen.
I was pretty excited – having so much flour on hand in autumn is a huge gift (in summer, it’s a burden, as the heat leads to bug problems). Here are a few photos from this week’s bread making mania…
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An experimental filled fougasse, made with Jamon offcuts, Dorset cheddar and dried Greek figs. I used the same dough as our stuffed focaccia (tutorial here), but shaped it into four fougasse at the end rather than a slab…
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I had cocoa leftover from chocolate truffles, so I tried stenciling a couple of sourdough loaves. My design skills are limited to very simple paper cuts…
I’d spritzed the top of the loaf with water before dusting, then made two long slashes on either side of the cocoa…
I was pretty chuffed with how they turned out! Baking in an enclosed pot meant that the rise was controlled, so the design was preserved on the finished loaf…
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Small Man came home from uni yesterday and I said “I’ve baked some focaccia for you”. He cut himself an enormous slice and ate it plain…
The leftovers were sliced up and frozen…
They’re the perfect base for a quick pizza lunch that the boys make for themselves – defrosted, cut in half and topped with tomato sauce, cheese and fridge finds. Here’s a photo from last year to show you what I mean. I’d like to point out that Big Boy and Small Man don’t usually have beer at lunch…
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I made two loaves of walnut sourdough, then drove to our friend Nick’s house to leave one at his doorstep (he was pretty pleased).
I also baked these macadamia, pecan and walnut loaves. They’re seriously dense, with nearly a quarter kilo of nuts in each loaf (recipe is here). The crumb is tinged purple from the walnut skins…
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Finally, my truffle salt encrusted loaf – burnt or artisan? I kept forgetting to put the timer on, so it baked longer than usual, but the end result was particularly delicious…
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As I’m typing, there are two batches of sourdough proving in the kitchen – one will be turned into cheese and olive rolls, and the other into a white toast loaf.
Happy days! I hope you’re having as much fun in your kitchen as I’m having in mine! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 