Cooking for Ukraine - Unicef Fundraiser

Thank you for donating to our Bake for Ukraine fundraiser. All money raised will go to the Unicef Emergency fund for Ukraine.

In class together we will be making a white dough for the loaf, focaccia and buns and the soda bread. We will demonstrate the yeasted rye and overnight bread rolls. Any questions? Please email me on Ruth@ruthslittlekitchen.co.uk.

White Loaf. Focaccia. Buns – all together in class

Ingredients

500g strong white flour (or half white/half wholemeal or malted)

10g salt

7g instant yeast (quick or easy bake)

330g water

Extras for rolls: Poppy seeds, sesame seeds etc

Extras for small focaccia: fresh rosemary, sea salt, olive oil, little tomatos/olives a- all optional

Equipment: 1 small loaf tin (1lb), a baking tray, a dough scraper or spatula, a bowl, cooling rack , scales, medium mixing bowl.

Method:

Place the flour, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the water and using a dough scraper, bring the dough together in the bowl. When there is no more dry flour, take the dough out onto a clean surface and start kneading it. Knead for between 10-15 minutes, until you have developed the gluten in the flour and your dough is smooth and silky.
Put the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover it with a shower cap or plastic bag. Leave to prove for about an hour or so, or until doubled in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl.

The Loaf:

Take 450g of your dough. If putting into a loaf tin, flatten into a rectangle, 4 folds and then roll into a tight sausage, the size of the tin, and put it seam side down into a greased tin. Cover the tin and leave for about 30-45 minutes.
When the dough is doubled in size, flour the top of the loaf, slash the top and then it is cooked in the tin.
Cook at 250^o Put a cup of water in a baking tray at the bottom of the oven when you put the loaf in. Leave for 10 minutes at high heat and then turn down to 220 ^oC (if need be) for final 10-15 minutes. Tap the bottom for hollow sound to check if cooked.

The Focaccia

Take 250 g of your dough and place in a small oven tray. Pull it gently with your fingers until it reaches the side. Cover and leave for approximately 20-30 minutes until puffed up.
Brush with olive oil, stud with fresh rosemary and cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Make small dents with your fingers in the dough.
Cook for 15-20 minutes at 250^o Keep an eye on colour.

The Buns

Divide the remaining dough into two pieces. Clock fold and then roll into tight balls.
You can leave them bare, dust with flour or egg wash or dip into water and then into seeds. Place on oven tray. Cover and leave to prove for about 20-30 mins.
Cook at 250^oC for 10 -15 minutes at high heat.

All bakes should cool on a cooling rack

Rye Bread – Yeasted – Demonstrated only in online class

Ingredients

300g of dark rye flour

5g salt

3g instant yeast

280g water

Spices of your choice: fennel seeds, coriander seeds, caraway, cumin. I sprinkle my seeds on the bottom of the tin to infuse flavour, but you can add to mixture.

Honey, molasses or malt syrup are also wonderful (about 1 tbsp).

Walnuts, seeds and any dried fruit (about a handful) are also good.

Method:

Grease 1lb loaf tin with a hard fat (lard or butter). Sprinkle spices or seeds on bottom, if using.
Measure all ingredients into a bowl, stir everything with a spatula. The dough should be very soft, a bit like wet sand. If too stiff add a little more water. Rye absorbs a lot more water than wheat.
Thoroughly wet your hands and pick up the dough. Pass it from hand to hand, using one hand to hold the dough and the other to smooth the top, rolling it over until you get a little oblong that is the length of your tin. Pick the tin up and gently place the dough in. Don’t push the dough into the corners. Sprinkle with flour is you wish and cover with a shower cap.
Let the dough rise from 2-4 hours at room temperature or in the fridge over night or all day. There should be little holes in the top and the flour cover may have cracked. If you haven’t floured the top of the loaf before, you can spray the top now and sprinkle on seeds.
Bake at highest heat for first 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 220 C and bake for another 30 minutes, 95^oC internal temp.
Rye is best eaten 1-2 days after baking.

Soda bread – making together in the fundraiser – a great one for children to be involved with.

This is a fantastic quick bread, lovely with seeds, plain or combinations – I like it with stilton and walnuts. It can also be sweet cinnamon and raisins, chocolate chips, dried fruit etc

Ingredients

200g strong white flour

50g strong wholemeal flour

5g salt

7g Bicarbonate of Soda

55g sunflower seeds (or walnuts, feta, sundried tomatoes, honey, sultanas, mature cheddar, courgette, blue cheese, etc)

255g buttermilk (or ½ milk and ½ cheap plain yogurt or kefir)

Method:

Preheat oven to highest level. Fan 225 -250^oC
Place the flour, salt and bicarbonate into a bowl and mix together. Stir in the seeds (or you choice) and buttermilk. Gently fold the ingredients together until all the dry flour is incorporated, use a dough scraper for this.
Once it is all together, turn out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough in the flour. This dough does not need kneading. Form into a ball; flatten slightly with your hand. Sprinkle more flour on top. Release the fairies but cutting into the flour with a dough scraper.
Place the bread in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes until browned.

Alternatives to buttermilk; sour milk or 50% plain yoghurt and 50% full fat milk. You can sour milk with lemon juice, but if you do, add 1 tsp of cream of tartar otherwise the bread will not rise very much. Masalanka is the buttermilk available in large Sainsburys and Polish stores. Or you can use Keffir.

No Knead Bread Rolls – demonstration only

You will make these and make them forever!

600g water

3g fast action yeast (quick or easy bake)

12g salt

325g white bread flour

325g wholemeal bread flour

75g seed mix (optional)

Mix the above all together, cover bowl and leave overnight in the fridge.
When you want to bake, using two spoons, drop blobs of dough onto the baking sheet stacking them as best you can so the buns are more round than flat. Bake for 20 minutes in a 220^oC hot oven
You do not need to use all the dough. It will last in the fridge for 2-3 days which means you can have fresh buns every morning over that time!

Alternative flavourings ; olives, seeds, nuts, dried fruits.

Shaping Techniques

For all breads

Make a pre-shape
Stretch out and fold back in, the 4 sides of your dough
Then follow directions for either a round or long.

For a Round Loaf

Clock fold around your loaf.
Stretch out and fold back in at each ‘clock’ point (roughly).
Do this twice. Using one hand to stretch out and one hand to hold each piece in the center of your dough, till it resembles a Chinese dumpling.
Using a dough scraper, turn dough over.
Now tighten your loaf by ‘chafing’. Sliding your hands in opposite directions underneath the dough…catching a piece of dough between the sides of your hands with each ‘chafe’. The skin on the top of your dough should tighten as you do this.
When dough looks smooth, round and tight, turn it over and place into floured banetton or greased tin.

For a Long Loaf

Take two top corners, make Mickey Mouse ears, stretch out and fold into center.
Repeat with two bottom corners.
Stretch and fold the two sides, into center, one over the other.
Stretch and fold in the top and bottom, one over the other. You should end up with a rectangle/square of dough.
Face short side towards you. Thumbs under dough with fingers on top about a 1/3 of way up the dough.
Pull and stretch dough towards you and fold into center. Tuck sides in.
Thumbs under again. Fingers along join you have just made. Stretch and fold over, tuck sides in. Repeat until dough looks like a sausage and seam is on the bottom. Turn short side towards you.
Using your dough scraper at an angle, push the long sides of your dough to tighten. Dough needs to stick against table for this to work…so make sure it is flour free. Turn dough over and into floured banetton or greased tin. Pinch sides and bottom seam together, until it resembles a Cornish pasty.

Top Tips

If in a rush your oven can be used as a prover in two ways 1) cover the dough, place in oven and turn on to top temp for 1 min. switch immediately off and leave in the oven or 2) place the covered dough in the cold oven, have a container in the bottom of the oven and pour in boiling water, close the door quickly.

Please remember that bread that takes longer, tastes better – the flavour develops.

The white dough has a low hydration, as you get more confident increase the water, if you want to have wholemeal, swap some white flour out but you will need up to 20% more water.

Got the bread bug? Here are some Useful Websites

www.bakerybits.co.uk

Bread baking equipment