Month: September 2023

First sourdough rye made from rye grains ground moments before in my new Mockmill.
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My decision to buy an electric mill has been years in the making. Finally, the research I’ve been doing (on oats for my planned book) convinced me that I had to take the leap. And, thanks to @ellys.everyday showing me her Mockmill, there was virtually no question as to what mill I would get.
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This 100% wholegrain rye tastes *amazing* and I feel so much more whole myself, having ground the flour in my kitchen.
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I chatted to @farmandhearth about the research that prompted my decision and why I chose the 100 model on the @ancestralkitchenpodcast patreon-exclusive episode that’ll come out at the weekend.
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Check out my story today for two clips from my course Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering the Basics that give advice on mixing dough and share some fascinating information on bakers’ hand flora!

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Oh how good to see those unhopped, home-fermented ale bubbles again!
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I’ve not made ale since June. Italian summers are super-hot; t’s been 30C+ (not good for ale-making) in my kitchen and I don’t have fancy retarding equipment. How we’ve missed it.
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This batch, following English pre-industrial measurements (the days when ale was made in a kitchen, by women) is, as an experiment, using a rye kvass starter. It’s looking and smelling good!
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Check my story today to see how I°m using the spent grain for bread and to hear more about the batch.

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Just handed the recipe for this sourdough spelt chocolate cake to the podcast patrons. I want to see how they take to it before it goes into the forthcoming spelt sourdough cookbook.
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Meantime, we’re enjoying the last few slices of the latest bake in this rather decadent manner…I tried to make a ganache to ice it; it didn’t work, but the chocolate/cream mixture tastes amazing and looks really arty a-top the slice. Result 🙂
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If you’d like to come join the @ancestralkitchenpodcast community on patreon, and get access to the extra content @farmandhearth and I produce, plus a lively forum and monthly live chats, type the words ‘patreon ancestral kitchen podcast’ into Google and there we’ll be, waiting 🙂

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One bite, two dreams:
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Cracklings from home-rendered lard on top of home-made oatcakes
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1/ A time when we realise to profound damage that industrial seed oils are doing to ourselves and our planet and re-embrace the wisdom of traditional, local fat rendered in our own kitchens (plus eat the crunchy left-overs!)
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2/ A time when local farms supply local needs and small producers can grow oats for the people around them; people who know oats aren’t just for oatmeal and create a myriad of dishes with them.
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If you would like support to forward both of these check out @ancestralkitchenpodcast (we have a fats episode and will have an oats episode releasing in the next few week) and also visit my site (link is in my profile) for tonnes of oat recipes and details on how to render lard.

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Do you crimp? How about slash?
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I’m awash in the wonder that is pastry. The last month I’ve been honing a spelt sourdough pie crust recipe for the forthcoming @ancestralkitchenpodcast sourdough spelt cookbook. We’ve eaten a lot of pie: sausage, chicken, ground beef…even liver went into one!
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My mum always crimped the edge of her pastry. To make it look nice, yes, but to seal it too. Do you?
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And how about the slashes? I did these with scissors, to get that slight raised effect in the centre. Do we need to slash? Do you? How does it change the pastry and/or the filling?

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If you want to eat ancestrally and have ever heard yourself saying, “I can’t afford it”, this is the @ancestralkitchenpodcast episode for you.
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@farmandhearth and I had so much to say about it that we kept talking over two episodes, today’s release is part one! Thank you to the podcast patrons who helped us, with their own hard-won advice, put this episode together.
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Download this, episode #66, from your podcast app or stream/download from my website. There’s a PDF for you to print out too – check the show notes.
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We’d love to hear what you think!

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Home-grown oats!
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Back in spring, when Silvia at @lebarbarighe sent me some of her naked oats (so I could sprout them for ale), I had the crazy idea of planting some.
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Crazy because I have no garden; no soil…just a collection of pots squeezed together on a patio. Crazy because I no *nothing* about growing grain. Crazy because I knew I would be away for 5 weeks with no-one to care for them.
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But I couldn’t help myself!
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And look at these! They are one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen for ages. I literally can’t stop looking at them and smiling. The experience has given me just a tiny, tiny taste of how my ancestors, who subsisted on oats, whose calendar was built around them – who literally grew up with all their smells, tastes routines and rituals – must have felt.
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I feel joyful and amazed and humbled and connected. ‘Just’ by a grass.
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Next task (if I can bring myself to do it) is to thresh them and get the grain out.

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