I first learnt about the wonders of malted grains to enhance the flavour of bread when I made Russian bread and since then I’ve been an addict. What is malt? Malted grains are any grains that have been germinated and … Read More
*An updated, lighter version of this bread is part of my comprehensive course, Wholegrain Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics. * Rye has been used to make bread for thousands of years. It’s not only super tasty, it’s also lower … Read More
Lunch is ‘primo sale’ organic raw goat’s milk cheese studded with pistachio. I found this Italian gem in our local health food store and love it.
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I’ve also got a salad made from local greens/veg, herbs from the garden and raw onion (that I soak for a day in lemon so it’s flavour is gentler). The salad is topped with my sauerkraut and a dressing made from local lemons and olive oil plus my latest obsession – nigella seeds.
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I’m generous with the dressing as mopping it up with the accompanying slices of my sourdough spelt bread is very almost the best bit!
This is a wholegrain rye sourdough. I make one every week, along with my wholegrain spelt. My hubby eats the rye, it’s lower in gluten and suits him better.
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Because it’s lower in gluten, the technique is quite different to my spelt loaves. In its simplest form, with a good starter, it pretty much looks after itself.
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And horrah! The rye is local. Italy being a bread basket suits me 😉
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Anyone else love rye sourdough?
Are you up for cooking bread lasagna with me this month? It’s such a good dish for using up left-over meat and/or veg and end-of-the-loaf bread.
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The recipe that’ll guide you through is linked in my profile.
I tried out a new method for my 100% wholegrain spelt sourdough. It included a lot of water and some super-stretchy letter folding. Coming out of the oven, it looks and smells wonderful. I feel like a proud Mum.
Like bread? Like lasagna? Then you’re going to love this month’s new Ancestral Cook-up: Bread Lasagna!
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Seriously, there is something magical about layering the (already darn yummy) sponge-like substance that is bread with tasty filling, covering the whole thing in stock and then baking it up.
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You can do this any which way. It’s designed to suit your tastes, your kitchen and your creative whims. Check out my profile for the recipe where I talk through the options and give you loads of ideas to play with.
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And then come cook with me this month 🙂
I love bread. So when I heard the statistic that over 40% of the bread sold in the UK is thrown away, my reaction was visceral: “What?! That’s crazy!” In my adopted home, Italy, there are many, many recipes based … Read More
Very often the thing that stumps us as home sourdough bakers, in our quest to make brilliant bread, is our ambient temperature. The bacteria harnessed in sourdough breads and starters work well at warm temperatures and if we keep our … Read More
Identifying food intolerances and restricting can be a super-hard thing to do. My son, now 6, has had them since birth. We’ve been on an incredible journey to work with these, and our own, health issues.
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It is, however, just this restriction plus a generous dollop of passion that has guided me in my kitchen creativity.
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Here’s what came out for lunch: Left-overs Bread ‘Lasagne’
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Restriction – no tomatoes or dairy for my son for a few weeks as we fine-tune his responses to stuff.
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Passion – I’ve been really fired up recently about bread waste (the UK throws out 40% of the bread that it buys).
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I fried up some onions, mushrooms, garlic and red pepper. I added left-over chicken, red wine and some capers. I created a ‘lasagne’ with layers of this mix alternated with sourdough bread. I covered the lot in ample chicken stock. I baked for 40 minutes. Whilst baking I whizzed up some fresh basil, parsley, garlic, nutritional yeast and cashews into a ‘pesto’.
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It was amazing and, I hardly ever say this, perhaps even better cold.
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And my son doesn’t feel like he’s restricting at all 🙂
