Create as you go

Sourdough bread

gilda — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 09:53:30 +0000

I recently made a rye sourdough starter and got to bake my first bread. I’m really pleased with the result and happy to share the recipe with you.

Make it

Ingredients:

75g fed starter
100g strong white flour
100g strong wholemeal flour
300g wholemeal flour
400g water
5g salt

Method:

In a bowl mix the flours with the warm water. Combine until you don’t see dry flour anymore. Cover your bowl and leave it to rest for 45min to 1 hour. This process is called autolyse.

Then add the starter and salt, and fold the dough over it. Now the stretch and fold process will begin.

Every 1/2hour wet your hands to prevent stickiness, release the dough from the bowl and stretch the dough up and over itself. Cover the bowl and repeat this process about four times. This process will help the gluten to develop and the dough will strengthen.

After this process I’ve put the bowl in the fridge overnight for the bulk rise as it was late in the evening.

Early in the morning shape the dough (don’t forget not to add too much flour) and put it in a basket to proof for 2-4hours. I covered my basket with a very well floured cloth.

Pre-heat the oven at 250ºC and heat a ceramic pan or similar.

Top the dough with non-stick paper and flip in on a board. Now you should be able to remove the basket and cloth gently. Do some cuts on the dough (I used a DE razor blade) and get creative, but don’t take too long, otherwise the dough will start to deflate. Put the dough in the hot ceramic pot, cover with the lid and put it in the oven for 20min.

After 20min reduce the heat to 200ºC, remove the lid and let it bake for about 30-40min depending on your oven. You can tell that the bread is done by tapping with your thumb the bottom center of the bread and should make a hollow sound.

Let it cool completely before cutting.

You should have a beautiful loaf of bread, enjoy!

Sourdough Starter

gilda — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 12:46:18 +0000

I love bread and being lockdown at home I felt brave enough to make a wholemeal rye flour sourdough starter.
In four days it was full of life with lots of small air bubbles.
Today I baked my first bread with it and I’m really pleased with the result.
I will post some photos and the recipe at a later stage but for now I’ll share how I’ve started and the recipe I followed.

Make it

Things you’ll need:

1 glass jar/ container, big enough to allow the starter to expand
1 chopstick or use your hands
Scale

Day 1 to 3

25g of wholemeal rye flour
50g of warm water

Pour both in the jar and mix. I like to mix it with a chopstick. Cover the jar and place it in a warm place if you can. In the first days, it will develop better under 25-30ºC, you can place it near a radiator for example.
For day 2 and 3 you add the flour and water to the mixture and follow instructions above.

Day 4

50g of wholemeal rye flour
50g of warm water

On day 4 your starter should be ready to use for the first time.
The texture should be similar to a runny porridge, and it will have a vinegary aroma. It should be full of life with many little bubbles.
At this point you can refresh your starter to make bread.
Ideally you carry on and feed your starter at least once a day with equal parts of flour and water. If you think you’ll not of use it for a while store it in the fridge.

There is a lot of information online about how to take care of your starter and recipes on how to make bread or how to use your spare starter. You can always pass it on to someone else.

I think it’s a beautiful process and easy to start. Surely takes a long time until a loaf of bread is ready but I really enjoyed to make it and the final result was a light, yummy bread.

Have fun!

Beeswax wraps

gilda — Sun, 05 Jan 2020 14:05:00 +0000

I came across beeswax wraps a year ago and loved the idea of storing food in a more sustainable way and to reduce plastic in the kitchen.
I already used glass jars to take lunch to work or store nuts and other food, but felt that sometimes my bag was quite heavy, especially when going out with my daughter as I had her things to carry too.
That’s when I decided to give it a try and make some food wraps. They are light, easy to clean and flexible.

Since then I’ve improved the recipe and I now use a mixture of 3 ingredients: beeswax, pine resin and organic jojoba oil. This formula works much better and the fabric sticks to itself much better.
I have been making food wraps that I sell locally and they can also be found on my Etsy shop here.

Here is a brief description of the kits I make:

MATERIALS:

• Cotton/Polyester African Print
• Beeswax
• Pine Resin
• Organic Jojoba Oil
Beeswax and jojoba oil have natural anti-fungal and antibacterial properties and help to keep your food fresh.

DIMENSIONS:

1x Large: 35x35cm
1x Medium: 25x25cm
1x Small: 17x17cm
Because the food wraps are handmade the sizes are approximate and some irregularities are possible.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:

Place the wrap over what you want to cover and use the warmth of your hands to help the wax to stick to itself. It’s normal for the wrap to be a little sticky the first times you use it.

CARE INSTRUCTIONS:

Rinse in cold water with a mild soap. Let it air dry, carefully fold or roll and store in a dry cool place. It’s ready to be used again!
Do not use to wrap raw meat or fish.
Keep away from heat sources as it can melt the wax. Do not put your wrap in the oven, microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, hot water, direct sunlight.
Your wrap can last between 6-12 months, depending how often you use it and if you take good care.
As your wrap gets old if it starts cracking you can place on a backing sheet in the oven on medium heat for 1-2 minutes to freshen it up and will last a little longer.

USAGE SUGGESTIONS:

Vegetables or fruit. Perfect to wrap the unused halves e.g. lemon, avocado, apple, butternut squash, broccoli.
Bread or sandwiches.
Block of cheese.
Herbs. Sprinkle with a bit of water and put in the fridge to keep it fresh for longer.
On-the-go snacks and biscuits. Wrap your daily portions of nuts, carrot sticks, cucumber.