WHITE COTTAGE BAKING SCHOOL
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About White Cottage
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
  • Resources
    • Recipes
    • "How-to"s >
      • Making & Refreshing a Starter
  • Workshops
    • Recommended Reading
    • About Our Workshops
    • Book Workshops
    • Workshop Calendar
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Residential Retreats
    • Baking Retreat, Tuscany, Italy
  • Poacher's Cottage
  • Corporate
    • Hospitality & Teambuilding
    • Reviews & Awards >
      • Awards & Press
      • Workshop Reviews
    • Industry Training
  • Terms & Conditions
Picture

PORRIDGE BREAD

29/3/2020

Comments

 
Picture
​Porridge bread  (Makes 1 large loaf, 2 small or about 8 rolls)

For the porridge*:
80g              porridge oats
220g            boiling water
*alternatively, use 300g leftover porridge
 
For the dough:
300g            above porridge
330g            strong bread flour
180g            tepid water
10g              fresh yeast (or 5g instant dried yeast)
8g                fine sea salt
 
 
Method:

First, pour over the boiling water over your oats, mix and set to one side to cool. Alternatively, use any leftover porridge you may have.
 
When cool, place with the tepid water in a bowl or mixer. Add the flour, salt and yeast, ensuring the yeast is kept separate from the salt, at least initially. Mix with your scraper until all ingredients are combined and a rough dough has formed. Turn out onto your work surface and knead for 15 minutes or so, until you have an elastic dough which doesn’t stick to the work surface or your fingers. Alternatively, knead in your mixer, using the dough hook attachment for approximately half the time. Form the dough into a ball and place back into your lightly floured bowl. Cover with a large plastic bag or a baking cloth and leave to rest for about an hour.
 
Now it’s time to fold and stretch your dough: using your scraper, turn the dough carefully out onto a lightly floured surface – with the ‘top’ of the dough now underneath. Taking the 4 points of the compass in turn, pull the dough gently outwards then bring over to the middle point of your dough (as if you were making a paper windmill). When all 4 ‘corners’ have been brought into the middle, turn your dough back over and place back in the bowl, so that the ‘top’ of the dough remains uppermost. Rest, covered, for a further 15-20 minutes so the dough can relax again.
 
Now, you are ready to shape your dough ready to place into a tin, a proving basket or into rolls. Carefully tip out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Turn the dough back over so that the ‘top’ of the dough is now uppermost. Divide into portions for rolls or loaves, then shape into a smooth ball, or oval if baking in a tin
 
If shaping your dough in an oval to fit a tin, remember to grease your tin before placing the shaped dough inside, with the seam concealed neatly underneath.
 
Cover your loaf/loaves/rolls whilst they prove for a second time for about an hour until they appear nicely ‘bloated’ and are approximately double in size.
 
Preheat your oven to 240°C.
 
When the dough is ready (slowly springing back when you prod gently with a floury finger), place into your hot oven. Spray around the floor and walls of the oven to create steam then quickly close the oven. Turn down the oven to 220°C and bake until golden brown on top and bottom. Rolls will take 12-15 minutes, a small loaf will take about 25-35 minutes and a large loaf, 40-45 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer, the bread is cooked when the centre of the loaf reaches 95°C.

Comments

Tuscan Schiacciata (flatbread)

29/3/2020

Comments

 
Picture
 Schiaciatta – literally ‘squashed’ or ‘flattened’ – is a Tuscan version the popular Italian flatbread focaccia. Their shape and size can vary, much like pizzas, but they are generally thin, resembling giant crackers in some cases. To stretch so thin the dough must be very well rested, so this dough should be made well ahead of time and can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like mine to have a varied thickness rather than uniform, so I prefer to hand stretch, leaving some parts very thin and crispy and others with a bit more of a chew. Like focaccia, you can top with a variety of different toppings, but going with the classic olive oil, scattered herbs and flaky sea salt is never a disappointment. This recipe is also perfect for when figs are in season, but substitute for whatever you have to hand. Black grapes make a delicious alternative.
 
Schiacciata (makes 1 large tray, approx. 40cm x 30cm)
 
Ingredients
For the dough:
360g 00 flour (or half plain, half bread flour)
50g wholemeal flour
6g fresh yeast (or substitute 3g dried instant yeast)
260g tepid water
40g oil
7g salt

 
Suggested toppings:
A few tablespoons of olive oil
A scattering of flaky sea salt
A few sprigs of rosemary
 
 
Method
 
Mix and knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes until strong and elastic. Leave covered for 30 minutes in an oiled bowl. After it has rested, stretch and fold the dough and return to the bowl. Repeat after another 30 minutes then place, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you want to use the same day, simply make in the morning to use in the evening.
 
Two or three hours before you wish to use the dough (less, if a very hot day) remove from the fridge.

​Preheat your oven to 240°C.
 
Prepare a shallow tray, preferably the largest baking tray you have that fits your oven, by smothering in olive oil. Now place your dough, with the top side uppermost, onto your tray. Use the weight of the dough to gently stretch the dough to fit your tray. Encourage the dough to stretch from underneath, rather than ‘pushing’ the top of the dough, which risks tearing it. Concentrate on thinning particularly thick areas, but don’t get too hung up on uniformity. The wafer-thin parts will be delightfully crispy, the thicker parts more like pizza. If struggling to fit the area, cover and leave to rest in the tray for a few minutes. When you return, the dough will have relaxed and be more than ready to stretch further.
 
When stretched, cover the dough and leave for a further 15-20 mins, unless it is a particularly warm day and it looks as if it is ready to go.
 
Just before baking, scatter the rosemary, drizzle generously with olive oil and top with flaky sea salt. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 220°C. Bake for 20-25 mins until crisp and golden.
 
When baked, remove from oven onto a rack. Enjoy while warm.

Comments

Potato Bread

29/3/2020

Comments

 
Picture
Potato Bread  (Makes 1 large loaf, 2 small or about 8 rolls)

For the potato:

300g           potatoes (peeled weight)
280g           water
 
For the dough:
300g            above cooked potato, riced or mashed
350g            strong bread flour
180g            above potato water
6g                fresh yeast (or 3g instant dried yeast)
8g                fine sea salt
 

Method

First cut your peeled potatoes into rough chunks, about 2cm cubes. Place in a pan with about 280ml of water and bring to the boil. Boil for about 15 minutes until just tender but not falling apart. Drain and reserve the potato water. This starchy liquid will be used to make your dough beautifully soft. When cool, either mash your potatoes or place through a potato ricer.
 
Now place your potato and starchy water in a bowl or mixer. Add the flour, salt and yeast, ensuring the yeast is kept separate from the salt, at least initially. Mix with your scraper until all ingredients are combined and a rough dough has formed. Turn out onto your work surface and knead for 15 minutes or so, until you have an elastic dough which doesn’t stick to the work surface or your fingers. Alternatively, knead in your mixer, using the dough hook attachment for approximately half the time. Form the dough into a ball and place back into your lightly floured bowl. Cover with a large plastic bag or a baking cloth and leave to rest for 30-40 mins.
 
Now it’s time to fold and stretch your dough: using your scraper, turn the dough carefully out onto a lightly floured surface – with the ‘top’ of the dough now underneath. Taking the 4 points of the compass in turn, pull the dough gently outwards then bring over to the middle point of your dough (as if you were making a paper windmill). When all 4 ‘corners’ have been brought into the middle, turn your dough back over and place back in the bowl, so that the ‘top’ of the dough remains uppermost. Rest, covered, for a further 20-30 minutes so the dough can relax again.
 
Now, you are ready to shape your dough ready to place into a tin, a proving basket or into rolls. Carefully tip out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Turn the dough back over so that the ‘top’ of the dough is now uppermost. Divide into portions for rolls or loaves, then shape into a smooth ball, or oval if baking in a tin. Be gentle with this dough and don’t be too worried about tightening your chosen shapes, as this soft, tender dough is easy to tear. Feel your way and be guided by your dough.
 
If shaping your dough in an oval to fit a tin, remember to grease your tin before placing the shaped dough inside, with the seam concealed neatly underneath.
 
 
Cover your loaf/loaves/rolls whilst they prove for a second time for 45-60 minutes until they appear nicely ‘bloated’ and are approximately double in size.
 
Preheat your oven to 240°C.
 
When the dough is ready (slowly springing back when you prod gently with a floury finger), place into your hot oven. Spray around the floor and walls of the oven to create steam then quickly close the oven. Turn down the oven to 220°C and bake until golden brown on top and bottom. Rolls will take 12-15 minutes, a small loaf will take about 25-35 minutes and a large loaf, 40-45 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer, the bread is cooked when the centre of the loaf reaches 95°C.
 
Comments

Quick and easy pitta Breads

29/3/2020

Comments

 
Picture
Quick and easy pitta breads (makes 12)

For the dough:
​

600g   Strong white bread flour*
15g fresh yeast (or 7g instant dried)
2 tbsp olive oil
300g tepid water
10g fine sea salt
*or substitute plain flour, if you don’t have bread flour.
 
 
Method

Place the dry ingredients in your bowl, ensuring the salt is on one side, the yeast on the other. If you don’t have ready yeast, follow the instructions on the packet for activation. Now add the water and oil and, using a dough scraper or your hands, bring the mixture together into a rough dough. Take out of the bowl and need for about 10 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Place back in a lightly dusted bowl, cover and rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 240-250°C, with a good quality baking sheet or baking stone in place to get super-hot.
 
After about an hour or so, remove the dough and divide into quarters. Take each quarter, squash it a little, then divide into 3 pieces and form each into a small ball with a tight seam underneath. Each piece should finish up as a smooth ball, with no edges or rough bits showing. Cover once more and leave to rest for a further 15 minutes.
 
Take the first 4 balls and roll out into ovals about 20cm long and even thickness. Place them on a lightly dusted peel, or onto a silicone sheet that can be slid straight into the oven. Slide into your oven and bake for about 5 minutes. They should puff up in the oven. Remove after 5 minutes and cover with a linen cloth whilst you cook the remaining two batches. Keep covered whilst they cool, so the pittas remain soft and pliable. If you don’t, they will dry and crisp up.
 
When cool, they can be kept in an airtight container for several days or frozen immediately.
Comments

Wildes curd lemon cake

15/10/2019

Comments

 
Picture
This cake was created to use the delicious curd cheese I brought back with me from Wildes Cheese after a delightful day spent learning about cheese-making. Philip and Keith run this small urban artisan dairy in Tottenham, North London. On reading about their passion for their craft I knew that this is where I wanted to learn. They say they were drawn to cheesemaking “because it’s pure magic, a form of alchemy”. Now, where have I heard that before?!!
​
The curd cheese’s soft and velvety texture is perfect for making a rich bundt cake, especially paired with the sweet sharpness of lemon. The resulting cake is light and moist, in spite of its characteristically dense crumb. And it’s wickedly moreish!
​Ingredients
​
For the cake
375g Self Raising flour
75g ground almonds
375g golden caster sugar
300g unsalted butter, softened
225g curd cheese
75g creme fraiche
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice 1 lemon (approx 50ml)
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
5 medium eggs (or 4 large - approx 250g), beaten
1½ tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp homemade or good quality lemon curd

For the drizzle
Juice 1 lemon
50g caster sugar

For the icing
Juice 1 lemon
250-300g icing sugar 
Picture
Method

Pre-heat your oven to 170°C.

First prepare your bundt tin, by greasing and covering with granulated sugar. Set to one side.
Zest two lemons and rub into your caster sugar. Now cream together your softened butter and caster sugar, until light and fluffy. Mix in the curd cheese and crème fraiche. Now split and scrape the seeds from your vanilla pod and stir in together with the lemon juice and ground almonds.
Picture
In a separate bowl, sift together your self raising flour and salt. Add about 1/3 of your beaten eggs to your creamed butter mixture, then fold 1/3 of of the sifted flour. Repeat twice more until all your flour is incorporated. Don’t overmix at this stage.

​Taking a spoonful at a time, arrange about a third of your cake mixture evenly over the base of your bundt tin.  Now in small regular dollops, smear a tablespoon of lemon curd around the top of the mix. Cover with another third of the cake mix and repeat with another tablespoon of lemon curd. Finally, cover with the final third of the mix. Your cake batter should come ¾ up the bundt tin, leaving about 3-4cm at the top for the cake to rise in the oven. Don’t overfill your tin.

​Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, checking for browning after about 40 minutes. You may need to cover or rotate in the oven at this stage. Your cake will be ready when the internal temperature reaches 96°C. Don’t let it go much over 100°C or it will begin to dry out. If you don’t possess a digital thermometer, use the clean skewer test to check when your cake is ready.
Whilst the cake is baking you can prepare the drizzle. Mix together the juice of one lemon and 50g caster sugar.
When your cake is cooked, leave it for about 10 minutes in the tin then turn out onto a wire rack. Using a spoon, drizzle your lemon mix evenly over your cake and leave to cool completely.
Finally, when completely cool, prepare your final glaze by mixing together the juice of one lemon and about 250-300g of icing sugar. You are looking for as thick a glaze as you can manage to still ‘pour’ from a spoon. If you take it too far and it will only ‘dollop’, add a tiny bit more liquid – lemon if you have it, water, if not – and get it back to a pouring consistency. Do not make this ahead of time as it will set.

​Once you are happy with the consistency, pour or spoon over the top of your bundt. Don’t worry too much about evenness, the more rustic the better. And on that note, now is your chance to cover up any slip ups you may have had getting your bundt out of the tin! Believe me, no one will care once they start tucking in.

Finally, decorate with any flowers or edible greenery in your garden or window box. I particularly like rosemary with lemon cake, but you could equally use lavender or violets at this time of year.
Picture
Picture
Comments

Autumnal blackberry, apple and hazelnut tart

30/9/2019

Comments

 
Picture
​Our communal village orchard is heavy with wonderful produce right now. The plums, mulberries and greengages are over, but now the apples, pears, quince and medlars now have their chance to shine. Even the hedgerows enclosing the old orchard are bearing blackberries and nuts to gather.
​
With my basket laden, I set about baking something to use the village bounty. The nuts are, as yet, too young and fresh to grind down to a useful flour, so I used ground almonds – but if you have your own hazelnuts, do use once they’re dried. Just grind them down to a fine meal. The young cob nuts will be fine for the crumble topping.
Picture
.​Makes one large tart or 3-4 individual tarts
 

Ingredients:
 
For the pastry:
300g plain flour
75g cold butter, cubed or grated
75g lard (or equivalent white, vegetable fat), cubed
75g cold water
 

For the frangipane filling:
120g ground  hazelnuts (or almonds)
120g caster sugar
120g softened, salted butter
120g eggs (2 large)
 

For the fruit filling:
3 medium cooking apples
Two generous handfuls of foraged blackberries
2 tbsp sugar
 
​
For the crumble topping:
50g plain flour
50g cold butter, cubed
60 sugar
30g jumbo (or regular) oats
30g hazelnuts (or use your favourite nut), coarsely chopped
Method

First make your pastry by rubbing together your plain flour and your fat. If you struggle with getting your fat* evenly rubbed in, try grating your cold butter instead of cubing it. You want your handling to be as light as possible at this stage, so just use your fingertips to rub in until you have a breadcrumb-like mixture. At this stage, there should be no lumps of fat remaining as these will stay un-combined when you make your dough and spoil your pastry crust.

​Now add the very cold water to your ‘breadcrumb’ mixture, reserving a little. Hydrated flour will create gluten naturally, which means chewy pastry instead of a light, crisp crumb. Adding as little water as possible will reduce the amount of gluten that forms. Now combine, first with a knife, then your hands. Add all the water only if needed. Work into a ball, handling for the minimum amount of time possible before you have a cohesive, homogenous dough. Wrap and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest (up to 3 days in fridge or freeze at this stage).

Picture
Picture
​Now prepare your fruit: peel and core your apples, then dice into medium-sized chunks, add the washed blackberries and sugar and cook over a low to medium heat until nicely softened. No ‘al dente’ here!
Set aside to cool.

​
When the dough is rested, dust your board and rolling pin with flour and roll the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin (no more than 3mm). Grease your large tin (25 - 30cm diameter) or smaller tartlet tins (3 or 4, depending upon depth). Line your tin(s) with the pastry, leaving a little over to trim after baking and keep a little raw dough back to make any repairs half way through your blind bake.. Prick the base with a fork and chill once more for at least half an hour. Preheat your oven to 180C (160C fan).

When rested, remove pastry case from the fridge, line with baking paper and weigh down with baking beans (substitute with pennies or dried beans, if necessary). Now we’re going to bake the case before we put our jammy fruit in, to avoid a soggy bottom. Nobody likes a soggy bottom. Blind baking keeps your case crisp when using a wet filling.

Bake a large case for 20-25 minutes, the smaller ones for 15 mins. Now remove the paper and use any left-over raw pastry dough to patch and repair, if necessary, before returning to the oven for another 10 minutes or so. The bottom of your pastry case should be completely dry and baked, if it is a light golden brown, take a small bow. Trim off any excess pastry and set aside until your cooked fruit is cool.
​
​While your pastry case is baking, make your frangipane and crumble mixture.

​For the frangipane, simply beat your softened butter and sugar together. They should be soft and well combined, but do not need to be ‘creamed’ together. Now add the large eggs and combine. If you only have medium eggs, use 2 ½ (you will need about 120g). Finally mix in your ground nuts. Mix well – you are not using any gluten here so you can be reasonably vigorous when combining your ingredients. The key is ensuring you start with well-softened butter to make life easy. Set aside until ready (or keep in fridge for 24 hours).


For the crumble topping, lightly rub together your flour and butter, stir in sugar and coarsely chopped hazelnuts and oats. Unlike your pastry, odd lumps of butter in your crumble are fine. Any left over mixture can be frozen in an airtight container and used for muffins etc.
 
When ready, place a layer of the mixed fruit over the base of your pastry case, then cover with the frangipane. Finally scatter your crumble topping and bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes for a large tart, a little less for the smaller tarts. When ready, the frangipane will be risen, cake-like and golden brown.
Picture
​
Eat with pleasure. You have spent time making a thing of beauty from things you have foraged. Take your time to savour. Enjoy.
Comments

Spelt, oat, fruit and nut cookies

25/4/2019

Comments

 
Picture
These spelt cookies are usually available at breaktime on our workshops and we're often asked for the recipe. We're so lucky to have the most wonderful organic spelt flour grown and milled near the Baking School. I love to use it as much as possible. These cookies are so packed with goodness, they don't feel like an indulgence - just a healthy treat to keep you going when you're flagging between meals. You can use whatever dried fruit you like: raisins, cranberries, sultanas - even chopped dates or prunes. And you can choose to use all nuts, all seeds or, as I have done here, a combination of the two. Remember that seeds and nuts will be more flavourful if you toast them in a dry pan beforehand.

Spelt, oat, fruit & nut cookies
(makes 18-20 cookies)
 
We make these cookies with the wonderful wholemeal spelt we buy from our local miller, at Foster’s Mill, but you can use any flavoursome stoneground spelt or other favourite wholemeal flour. They are filled with oats, dried fruit and seeds or nuts, so make a great morning snack or ‘breakfast on the go’!  

Ingredients:
125g wholemeal spelt (or other wholemeal flour)
100g jumbo oats 
100g regular oats 
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 
½ tsp salt 
100g butter, melted 
180g soft dark brown sugar 
1 large egg, beaten 
100g raisins or sultanas 
50g toasted pecans (or choice of nut), chopped
50g toasted pumpkin seeds  
​
Picture
Method:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Measure out your flour, oats, nuts, seeds, bicarb & salt in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the melted butter, brown sugar and dried fruit. Mixing your dried fruit with the butter ensures that your fruit does not get coated with dry flour in the final mix.


Picture
Now add to the bowl of flour and other dry ingredients and mix until combined. Finally, add your beaten egg. Leaving the egg until last, allows your butter mixture to cool before the addition of raw egg. 

Taking a small dessertspoon of dough, roll into a tight ball the size of a walnut. You may find wetting your hands with water or oil may help at this stage. Place on a couple of baking sheets with room for spreading between each ball. Press each gently down with the base of a glass or biscuit press until they are 5-6cm in diameter. 

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Bake at 180 degrees C for about 15-18 minutes. Leave to cool a little on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. When cool, store in an airtight container. The biscuits, if stored well, will remain crisp and fresh for 2 weeks or more.
Picture
Comments

Semla buns for 'fat tuesday'

5/3/2019

Comments

 
Picture
Shrove Tuesday or 'Fat Tuesday' as the Scandinavians would have it!! Whether you're planning to fast or not, a day to indulge. Countries across Scandinavia celebrate with variations of this Semla bun. Semlor are delicious sweet cardamom buns, enriched with butter and milk, then filled with a delicious honey almond paste and fresh cream. If you're a pancake traditionalist, why not try this alternative. Or if you're really planning on fasting,  have both!

Semla buns
(Makes 14-16 buns)
 
Semla buns are a traditional Scandinavian treat, varying slightly across the region, but always served as part of a feast on ‘Fat Tuesday’, at the start of Lent. Much like our hot cross buns, although associated with a particular festival, they are so popular they can be found in bakeries for weeks beforehand.
 
For the dough:
Strong white flour        500g (or substitute for all or part white spelt flour)
Milk                                 250g
Fresh yeast                    25g
Sea salt                           10g
Butter, cubed                60g
Caster sugar                  60g
Cardamom                     7g
Eggs                                 100g (2 medium, beaten)
 
For the almond filling
Ground almonds          120g
Honey                             45g
Caster sugar                  20g
Milk                                 25g
 
Plus, 350g double cream, whipped with 20g icing sugar
 
Measure out your flour, sugar and cardamom into a large mixing bowl, then rub in crumbled yeast on one side of your bowl (for dried yeast use half the amount). Now place the salt on the other side of the bowl. Keeping your butter to one side for now, add your milk and eggs and mix with your scraper until all ingredients are combined and a rough dough has formed. Turn out onto your work surface and knead for 10 minutes or so, until you have a nicely elastic dough. Now add your butter and knead for another 5 minutes until your dough is fully developed. Form the dough into a ball and place back into your lightly floured bowl. Cover with a large plastic bag or a baking cloth and leave to rest for about an hour.
 
After one hour, your dough should have roughly doubled in size. De-gas your dough and divide into two, take each half and divide into 8 pieces of approximately 60g-65g each. Being careful to slap any excess gas out of each piece and, using the friction of a flour-free workbench, form each piece into a tight little ball, being careful to place the seam on the underside, before placing on a lined baking tray to prove. Ensure you leave enough space between each roll to allow it to double in size. You may need to use two baking sheets.
 
Cover and leave at a warm room temperature for about an hour (ideally, 22°C - 25°C), but do not place anywhere too warm. If your kitchen is a little cooler, just leave a little longer. After one hour, your rolls should be roughly double in size and will return slowly back to shape when depressed gently with a floury finger.
 
Preheat your oven to 200°C.
 
Just before baking, sprinkle a little flour over the top of each roll. Place them into your hot oven and then turn the temperature down immediately to 180°C. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The sugar content in the rolls will cause them to brown quicker than ordinary bread rolls, so do check they are not browning too quickly. If they are, you may need to turn your oven down by 10 degrees or so.
 
Leave your buns to cool on a wire rack and meanwhile you can prepare the almond and honey filling and whip your cream in preparation for assembly.
 
For the filling:
 
Place your ground almonds, honey, sugar and milk in a bowl and combine until you have a kneadable paste. Divide your mixture into 16 (approximately 13g each) lumps, roll into tight balls and put to one side.
 
Now take your cream and whisk together with a little icing sugar until you reach soft peaks, taking care not to over-whip your cream.
 
Assembly:
 
Once your buns have cooled, cut most of the way through your bun about one third of the way down, creating a ‘hinged lid’. Inside insert a disc of honey and almond paste made by flattening the balls you made earlier, and then spoon or pipe fresh cream on top, before gently closing the lid a little. Finish with a little sprinkled icing sugar.
 
And there we have it! A delicious alternative to pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Or any day!
Comments

Lemon & blueberry sourdough scones

22/2/2019

Comments

 
Picture
I'm often asked for recipes to use up that unused sourdough starter. I hate waste and, knowing many of you don't have the time to bake as regularly as you might like, inevitably there will be times when you have to discard unrefreshed starter before feeding your 'mother' in your weekly routine. With the unseasonably warm weather we've been having lately and blossom bursting out all over the garden, I was seduced into daydreaming about the summer and teas on the lawn. I found myself making up a batch of delicious lemony scones, bursting with tangy blueberries. Not exactly seasonal, I know, but I couldn't resist the bright colours of the berries on the counter of my local shop! Even the butterflies and bees have been fooled into thinking summer is on its way!

Now, scones are a very personal thing. I love them and fondly remember my mother's from my youth. I'm often drawn to them in cafes, but have learnt over the years that they frequently lead to disappointment, as I bite into one and get that familiar baking powder 'squeak'! I like my scones to be soft, light and moist. And utterly without squeak. A batch of these scones takes a matter of moments to put together - perfect for those short notice visitors or that urge for 'a little something' mid-afternoon, with a perfectly brewed cuppa.

In fact, scones freeze beautifully, unbaked, so why not whip up a double batch? Place one tray in the oven and the other in the freezer. Once frozen, you can transfer them from the tray into a freezer bag or plastic box. When you want to bake them, defrost for 45-60 mins on a baking tray at room temperature and bake as normal. Even easier, for those last minute guests!

Lemon & Blueberry Sourdough Scones
(Makes 8-9 scones)

Ingredients:

180g plain flour
80g wholemeal flour
100g unrefreshed liquid starter (100% hydration)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
90g golden caster sugar
Zest 1/2 lemon
75g cold butter, either cubed or grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g buttermilk
150g blueberries (preferably small, firm and sharp-tasting)

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C

Firstly, weigh out your flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. If using a food processor, blitz the flour mixture with the cubed cold butter. Do not overwork. If mixing my hand, try grating your cold butter into your flour, then rubbing briefly together to get a better blended, breadcrumb-like mix. Do not worry if you still have and uneven distribution of butter, just ensure that there are no excessively large lumps. Now add your sugar, lemon zest and blueberries, mixing lightly with your hands to ensure an even distribution.

In a separate jug or bowl, weigh out your unrefreshed liquid starter and buttermilk, together with your vanilla essence. Mix thoroughly, then add your liquid to your other ingredients. Mix together, until the dough just comes together - remember, the less you handle at this stage, the lighter your scones will be.

Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to pat into a square, approximately 4cm high. Divide into 9 squares (3 x 3), cutting firmly with a dough cutter or sharp knife. Alternative, you can use your favourite cutter, to make round scones. Place on a baking tray and brush with a little beaten egg. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.

(Alternatively, if you have no blueberries, subsitute for 100g soft sultanas, for delicious lemon and sultana scones).


When cool, serve with fresh cream and homemade lemon curd.
Comments

Terroir Tuscany

9/1/2019

Comments

 
Picture
photograph by Ash Nayler // ashnayler.com
​Towards the end of 2018, I was privileged to join a group of chefs, writers, farmers, archeologists, photographers and filmmakers for Terroir Tuscany. One thing unified us all - food: its provenance, history, politics, production and sustainability. 
 
Hosted by Charlotte Horton of Castello di Potentino, our breathtaking setting, and Arlene Stein of Terroir Hospitality, we spent 7 days learning from each other and local expert producers. We would meet each day after breakfast for talks in the importance of terroir and the power and politics of food today and throughout time, with a particular emphasis on the unique region of the castello, with its history pre-dating Etruscan times.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Charlotte and Arlene had worked immensely hard to curate a programme which enthralled, educated, entertained and moved us all. Talks, discussions, debate and hands-on workshops filled our days, whilst our evenings were spent sharing wonderful, locally-sourced food and the castello’s delicious wine. And as the evenings stretched into night, we would gather in the courtyard, warming ourselves by the open fires as we listened to the sounds of the guitar and marvelled at the star-strewn Tuscan skies.
 
Every day we learnt from a different expert producer from the region. We made cheese - delicious ricotta and pecorino, - we picked olives and tasted the new season’s oil, we made bread from ancient grains and recipes, we toured the castello’s vineyards and cellars, tasting wonderful local wines, we observed the Teatro Porco, as the local expert butcher prepared an entire pig for meat and charcuterie, we made fresh pasta and foraged wild plants and fungi nestling in the local hillside.
Picture
Picture
And we ate. Oh, how we ate! Cooks, chefs and restaurateurs were legion amongst us and, each afternoon, a posse of volunteers would gather in the ancient castle kitchen to make the evening meal. Baskets of vegetables and herbs filled the ancient fireplace and an impromptu menu would be devised from that day’s offerings. We shared ideas and knowledge, whilst learning so much under the relaxed tutelage of the some of the world’s most accomplished chefs (peppered with a Michelin star or two). How could it be anything but relaxed, as we prepped vegetables, meat and grain around an ancient table, stone sink in the corner and glass of wine in hand. So many cooks, so much joy and laughter and not a single broth spoiled.
Picture
Picture
Picture
This Terroir was a life-changing opportunity. What we shared and learned touched us all. An awareness of terroir and consideration of what it means should be important to each one of us. Its influence is impossible to overstate and should be paramount to everyone working within the food sector. Terroir is more than just a region of land. It is at the core of every community. It is the history, culture, politics, power, sustainability and the future of food production. It should be at the heart of all we do.
 
And if we put it at the core of what we do, we all become its ambassadors. We learn, we share, we influence, and we create both the power and will to change.
 
My week at Castello di Potentino has changed my view of the world and my community. For me, the world has now become smaller and my community so much larger. We gathered under its ancient walls as strangers from disparate parts of the world. We left as friends.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>
    Picture
    Our workshops are run by award-winning sourdough baker Helen Underwood.

    Categories

    All
    Awards & Press
    Events
    News
    Recipes
    Specials

    Archives

    December 2024
    November 2023
    April 2023
    February 2021
    January 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016

[email protected]
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About White Cottage
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
  • Resources
    • Recipes
    • "How-to"s >
      • Making & Refreshing a Starter
  • Workshops
    • Recommended Reading
    • About Our Workshops
    • Book Workshops
    • Workshop Calendar
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Residential Retreats
    • Baking Retreat, Tuscany, Italy
  • Poacher's Cottage
  • Corporate
    • Hospitality & Teambuilding
    • Reviews & Awards >
      • Awards & Press
      • Workshop Reviews
    • Industry Training
  • Terms & Conditions