Sweet Potato & Sweet Smoked Paprika Bread

This summer has been pretty disappointing. We had some glorious weather early on and that was about it. With the cooler weather lately I have already been thinking of fall/autumn flavors. Dinner has already started changing from chicken salads and sandwiches to creamy delicious macaroni and cheese and cottage pies! If dinner is already changing why not my baking!

With bread being the star of The Great British Bake Off this week, plus I just received a new bread book, and I had a whole bag of strong white flour in my cupboard I thought I’d make a loaf of bread! With fall/autumn like weather I decided to go with a sweet potato and paprika flavored bread.

You know how when decorating a room you either have plain walls with decorative accessories or you have fun wall paper and plan accessories. That’s how bread is. You either have plain bread with flavor packed toppings or flavor packed bread with butter or for dipping in soup. If done tastefully you can decorate a room with wallpaper and colorful accessories and that goes for bread too. If you know how to pair it just right you get yummy fillings/toppings to go with your flavor packed bread.

Well, after that load of ramble here is how I made this loaf of Sweet Potato and Paprika bread. The recipe comes from Simply Good Bread: Delicious home-baked recipes for everyone by Peter Sidwell. Somewhat adapted as my method varied from his direct instructions. The title says it all the recipes all seem pretty simple and easy for everyone. There are even instructions for those who are using a bread maker.

Sweet Potato & Sweet Smoked Paprika bread

200g sweet potatoes, baked/soft
500g strong white bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fast action yeast (about 1/2 of a 7g sachet)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
300ml water
1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika

Start by baking the potato(s) and mashing them. Set aside.
Mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a measuring jug measure the water before adding the yeast, sugar, and paprika - stir to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the flour/salt and pour the liquid mixture in the middle. Add the mashed potatoes before using a spatula gently bring the dry and liquid ingredients together before using your hands to start to work the dough. Once it starts to come away from the bowl tip out on to a well floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. The dough is sticky so keep floured and have a dough scraper near by.
Once kneaded place back in the bowl and leave to rise until doubled in size should take 30-40 minutes in a warm place.
When it’s ready gently tip it out and knock it back or gently knead for about a minute. Then place in a 1kg or 2lb loaf tin, grease if it’s not non-stick. Leave to double in size while you pre-heat the oven to 200C.
Bake in the heated oven for 40 minutes until golden brown on top. Gently tip the loaf out and knock on the bottom, if it sounds hallow then it’s ready. If not cook for 5-10 more minutes.
Slice and enjoy!

notes: I hope break week on The Great British Bake Off encourages you to give bread a go! If you do you should enter it into Jen’s Food and Utterly Scrummly’s Bread Challenge - Bready Steady Go! I did!

To see a few other books I recently added to my bookshelf beside's Mr. Sidwell's check out my last post here!

The Lazy Loaf {Pesto & Sundried Tomato}

Today I didn't feel like doing anything.

So, I did something. I made bread.

When making bread it’s kind of like doing nothing. You mix stuff together and let it rise. You can't go too far because you have to be around to knock it back before shaping it and letting it have a second rise. Then it's just a matter of baking it.

There is just time in between those stages. In that time you can get a lot of nothing done. 

Like reading a book. I finished reading The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult while making this bread.

Which is fitting because there is a lot of bread making in the book. Definitely worth a read for bakers, historians, and mystery type readers.

The thing about bread is that it’s not really hard to make. Putting the few ingredients together isn't complicated at all.

However there are so many ways it could go wrong. If the water temperature is too hot or two cold it will not rise properly. If you over or under knead it affects the tightness of the dough.

I don’t bake bread often enough to have it down where I know when to stop kneading or what the exact temperature feels like. I think that comes with experience and with experience comes you gain the knowledge one needs to create the perfect loaf of bread.

Don’t get me wrong I get by, for instance this loaf has turned out great! It has a crust, with a soft (small) holey middle. With the added pesto and sundried tomatoes it’s a real winner!

It’s so good I just ate a slice all on it’s own. No butter or anything! That’s when you know it’s good bread.

Try it out for yourself!

Pesto & Sundried Tomato Loaf

500g Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Very Strong Canadian White Bread Flour             

7g sachet fast-action dried yeast

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp basil pesto

300ml tepid water

5 sundried tomatoes, chopped

a little oil from sundried tomatoes

pinch of sea salt

In a large bowl mix the flour, yeast, and salt before adding the pesto. Very gradually add the water, while gently bringing the dough together with your hand. If the dough is soft and brought together before all the water is used, just leave the extra water. If it’s not needed don’t use it. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or for about 7 in a mixer on low speed. It shouldn’t look bumpy, instead it should look smooth and bouncy. Bring the dough together in a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it’s doubled in size.

Grease a 2lb loaf tin with oil before knocking the risen dough back (knead the air out), gently flatten the dough out and scatter the chopped tomatoes over the top. Shape it into a sausage like loaf and place in the loaf tin. Leave again for about an hour or more in a warm place until it doubles in size.

When it’s doubled heat the oven to 220C and brush a bit of the dried tomato oil on top and sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of the loaf. Bake for 30-35 minutes until when you “knock” on the bottom of the loaf it sounds hollow.

 notes: In association with Sainsbury’s; they have a wide range of self-branded flours and for this recipe I used the Taste the Difference Very Strong Canadian White Bread Flour as mentioned above. They also have a nice range of bread mixes, which I tried and some how burnt? It's because I was trying to be clever. Check my instagram! Recipe is adapted from Bakes & Cakes magazine Summer 2014 edition. 

5 ways to use your Brioche Pasquier Loaf

1. Cinnamon Toast

Cinnamon Sugar: 2/3 cups sugar mixed with 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Toast your brioche slice and liberally butter sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top leave for about a minute then tap off the excess cinnamon sugar back into the cinnamon sugar pot/jar.

2. PB & J Sandwich

All you need is your favorite jam be it strawberry, raspberry, or bramble on one slice of brioche and peanut butter on the other. Then enjoy!

3. Hamburgers

Some trendy burger joints are now offering brioche buns for a small extra fee. And other trendy burger places are using sliced bread instead of buns. So, I thought I’d use both trends and use sliced brioche for my hamburgers!

4. Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding:

260g sliced Brioche Pasquier, cubed

100g chocolate chips

3 large eggs

40g light brown sugar

2 tbsp of dark rum

600ml full fat milk

4 handfuls of demerara sugar

Lightly butter a baking dish and add the stale cubed bread. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the stale cubed bread. Whisk the eggs, brown sugar, rum and milk together before pouring all over the stale cubed bread. Then sprinkle about 4 small handfuls of the demerara sugar over the top, this is what gives it a nice sugary crunch on top. Heat the oven to 170C. Soak for about 20 minutes while the oven heats up. Bake in the oven 40-50 minutes. Let it cool slightly before serving!

5. Classic Bread & Butter

Let’s be honest Brioche is delicious and I ate at least half of my Brioche Pasquier loaf with a slathering of butter. Sometimes with Maple Moose Butter! When it's paired with the sweetness of the brioche loaf it is something pretty special! Yum! 

notes: I was given a couple of loaves of Brioche Pasquier to try, please see my contact/policy page for further information. Moose Maple Butter was also given to me at Food Blogger Connect. Recipe is adapted from Nigella’s Kitchen.

make mine a double

A double shot of espresso. I love coffee flavored bakes!! This loaf cake has coffee in the cake and in the frosting! Double yum! 

I realized lately that I love a lot of things. I love apple, cinnamon, apple + cinnamon, vanilla, brownies, peanut butter, caramel, coffee, and so on. I also realize that when I make something with these flavors I am always going on about how I love them. You all must think I am very fickle.

Maybe I don’t have to just love one thing? I mean my relationship with flavors doesn't have to be monogamous does it?? I didn't think so.

When someone my husband knows let it be known that he enjoys coffee and dark chocolate, great flavors on their own, but even better together, I made this chocolate and coffee loaf and topped it with my favorite espresso buttercream and chocolate sprinkles with him in mind!

I am told he really enjoyed it. I did too. I didn't give up the whole loaf, because like I said I am a huge fan of coffee flavored bakes! Also I’m not that generous and maybe sometimes a little possessive? Not possessive enough not to share the recipe with you! Enjoy!

Chocolate Coffee loaf
190g butter
130g plain flour
190g light brown sugar
3 large eggs
60g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder 
20ml whole milk
1 tbsp coffee extract

Preheat 170C/325C/gas3. Grease a 2lb loaf tin with butter and lightly flour it tap out the extra flour. 
Cream the butter and sugar together until it lightens in color and is fluffy. While the butter and sugar are beating sift the flour, brown sugar, and cocoa powder together in a separate bowl and measure out your milk. Then lightly beat the eggs in a jug and gradually add the eggs, making sure it's completely mixed in. Add half of the dry ingredients, then half the milk, then the other half of the dry, and lastly the rest of the milk. Mix well after each addition and scrape down the sides as needed. Up the speed to med/high until it's a smooth even batter. Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for about 1 hour, check on it just before the hour is up and take out if a skewer comes out clean or give it a few more minutes if it's not. Allow to cool in the tin for a bit before trying to turn it out. 

Espresso Buttercream:
I used the same recipe I used on these espresso cupcakes just follow the link and half the recipe for the buttercream.

notes: Check the side bar for buttons to all the things I love! The recipe is adapted from Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days. How to make coffee extract. 

Adventures at Cake Boy [Battersea]

In the words of my little one: Best Day Ever!

Before Christmas (last year) I started looking around for a baking class to attend. There are a few here and there around London, a couple outside of London as well, but Eric Lanlard’s at Cake Boy seemed the best by far. Along with the fact that there was one on my birthday it seemed like fate.

The day started with breakfast and a briefing by Eric, before getting on to the baking. The first half we made 3 delicious treats a Yuzu Tart in a Matcha pastry, a Light Fruit Cake, and a Valhrona Chocolate Mousse on a crunchy praline base. We paused in the middle for a delicious lunch before finishing the day with decorating our treats!

(When I got home I set my bag on the counter and the fruit loaf slipped down off the top of the boxes and brought the whole bag to the flour. I was so upset, but thankfully everything was alright. Only a few bumps and bruises, still edible, which is the only important part!)

It was obvious that Eric and staff have done this before it was very well organized and the day ran very smoothly. The best part was that I didn't have to clean up after. Bowls and spatulas would just disappear and come back clean, it was like magic. The other four ladies I was with were very lovely and we all got on very well. In fact everyone was amazing especially Eric, he was patient and gave very clear instructions, everything you'd want in a teacher. The staff working that day were also very friendly and helpful! 

We took home all our treats, along with the aprons we wore, and a goody bag full of baking essentials. Let me just say I have tried all of them since I have been home and they are all amazing. My favorite is the Yuzu Tart. The yuzu has such a refreshing yet tart taste it’s delicious. All of the treats we made are more then doable at home, but I don't know that they are the type of things I would bake at home. It's another reason I chose this class. Oh and if you want to try the Yuzu Tart it's in Tart it Up! 

It was a great experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you Eric and everyone at Cake Boy for making it a great experience. A bigger thanks to my Mom and Dad for sending me!

Oh and I forgot to mention I had a fun birthday cupcake!

notes: most of the pictures are mine save for a few that were sent to me from one of the ladies on the course with me!; for classes at Cake Boy; my review of Chocolat; my review of Tart it Up!; my first thoughts on Home Bake 

Bake Brave today on World Baking Day!

Happy World Baking Day!! 

Have you been Baking Brave today?? 

If you have young kids and want to bake something easy, but super delicious with them today check out level 10 on the World Baking Day, for Banana CinnaMuffins! 

If you don't have kids and you want something to make your house smell amazing and to show off to friends these muffins are perfect for that too!! 

Yum!!

Place in a 2lb loaf tin for an alternative bake! 

Thank you Janet! 

All you need to make this delicious bake!! 

You probably have all of this in your cupboard.... so go make them!! 

The Perfect White Loaf & Rolls!!

With England being covered in white over the weekend I used it to my advantage and baked! 

As I said in my last post I am starting to be a lot more concerned about what's in my food and what I'm feeding my kids. So, I thought I'd give bread a go! I went straight to Nick Malgieri's Bake! 

Over Christmas I tried his Tiger Rolls and had good results. So, it was a no brain-er to go back to his book! 

So, first off I just want to say bread is pretty easy to make if you follow the "rules" and you have time for all the rising. Second I want to say if you are taking the time to make bread you might as well make double batches as bread freezes well! 

I only owned 1 loaf tin and never thought twice about it's size. The instructions from Nick say it should rise just above the rim. Mine didn't. It was then I thought  twice about the size of my tin. It's a 2lb loaf tin not a 1lb. Oops! As you see from the pictures it doesn't look perfect, but it still turned out nice! 

The other lesson I have learned from this is read through the whole recipe even the variations. When I started I was worrying about how I was going to bake 2 loaves with only 1 tin (which was the wrong size) and in the variations it says you can use half of a batch for rolls. So, that's what I did. We used them for ham & cheese sandwiches to go with homemade root vegetable soup! A perfect dinner for a cold night! 

I'm going to be trying other breads to find one that is easy and tasty enough to make on a regular basis. Therefore I'm not going to share the recipe with you on here at this time. Once I've found "the one" I will post the recipe! Does anyone have any suggestions for bread? Any tried and true recipes? 

notes: it looks like Bake! is only available from other sellers on Amazon. I wouldn't doubt the recipe I used for this loaf or something similar would be in his new book Bread! (it's on my wish list!) While I was getting supplies at my local store I picked up a couple of 1lb loaf tins! Now I'm better prepared! :0) 

Bramble and Chocolate Bread!!

Winter is here! It makes me want to stay in a bake 24/7, if only I had the time! Skimming through my cookbooks looking for some good comfort food, I stumbled upon this recipe in Sue Lawrence’s A Cook’s Tour of Scotland.

It seemed interesting and having all the ingredients, except for the brambles (blackberries), it was decided! After a walk to the store I was all set! The house wasn't so warm so it took a little longer to rise then stated. The brambles burst in the oven and it oozed out of the top of the loaf. It was beautiful.

Bramble and Chocolate Bread

500g/1lb 2oz unbleached strong white flour, sifted

7g sachet of fast-action/easy-blend dried yeast

25g/1oz golden caster sugar

1 level tsp salt

2 tbsp sunflower oil

150g/5 ½ oz quality milk and/or dark chocolate, chopped

250g/9oz brambles (blackberries)

Mix together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt; make a well in the center and slowly pour in the oil and enough tepid water (about 300ml/10fl oz/ ½ pint) to make a softish dough. (To have tepid water, mix two-thirds boiling water and one-third cold water.)
Using floured hands, bring the dough together and turn out on to a floured board then knead for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth. Keep the board lightly floured. The dough should be soft and shiny-looking but not too sticky. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave somewhere warm for 1-2 hours.
Lightly oil a baking sheet. Punch down the dough and roll out to a rectangle about 38 x 28cm/15 x 11 in. About the size of a baking sheet.
Scatter the chocolate and brambles over the long half then roll up along the long side to make a roly-poly about 38cm/15 in long.
Place this on the prepared baking sheet and cover loosely with oiled clingfilm then place somewhere warm. Leave to rise for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230C/450F/gas8. Remove the clingfilm, slash the top of the loaf five to six times and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool until just warm before eating. Don’t want to burn yourself with hot melted chocolate!

Chilli Corn Bread!! {bonfire night}

We've had a quiet bonfire night/weekend, but food has not been compromised! Yesterday I made really yummy easy quick chili from Nigella's Express. I needed something to accompany that chili and that's where the chili corn bread steps in! 

I found the recipe for the corn bread in the November issue of Delicious magazine. I didn't think that one finely chopped chilli would make any difference in flavor, but it's perfectly distributed through out the loaf. It was very good and a perfect accompaniment to chili, baked beans, tomato soup, and all sorts of different savory dishes! 

60g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

250g cornmeal or fine polenta, plus extra to dust

250g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 medium free-range eggs

300ml buttermilk

300ml whole milk

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/fan200C/gas 7. Grease a 1 litre loaf tin with butter, then dust with the extra polenta.
2. Mix the dry ingredients and make a well in the center.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the buttermilk, milk, and butter (make sure the melted butter isn’t too hot when I added my chilled buttermilk and milk it solidified everything turned out okay but it was weird looking) then pour into the well in the dry ingredients and mix.
4. Stir in the chilli, and then scoop into the tin.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and starting to come away from the sides of the tin. Serve warm and with butter!

Per-Serving (based on 10)

293kcals, 10.5fat (5.1g saturated), 9.8g protein, 40.9g carbs (3.1g sugars), 1.5g salt, 1.8g fibre