Cottage Loaf

Tags

autolyse, low hydratrion

I have fond memories of this classic British bread form from my childhood, but I don’t recall seeing it in bakeries recently. I was inspired to try my hand at it by a stunning photograph posted on Twitter by Karl Bowyer.

Although my version is not as spectacular, I take heart from the words of Elizabeth David (in English Bread and Yeast Cookery):

“Cottage loaves, as all professional bakers writing for their colleagues readily admit, are notoriously difficult to mould and bake…”

And her recipe doesn’t even include the slashes that seem to me to be so characteristic of this loaf – but do add to its difficulty. So if you want to omit those you are in good company!

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Pane allo Zafferano per Quanti Modi di Fare e Rifare

Tags

albicocche, arancia, cardamomo, panini, quanti modi di fare e rifare, zafferano

An English version of this post will be found here.

Mi ha fatto tanto piacere che Anna e Ornella, le carissime organizzatori di Quanti Modi di Fare e Rifare abbiano deciso di utilizzare il mio post Three Kinds of Saffron Bread (Pane allo Zafferano) per la sfida di questo mese.

Non volevo ripetere la stessa ricetta, quindi ho deciso di fare ancora due variazioni sul tema.

A Plate of Traditional Biscuits

Tags

Bourbon, custard creams, Jammie Dodgers, jammy dodgers, Marzipan spacers, rolling pastry evenly, rolling soft dough

I thought it was fitting that Signor Biscotti should end the year with some biscuits, although these are not Italian biscuits, but are instead about as British as you can get.

These Jammie Dodgers, Bourbons and Custard Creams are far more exciting than those that you would find on the supermarket shelves. With the possible exception of the Custard Creams, they look much more glamorous than their commercial counterparts, and they smell good too. They have a delicate, light, crunchy texture and, last but not least, are richly flavoured.