Sunday 24 March 2013

Hearty bread with leftover oatmeal

There are only a few things that annoy me more than having to throw away food that the children refuse to eat. So for the past few weeks I have made some healthy home made bread out of the leftover porridge that our youngest one decided not to eat. I made three slightly different loaves and this is the first recipe and the only one that has added syrup to give the bread a little sweetness. (for future reference, no added sweetness needed. In my opinion much tastier without the syrup, although this was utterly delicious anyway!)





Wholegrain oat bread (1 round loaf)

1 portion of leftover cooked porridge (this had a little apple purée mixed in it)
2,5dl of hot water
1 sachet of dry yeast
2dl plain flour
30grams poppyseeds
0,5dl olive oil
2tbsp honey
0,5dl dark syrup
pinch of salt
wholegrain wheat flour (did not measure the amounts, just enough so that the dough isn't too sticky and easy to knead)
+large rolled oats on top

1. Place the leftover porridge into a bowl, add the hot water, honey, olive oil, syrup, salt and the plain flour that has the dry yeast mixed into and let it sit for 10mins or so until it starts bubbling a little.
2. Continue by adding the poppy seeds and the wholegrain flour. Whether you are using a kitchen appliance or good old fashioned elbow grease, keep adding flour until the dough reaches a nice pliable consistency, soft but not sticky. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and place in a warm place to rise for about an hour.
3. Tip the proven dough onto a floured surface and give it a good knead for about 10mins. Shape it into a round loaf (or whatever shape tickles your fancy) and place it onto an oven tray lined with parchment and cover with a tea towel. Let it rise for another half an hour, while preheating the oven to 200degrees.
4. Brush the top of the loaf with some water and sprinkle with large rolled oats. Bake it for 20-30mins (depending on how hot your oven is) until the bread is brown and has a hollow sound when tapping at the bottom of it.

Simple and delicious!




Lovely afternoon coffee break!


    

Monday 18 March 2013

Meringues

Our younger son turned four last thursday and I wanted to make something quick and easy for him to treat the other children in his group at the nursery. Unless you suffer from an egg allergy, these are pretty safe for almost everyone. (Obviously not very tooth friendly, but these are treats after all.)

Basic meringue recipe

4 large egg whites
2,5dl granulated sugar

Whip the egg whites until slightly frothy, then start adding the sugar a little at a time. Continue whisking until the meringue is stiff and glossy. (Add food coloring if desired, I had Wilton's royal blue)

Pipe the meringues onto a baking tray lined with parchment and bake for 1h 15mins at 90degrees. You will end up with a dry and crunchy meringue.