Khachapuri (cheese-crammed bread)

 

Dough: 

• 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 cup water, (though this is not enough, so about 1.5 cups milk/water) 
• 2tsp yeast, 1.5 sugar, 2 olive oil, 1.5 salt 
• 2 cups plain flour plus for kneading 

1 pound of cheese (pizza cheese, fetta, cottage, whatever mix you like) and I chucked in some cubed ham, makes two of the original cheese vaginas. 

You're meant to stuff the crust, roll it into a... well, nice little... and then there's a gap in the middle which you also stuff with cheese, bake, then back into the oven with a finishing off of an egg and knobs of butter in the middle of the... thing. 

HOWEVER, while these were intriguing and pretty tasty, it was all a bit much. So next time I thought we'd just have Pure Stuffed Crust, and forget about the hole in the middle. It makes the dough underneath rather squishy, and also is not really as convenient a place to dip the bread in as it might seem. I will make some equivalent dipping sauce, either with egg like a hollandaise or perhaps with yoghurt, or a spicy salsa type, or a mix of all of the above. It'll be easier to eat and less soggy, as well as cutting down on the excessive cheese. I'll also serve it with something like a very acid side, like olive/roast pepper salad. On this occasion I served it with 'Communist Salad', which was OK but could do with more. Also another salad that provides crunch and leaf, to counteract all the squish. 

Here's communist salad: 

Beetroot, sliced orange, carrot (grated), sesame seeds. Others as wishes. The point is that it's red and tangy. 

Bagels

Could have sworn I put these on here before but anyway. Bagels.

• 3.5 cups water 
• 4.5 cups flour 
• 1/3 white sugar
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 tbs veg oil
• 2 tbs yeast 
• plus a large pot of boiling water and 2 tbps bicarb of soda 

Plus toppings

Mix dough as per usual, form into bagels when done, rise again, boil for 20 seconds each side, and bake.

Mind you I might try out a totally different method if I have time sometime:

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/amazing-chewy-bagels-from-scratch

Cream Biscuits

Another of Chef John's recipes. Although I've increased the cream a bit because I kept adding while stirring. Perhaps this flour is more absorbent.

• 2 cups flour including raising agent (2tsp baking powder, sprinkle salt) 
• 2tbs sugar 
• 2 cups heavy cream 

• plus a good dob of melted butter 

Heat oven to Freaking Hot (260c, mine only goes to 225c). Line baking sheet with foil.

Mix main ingredients into a dough, and then for some reason Chef John does an imitation of making puff pastry thing without the layering butter, just once (fold into three and roll out again) and perhaps it makes them flakier. Anyway I did and they pouffed. Cut out, then brush top with melted butter. Bake until golden (10-12 mins). Brush with butter AGAIN. Serve.

Spiced Buns

Bread machine recipe

1 cup milk, whisked with 1 egg, 50g melted butter
450g plain flour
lots of bunnish spices
2tbps dried yeast
50g sugar
125g mixed fruit

Into machine for dough, shape into buns, let rise. Then pipe on decoration with the following mix:
25g margarine, 50g plain flour, enough water to make it into a pipeable dough.

Bake on highish, (15 mins ish), then glaze with a syrup of milk and sugar.

Pretzels

• 5 cups flour 
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 4 cups warm water 
• 6 tsp dry yeast 
• 1.5 tsp salt 
• good glug veg oil

Plus hot water and 0.5 cups (!) of baking soda, and some coarse salt

Make the dough in the usual way. Shape into pretzels. Then put the baking soda into the hot water and dunk the shaped pretzels into it and lay them on the trays, sprinkle them with salt and bake at 230 for about 8 minutes or golden brown.

If your dough rises this much you've left it a bit too long. 

Irish Sodabread

650g flour
3tsp baking powder
600ml buttermilk
sprinkle of salt

(I put some sugar in sometimes)

Bake

Hot Cross buns

1 cup milk
1 egg
50g melted butter
50g caster sugar
450g flour
Mixed spices
Things you want in like currants, mango, chocolate chips - whatever
1.5tsp dried yeast

Into the breadmaker. Once the dough is ready, rolled into buns and risen, you'll need your piped crosses, made out of
25g margarine
50g flour (I had to add quite a bit of water because it wouldn't pipe.)

Once they're cooked for about 15 minutes at 200C, you'll need to glaze them with a warm mix of
30ml milk
3tbs caster sugar

Enjoy warm. They were a bit solid but jolly tasty.

'Bed' rolls

a.k.a. Pizza Dough. For bread machine.
 1.25 cups water, glug of olive oil, 450g flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp yeast. Into bread machine and roll into little balls and bake in the oven when finished. Lovely for breakfast or as tiny dinner rolls.

White bread (bread machine)

Mind you I'm sure you can bake it as a normal bread as well. In the meantime,

1/1/3 cups water, 500g (4.5 cups) flour, 1.5 tsp salt, 25g butter, 2 tsp dried yeast, 1 tbsp granulated sugar.

Into the machine. Bake.

Voila

Panzanella (bread salad)

Lovely salad that we had with the octopus and rocket (below). I'd thoroughly recommend it when you want some greens but also want just that little bit of carb to kick things in, the bread is much more amenable to absorbing flavours and juices than, say, potatoes, and is lovely for an added texture as well. Very simple, just:

Get some nice tomatoes (as nice as you can get), and cut them up with some cucumber, tear in a good load of basil, dress (plain on salt-olive-oil-pepper-balsamic), then toss in nicely crisped croutons. Was meant to be sourdough in my recipe but I was too mean to shell out specially for it so we just toasted a Vietnamese Roll all cut into chunks - was divine. That's it. Don't be fooled by the simplicity, it's great - try it!