In this Issue

About Sophia Lindop

Farm girl by birth, city girl by marriage… The only constant in my life has always been good, wholesome food, wine and company! Although I chose a variety of career paths in my life, I studied food and wine for six years before embarking on a detour that finally led me back to the kitchen, where I feel so at home! This newsletter is an invitation for you to come into my kitchen, with all its fragrances, warmth and laughter! Please come inside…

Website:
www.sophialindop.com

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Contact me at contact@sophialindop.com

Rise to the Occasion...

You will have noticed our new look. And, you are probably wondering, “Why the change?” Reason is, YuppieChef and I have decided, for reasons of efficiency, to present you with two exciting newsletters instead of one! By this stage you will have received theirs, and now you are being spoiled still further… Hope you like the new look! Here goes …

My earliest memories involve the smell of bread baking in our oven at home. My Mother was amazing – she ensured that our home was always filled with the yeasty smell of freshly baked bread. And, although I also remember that she had all morning to do this while we were at school, and I am aware of the fact that most of you reading this do not have that same luxury, I do want to encourage you to try this on weekends! There’s nothing like it! Working with dough is one of the most exciting things to do – it’s alive, it rises, you knock it back, and guess what? It rises again! It reminds me of life – and inspires me to ‘rise back up’ when life ‘knocks me back’!

This newsletter is dedicated to all Moms who allow their families the security and warmth that comes with walking into their home and smelling something that personifies love…

I bought an amazing recipe book the other day (yes, another one!) It is all about bread and bread making. I am proud to announce that I do not own a bread-making machine, and that I am forced to be tactile and enjoy every moment with my ‘play dough’. I have tried a few of the recipes, and will share some with you here.

Baguette (French stick)

The delicious, nutty crispiness, yet with substance, makes this a winner! The English call it a ‘French Stick’ - the French word ‘baguette’, however, translates literally into ‘little rod’, and in French also means a ‘conductor’s baton’ or a ‘fairy’s wand’. You’ll see why… It creates magic!

Time – almost 3 hours
Difficulty – easy
Yield – 2 baguettes
Oven temperature - 240°C / 475°F / Gas 9

Ingredients
2½ teaspoons dried yeast
375ml lukewarm water
500g (1 lb) strong white flour
1½ teaspoon salt

Definitions
Cake and pastry flour = soft flour
All-purpose flour = plain flour
Bread flour = strong flour, hard flour
Self-rising flour = self-raising flour
Whole-wheat flour = wholemeal flour

Method
1. Sprinkle the yeast into 300ml (½ pint) of the water in a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes to activate. Then stir to dissolve.
2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in the centre and pour in the yeasted water.
3. Use a wooden spoon to draw enough of the flour into the yeasted water to form a soft paste. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to ‘sponge’ until frothy and risen – about 20 minutes.  (See first picture...)
4. Mix in the rest of the flour and add the remaining water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a soft, sticky dough. (Note: I found that I didn’t need all the water.)
5. Turn out on to a lightly floured work surface. Knead until soft, smooth and supple – about 10 minutes. (Note: Although the dough feels very sticky, and like you should add more flour, try to avoid adding any extra flour while kneading the dough. You will see how the dough develops during kneading.)
6. Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave to rise until doubled in size – about 1½ hours.
7. Knock back, re-cover, and leave to rise for a further 45 minutes again.  (See second picture...)
8. Knock back again, re-cover, and leave to rise until doubled in size – another 45 minutes.  (See third picture...)
9. Divide the dough into two equal-sized pieces and shape into two baguettes each about 30 cm (12 inches) in length. (Note: …see below for instructions on how to shape a loaf.)
10. Place on a floured baking sheet, or in a floured baguette tray. Cover with a tea towel.
11. Allow it to rise for the last time (term is called ‘proving’) until it has doubled in size – about 50 minutes.
12. Now for the fun part – cut diagonal slashes across the top of one of them. (See fourth picture...)  Then place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. Brush with melted butter and cool on a wired rack.
13. For the second one, create a “Pain d’Epi” (‘Ear of Wheat’). When you’ve reached step 10, and before you cover this one, use a sharp scissor to cut the loaf like this – see pictures 5 and 6...
Now allow 50 minutes for the last rising, place in the pre-heated oven, bake for 20 to 25 minutes, brush with melted butter, and cool on a wire rack.

My Mother-in-law’s Seed Loaf

This delicious and super-healthy, nutty bread is unique to South Africa. Here is a family version. It is easy and quick to make because there is no kneading required, and it is left to rise only once before placing it in the oven to bake.

Time – 2 hours
Difficulty – easy
Yield – one loaf
Oven temperature - 200°C

Ingredients
6 cups Nutty Wheat flour
10ml instant yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2¾ cups warm water
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together, and then add the water.
3. Brush the bread tin lightly with butter.
4. Place the dough in the tin, and sprinkle seeds on top - I use a mixture of linseed, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds.
5. Cover with a clean dishtowel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, away from a draft.
6. Bake for 1 hour.
7. Then tip the hot loaf out onto a steel rack and do not cover - this will result in a yummy, crunchy loaf!

How to shape a loaf

1. Flatten the dough with the lightly floured palm of your hand to expel any gas bubbles. Keep the dough in a round shape by exerting pressure evenly.
2. Take one end of the dough and fold it into the centre – press gently to seal the fold.
3. Fold the other half of the dough into the centre, so that the two folds overlap along the middle of the loaf. Gently press along the length of the outer seam, using the lightly floured palm of your hand to seal the two folds together.
4. Use the thumbs of both hands to create an indentation in the centre of the dough. Before bringing the top half towards you, rest your fingertips along the top of the dough and give a firm, short push forwards. This action tightens the interior of the dough and gives an even-textured crumb when the bread is baked.
5. Gently press down with the palm of your hand along the seam to seal and fold. Place the dough, seam-side down. Press evenly with the palms of both hands and roll the dough backwards and forwards.
6. Place your hands on either side of the loaf, and continue to gently roll the dough, moving both hands outwards along the loaf. If the dough resists or tightens, allow to rest for 5 minutes, then repeat the rolling action until an even thickness and the desired length are achieved.

Now, with the start of winter biting at our heels, I suggest you make a pot of soup (go to my Blog – www.sophialindop.com/blog - for a recipe…), start a fire in the fireplace, bring out a soft, fluffy blanket, curl up with someone special, and enjoy a dinner that will take you down memory lane – guaranteed!

P.S. Make sure you also sign up for my Blog (www.sophialindop.com/blog). Even more free recipes up for grabs!

Until next time…

www.sophialindop.com