Home Made Breads

One of the best smells I could think of is the smell of fresh bread, and it's true! Everytime you'd pass by a bakery, or a little deli or cafe, there is this unmistakable smell of bread baking, and it is enough to make you feel hungry or crave for those treats in a loaf (or slice!)

Corn Bread

Browsing through some other food blogs I came across a corn bread recipe (check it out here). Although the jalapeno peppers were not used for this one (just because none were at hand at the moment!) but my little experiment with leaving the initial mixture of flour, water and yeast overnight proved to have good results.

corn bread

the yellow bits

Yeast thrives in warm temperature, hence the current weather retards the proliferation of our little friends in the pre-ferment, or that dynamic mixture of flour, water and yeast. It provides a nicer texture to the bread (those little holes, if you may, and the softness of the bread).

Focaccia

Focaccia is an Italian flat bread, served either plain or herbed or with other good stuff in it. Due to an abundance of rosemary (the bush at the backyard is still growing!), this one is made with this wonderful herb.

From research there appears to be a lot of ways on making this bread, I have rarely seen two recipes alike in terms of the approach, even of the ingredients are the same.

One of the many variations of this recipe call for :
Bread Flour: 1+3/4 cups
Water: 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp, warm
Active Dry Yeast: 1 tsp
Salt: 3/4 tsp
Olive Oil: 3 tbsp

The yeast is mixed with the warm water and 1 tbsp of the oil, then added to the flour and then the dough is formed and kneaded until elastic. After a lot of kneading (like 10 minutes!), the dough is left to rise. The 'first rising' is kneaded again, and then flattened, about half an inch thick round dough, and left to proof on the baking sheet. Then the rest of the oil is brushed on top, sea salt and the finely chopped rosemary are sprinkled after poking the 'ceremonial' focaccia holes (some use forks, some use well-oiled fingers!).

you know what these holes are made of!

if the dough was made to rise for longer, the crust would also look different

Found another recipe here, with steps better articulated!

White Soda Bread

Unlike the two previous breads, this one does not call for yeast. Although it does need some kneading unlike some of the quick bread recipes that I know of, and is of the sweet kind with currants in it.

sultanas and currants are raisins (dried grapes), the question is the variety of grapes!

This particular bread is best eaten the day after it is baked, as it allows the flavors of the currants to seep further. This is actually a permutation of the original soda bread, created with flour, buttermilk, baking soda and salt - and that's it!

The soda bread is actually an Irish trademark, and was widely consumed since it was easy and faster to make - baking soda proved to be a faster way of leavening the bread. Most of the original recipes require wholemeal flour, but my current combination of wholemeal and plain flour proved to be as good as the real deal. Some use oat flour, but it is the wholemeal flour that gives it its distinct taste. The simplicity of its flavor make it best eaten with soups or stews, or toasted, even fried!