Anna Mckay shares a recipe perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year
Laura Reynolds reviews the latest arrival to the York cafe scene
Anna Mckay tempts us to break the new year healthy eating streak.
Just 4 days until Christmas..get in the mood with some festive nosh!
Bread needs to rise in a warm place for the yeast to work, we all know that. Airing cupboards are supposed to be nice and cosy but if you don’t have one, I realised that I could put my bowl of dough in a kitchen cupboard and there was enough warmth in there to get everything going. Now this is a basic recipe to get you started, the one I’ve found to be the most reliable. I can’t guarantee that it’s fool proof but give it a go. And the smug feeling you get holding your first loaf is pretty unbeatable.
Ingredients:
Method:
1) Put the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt (it looks like a lot but isn’t) and yeast. People say with yeast to dissolve it in the water first but you really don’t have to, this way is just fine.
2) Make a well in the centre of the flour and add about 250mls of the water. Throw in the knob of butter or oil then stir to combine it as much as you can.
3) When the mix feels too tight to stir, get your hands in there, scrunching everything together, adding the rest of the water.
4) Push the dough around in the bowl until all the flour has been incorporated. At this stage the dough will be all ragged, but should be soft. Too wet, add some more flour. Too dry, add a touch more water.
5) Tip the dough out onto a clean, flat surface and get kneading. This involves the heel of your palms. Position your left hand palm at six o’ clock and your right at twelve, on top of your chunk of dough. Push your right hand away from yourself, dragging the dough but not breaking it apart. Then fold it back on itself. Turn the dough slightly and repeat the process. It’s difficult to describe, you get a feel for it when you’re doing it! Work it for about ten minutes, pushing and pulling it, then folding it.
6) You should end up with a smooth ball of dough that feels more springy and elastic than when you started.
7) Put it back in the bowl and cover with clingfilm. Then stash it away in a warm place. Leave for two hours, until it’s doubled in size.
The thing with this recipe is that it’s very adaptable. After the proving stage, you’ll be able to split your dough in two and either make two pizza bases, two focaccias, two loaves of regular bread, a dozen rolls… Anything you like. Explore your possibilities and make what you fancy.
I chose to make a focaccia.
8) When the dough has doubled, punch it to knock the air out then pull it out of the bowl. Give it a knead or two for good measure then split in two.
9) With your hands, stretch one of the balls of dough to the size of half a sheet of A4 paper, flattening it to about 1-½ cm thick. Place on a greased baking sheet and cover with cling film. Leave for about 35-40 minutes in the warm place again, until it’s puffed up (Do the same with your other ball of dough if you like, or reserve it for a pizza. It’ll keep in the bottom of the fridge for a few days while you decide, just bring it back to room temperature when you’re ready).
10) When your dough is puffed, poke a few indents in it with your fingers and smother it with whatever you like. I chose a few tablespoons of rosemary and parsley this time. Go for olives, cherry tomatoes, cheese, chopped garlic… Don’t forget to drizzle with lots of olive oil.
11) Fire up the oven nice and hot, 220˚. Bake the focaccia for about 25-35 minutes on the middle shelf until it’s even more puffed up and golden.
That’s it! Leave to cool slightly then tuck in and bask in smugness.
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