Mini Banana Loaves

The other day I noticed that a bunch of bananas in the kitchen had taken on a dubious speckled appearance.  "They're for the bin", I thought.  You see I don't eat a huge amount of bananas as they are just a little to heavy for my delicate tummy.  I can eat my own body weight in chocolate without a problem but not a banana, go figure.  Mr. Boo reverts back to his 3 year old self at the sight of a blackening banana and refuses to eat them so they are generally consinged to the compost bin at the 1st signs of a freckle.  This time I resolved to save them and turn them into something yummy for the one I love.  That's you babes!

Right here's the recipe, enjoy!

Mini Banana Loaves
(makes 8 mini loaves or 1 x 1lb loaf)

1kg/just over 2lb's Plain Flour
approx. 6 Bananas
3 x 7g/0.25oz sachets of Dried Yeast
2tbsp Sugar
2 level tbsp Sea Salt
3tbsp of Honey, and 3tbsp for glazing
Flour for dusting

1.  Place the flour into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre.
2.  In a food processor, blitz the bananas until smooth and liquid.  Transfer to a measuring jug and if necessary top up with water to 625ml.

3.  Add half of the banana liquid to the well in the centre of the flour.  Add the yeast, sugar, salt and honey and stir to incorporate.  Gradually start to bring some of the flour into the mix, you will get a porridge type consistency.
4.  Add the remaining liquid and continue to mix incorporating all of the flour until the dough has formed.
5.  Flour your hands and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it is nice and elastic.  You can knead in the bowl if it is big enough, if not flour a work surface and transfer to that.  I do it in the bowl to save me cleaning up something extra.
6.  Shape the dough into a ball, flour the top (place it back in the bowl if you kneaded on a work surface) and cover the bowl with clingfilm.  Place in a warm, draught free area(I always use my airing cupboard/hot press) and leave to prove for 30 minutes.

7.  While the dough is proving prepare the baking tin.  I have a tin with 8 compartments for mini loaves(individual mini loave tins can also be bought in packs of 2 or 4 etc.) which I oiled lightly and lined with greaseproof paper.  It is sufficient to just oil the tin but I wanted the paper for presentation purposes so did both.  If you don't have mini loaf tins a regular 1lb loaf tin will do fine or you could simply flour a baking sheet and shape the dough into a round and bake it on that.  The possibilities are endless.

8.  When the dough has doubled in size knock it back(bash it about with your hands to knock the air out). 

9.  Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and place them into the loaf tins or shape according to your baking tin.
10.Place the dough back into a warm draught free place and leave to prove for a further 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.
11.When the dough has proved brush the top with the remaining honey and place into the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

12.Serve while still warm with some butter, peanut butter or even some scrummy vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of toffee sauce.  Nom nom nom!

Roma Pizza & Pasta Flour (Farina Tipo "00")

The other day whilst I was very busy beavering away at some important task or other I decided to allow myself 30 seconds to check Twitter for updates.  A little tweet from Damien Mulley informed any Irish Foodies who might be interested in receiving some Pizza & Pasta Flour from Roma that they need only send an email for their wish to be granted.  Being a lover of all things pizza and pasta related I thought to myself sure why not, and hit send.

A couple of days later the lovely Adam from Roma sent a little parcel my way.  When I openend the door to the postman it was like Christmas, there he was brandishing 2 lovely parcels for me, 1 from Roma and the other, my Amazon order.  When I opened the parcel it contained the flour as promised and also some Roma pasta, a lovely little storage tin and a recipe card containing recipes for calzone and ravioli.  I had great intentions to make the calzones last Friday but then 'stuff' cropped up and there was no time for that, a very busy bank holiday followed chock full of eating out and entertaining at home so that was the weekend gone. 

When I woke on Tuesday I was more than a little tired and possibly a little grumpy, but with only myself and my shadow in the house I can neither confirm or deny that.  Things started to look a little brighter when I opened the fridge, there staring back at me was a pack of parma ham.  We had a little chat and the general consensus was that the ham was prepared to sacrifice itself for the good of mankind and the love of pizza.  Now, I know what yiz are all thinking.  Pizza. For dinner. Of a Tuesday.  I know, I know but I was tired, I'm weak and I love pizza so I gave in to temptation.

As I hadn't planned on having pizza I hadn't removed my sourdough starter from the freezer and so needed a quick fix recipe for a thin and crispy base.  A little googling yielded the recipe I used.  It is quite similar to the original pizza recipe I posted a few weeks back, in it's texture.  The main difference between the 2 is obviously the inclusion of yeast in this one.  It did however have the advantage of a thin crispy outer crust.  Mr Boo ate the lot, my ahem little tummy could only manage 3/4's of mine, but it was yum and great if you need a quick fix recipe that doesn't require forward planning as is the case with the sourdough recipe. 

Roma's Pizza and Pasta flour feels slightly different to regulair plain or cream flour.  When I looked at it in the bowl it looked a little 'fluffier' (sorry, that's the only word I can think of to describe it) to me so naturally I wanted to stick my hands in to investigate further.  As I lifted the flour in each hand and allowed it to fall back into the bowl it felt much softer than regular flour.  The flour mixed to form a nice elastic dough and the base when cooked was crisp around the edges and light and airy under the toppings.  I will definitely use this flour again when making pizza and will see how it compares when used to make my favourite sourdough base.  I am also looking forward to making some ravioli with it.

*Roma Pasta & Pizza Flour (Farina Tipo "00") is available from Dunnes Stores and Superquinn.

Thin and Crispy Pizza Base
(yields 3 x 11" bases)

•500g Roma Pizza & Pasta Flour (Farina Tipo "00")
•4 tbsp Olive Oil
•1 tsp Salt
•300 ml lukewarm Water
•2 tsp (1 x 7g sachet) Dried Yeast
•1/2 tsp Sugar 

 
1.  Place the flour in a large bowl.
2.  Mix the yeast with the sugar and 50ml of the lukewarm water and stir, allow to sit for 10 minutes until it develops a nice foam on top.

3.  Add the olive oil and salt to the flour.

4.  Now add the yeast mix to the flour, oil and salt and add the rest of the lukewarm water (250 ml). Mix with your hands and knead until you have a smooth dough.

5.  Cover the dough with a clean, dry tea towel and let it sit for an hour.

6.  Once the dough has risen preheat your oven to 250C/481F/Gas Mark 9.
7.  Break off 1/3 of the dough and roll it with a rolling pin until you are happy with the depth of the dough (mine was approximately 5mm).

8.  Place onto a floured baking sheet and dress with sauce and toppings of your choice.

9.  Place into the preheated oven and bake for between 10 and 20 minutes (depending on how thick you roll your base you will need to adjust cooking times, my 5mm base was ready after 10 minutes so check at regular intervals after 10 minutes).
10. Enjoy!

Ciabatta

I have mentioned in a previous post that Mr. Boo and myself had a dinner party on Saturday night. I usually put all of my efforts into preparing the main body of the meal from scratch and extras like bread and dips and nibbles tend to be store bought but this time I decided to do it all myself.

For starters we served Moules Mariniere so I wanted bread that would be nice for mopping up the sauce once all of the lovely mussels had been devoured. I decided ciabatta would do the job and I wasn’t disappointed, it was perfect.

The following recipe yielded 3 ciabatta loaves. We managed to get through them between dinner, breakfast and parcels happily taken home by our guests. You may want to divide the recipe or simply make the full amount and freeze dough or baked loaves for a later date.

Ciabatta

30g/1oz Fresh Yeast, or 3 x 7g sachets Dried Yeast
30g/1oz Honey
625ml/just over 1 pint of Tepid Water
1kg/2.25lb Plain Flour
30g/1oz Salt
6tbsp Olive Oil
Extra Flour and some Semolina for dusting

1. Dissolve the yeast and honey in half the tepid water.

2. Place the flour and salt in a very large bowl and make a well in the centre.

3. Pour the dissolved yeast mixture into the well. With your fingers and working from the centre outwards start to incorporate some of the dry ingredients into the yeast mixture.

4. Pour in the remaining tepid water and gradually incorporate all of the flour until you have a most dough. (If you feel the consistency is not quite right feel free to add some more water/flour a little at a time until you achieve a nice dough)

5. Knead the dough for approx 5 minutes until it is nice and elastic. (If your bowl is not big enough to knead in flour a work surface and tip the dough on to that)

6. Flour your hands and the top of the dough and shape it into a nice ball (place back in the bowl if you removed it). Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm, draught free area (I use the airing cupboard) for 45 minutes to prove.

7. After 45 minutes the dough should have doubled in size. Knock it back (knead to remove all of the air).

8. Add the olive oil and knead once again to incorporate throughout the dough.

9. Split the dough into 3 equal parts and roll each piece into a 25cm/10” roll. Flatten the length of each roll with the heel of your hand.

10. Dust 2 or 3 baking sheets (depending on their size you may only need 2) with flour and semolina. Place the dough rolls onto the baking sheets. Dust the dough with flour and semolina and score each one approximately 5 times.

11. It is now time for the dough’s 2nd prove so once again leave in a warm/ draught free place for 45 minutes.

12. Preheat the oven to 225C/425F/Gas Mark 7.

13. Once the bread has proved for the 45 minutes place in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes.

14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about ½ an hour before eating.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye, Like A Big Pizza Pie...Part Deux

If you read my original pizza post earlier in the week you will know that I planned a follow up.  I like a thin and crispy pizza base so have been rolling my yeast free base to a thickness of 5mm, which has been yum.  Last Sunday I visited the new Saturday and Sunday market at the O2 in Dublin.  Having strolled around and purchased some culinary delights for the store cupboard Mr. Boo and I decided it was time for a little bite to eat.  We were undecided between calamari and pizza from Dick and Dave's.  As we couldn't decide the only option was one of each.  We joined the pizza line and queued and queued and queued and then we queued a little more.  This had to be a good sign right?  The pizza must be good if so many people wanted some. 

While we were queueing I had my little eagle eyes on red alert watching all that was going on behind the counter.  The guy making up the pizzas was pulling small balls from a large mound of soft white dough.  I verbalised to Mr Boo that I wondered what sort of a dough base these professionals were using and he swiftly pointed to a rather large sign heralding the use of sourdough bases.  OK, so my eyes were having a bit of an off day. 

We placed our order with the very friendly guy busy making up boxes in a vain attempt to keep up with demand.  I was instructed by Mr Boo to stay put while he popped behind us to get some Calamari before he collapsed from the hunger (honest to God).  He returned mere moments later proudly clutching a bowl of (rather delicious) calamari and chorizo for us to munch on while we waited (yep, still waiting) for our pizza.  Just as he polished off the last of his starter his name was called and Mr. Boo stepped on small children and grannies to get to it.  We found a little spot at a picnic table and sat down to enjoy it and got plenty of envious looks from people who had opted for alternatives.  As we happily tucked in Mr Boo declared that the sauce wasn't up to much and that mine was so much better. Ah, I really do loves him.  He was right, it was watery and bland.  The base however was light and crispy and just perfect for my taste so I knew that I was onto a winner and would just have to try it out during the week.

Cue reindeersp and her idea for a twizzaparty having seen pizza recipes emerge from more than one Irish Food Blogger over a couple of days.  The idea was for any of the Irish Food Bloggers who wanted to participate to make homemade pizzas and tweet ideas and photos last night.  Perfect, I could try out my new dough and not feel guilty, as I was contractually obliged to do so.  Well, maybe I wasn't exactly contractually obliged but it sounds much better than just eating pizza for the 3rd time in one week because I am a little porker!  The dough was perfect and as if I didn't love him enough already Mr. Boo declared, unprompted, that it was MUCH better than Dick and Dave's as he inhaled slice after slice.  I am a very happy bunny, I have a new favourite pizza base that is so light and yum, and I have a gorgeous man who loves me, and my pizza.  Life is good.

The following is a basic sourdough recipe, which makes one loaf, but if divided into six pieces will make 6 (approx 9") thin and crispy pizzas.

Sourdough Bread

For the sourdough starter:
2tsp dried yeast (1 7g sachet was exactly 2tsp for me)
300ml/10floz water
240g/8&1/2oz Strong White Flour

1.  Sprinkle the dried yeast onto the water and stir until dissolved.
2.  Stir in the flour, cover and leave to ferment for 2 days at room temperature. 
3.  Stir a couple of times a day.

Make the starter in a much bigger bowl than you think you will need, as it will rise as it ferments.  Once the starter is ready you can make the dough.

For the dough:
1tsp Dried Yeast
200ml/7floz Water
60g/20z Rye Flour
300g/10oz Strong White Flour

1.  Sprinkle the dried yeast onto the water and stir until dissolved.
2.  Sieve the flours in to a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
3.  Pour in 250ml/9floz of the starter (reserve the rest for a future loaf) and mix in the flour from the sides.
4.  Stir in the yeast water until you have a sticky dough.
5.  Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic.
6.  Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm room to rise for 2 hours. (I left mine in the airing cupboard)

7.  Knock back (knead) the risen dough, punching out all of the air, and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
8.  Shape into a round loaf, place on a lightly floured baking tray and cover for 1&1/2 hours to allow it to prove. Alternatively if using as pizza dough at this stage divide the dough into 6 pieces, shape into balls before placing onto the baking sheet and returning to the airing cupboard for 1&1/2 hours.

9.  If baking as a loaf at this stage place into an oven that has been preheated to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7 for 1 hour.  When cooked the loaf should sound hollow when you tap the base.  Leave to cool on a cooling rack.
Alternatively, on a floured surface roll out the individual dough balls to a thickness of 5mm or less.  Place on a floured baking sheet and dress with sauce and toppings of your choice and bake in an oven preheated to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7 for 10 minutes.

This might all seem like a lot of hard work but each of the stages takes between 5 and 10 mins and it was definitely worth it for the results.

Mojito anyone?

This one was just for the lovely Italian Foodie

(Nutella dusted with a little icing sugar)

Other Irish Food Bloggers who participated in the twizzparty are:

Musings of a Med Student (who was responsible for the event, so a big thank you)

Gluttony For Beginners

Babaduck Babbles

Dinner du Jour

I Can Has Cook

Bibliocook

An American In Ireland

Italian Foodie (expert judge on the evening)

Now don't be rude, go on off and say hello to all of these lovely people. 

Cough Cough (I know, STILL)

I might have mentioned a time or 20 that I have had a bad cough the last couple of weeks.  Well, 15 days on and it still hasn't completely left me.  It would seem it has grown rather fond of me and is reluctant to end our relationship just yet.  I, on the other hand, have had more than enough and Mr Cough and all your little sniffly nose, achy ear, sore head chums, it is OVER.  I'm kicking you to the kerb.  Dumping you. Have you got the picture? 

In an attempt to kill off any last lingering carresses on your part I am sending in the big guns.  Vitamins and minerals shall be coarsing through my system this week, appetite or no appetite, through the medium of large steaming bowls of homemade vegetable soup.  Now it would be rude to eat a big bowl of scrummilicious soup without a little soakage, as it were, to compliment it.  For this reason I have decided the only thing up to this job has got to be a couple of deliciously fresh slices of homemade walnut bread.

*Please read on after the recipe for some notes and observations I made.  The recipe is adapted from a Jamie Oliver one and it is obvious he has minions to run around after him cleaning up his mess, so for a cleaner baking experience and a saner you I have made some amendments after the original recipe.

Walnut Bread

500g Wholemeal Flour
500g Strong White Flour
625ml Tepid Water
30g Fresh Yeast or 3 x 7g Sachets Dried Yeast
2tbsp Sugar
2 level tsp Sea Salt
455g Walnuts Peeled (crush half until coarse and the remaining half to a fine powder)
115g Butter (at room temperature)

1.  Pile both types of flour on to a clean surface and make a large well in the centre.  Pour half of the water into the well, then add your yeast, sugar and salt and stir well with a fork.
2.  Slowly, but carefully, bring in the flour from the inside of the well (be careful not to break the walls of the well so as not to allow the water to escape).
3.  Continue to incorporate the flour into the centre until you get a stodgy, porridgey consistency.
4.  Add the remaining water and continue to mix until it is stodgy again, be a little more aggressive with it at this stage incorporating all of the flour, making the mixture less sticky.
5.  Add in the walnuts and butter at this stage and mix well to incorporate.
6.  Flour your hands and pat and push the dough together (if more water is needed at this time add a little to adjust)
7.  Knead the dough for 4-5 minutes until you have a silky, elastic dough.
8.  Flour the top of the dough, place it in a bowl, cover in cling film and allow it to prove for half an hour until it has doubled in size (ideally allow it to prove in a warm, moist, draught free place).
9.  Once the dough has doubled in size knock the air out of it by giving it a bit of a bashing.  At this stage shape it as required be it into a round, a loaf or smaller individual servings.  Leave it to prove a second time for 30 minutes.
10. While the bread is proving for the second time flour a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
11. Once the dough has doubled in size dust the top with some flour and gently transfer to the prepared baking sheet.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for approx 30 mins until lightly golden (to check that it is cooked tap the bottom, if it sounds hollow it is cooked, if it doesn't pop it back in the oven for a further 5 minutes and check again).
12. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for 30 mins before getting stuck in.

*Above is the recipe and instructions that I followed, but I have to be honest, it was very messy and I got a bit stressed with flour and water going in all directions and then trying to incorporate the walnuts.  The next time I make this bread (and I will make it again because it is completely yum) I will probably do it as outlined below.*

1.  In a very large bowl (use the biggest bowl you have as there is a lot of flour) add both types of flour and the walnuts.  Give them a quick stir to mix them all together.
2.  Make a well in the centre and pour in half of the water.
3.  Add the yeast, sugar and salt to the water and give a little mix to combine.
4.  Slowly start to bring in flour from the inside of the well until you get a stodgy, porridgey consistency.
5.  Make another little well and add the remaining water and continue to bring the remaining dry mix in until you again reach a stodgy, porridgey consistency.
6.  Cut the butter into rough 1cm cubes and dot all over the mixture and then mix thoroughly to incorporate throughout the mixture (make sure your butter is quite soft to make this easier, mine had been out of the fridge for over an hour.  Also I mixed everything by hand so that I could really attack it and give it a good mix).
7.  Place the mixture on to a clean work surface and knead for 4-5 minutes until you have a silky, elastic dough.
8.  Flour the top of the dough, place it in a bowl, cover in cling film and allow it to prove for half an hour until it has doubled in size (ideally allow it to prove in a warm, moist, draught free place.  I popped mine into the hot press).
9. Once the dough has doubled in size knock the air out of it by giving it a bit of a bashing. At this stage shape it as required, be it into a round, a loaf or smaller individual servings and place onto a floured baking sheet. Leave it to prove a second time for 30 minutes. (this recipe yields a monster loaf so if it just for 1 or 2 people I would advise dividing in 2 before baking and freezing one loaf for later use)
10. While the bread is proving for the second time flour preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
11. Once the dough has doubled in size dust the top with some flour and place in the preheated oven and bake for approx 30 mins until lightly golden (to check that it is cooked tap the bottom, if it sounds hollow it is cooked, if it doesn't pop it back in the oven for a further 5 minutes and check again).
12. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for 30 mins before getting stuck in.