from The Guardian

You can shape this dough into loaves, cut it into sticks for deli sub rolls or – even easier – pat it out on a tray for a mega thick focaccia.

450g salad potatoes
1 tsp instant dry yeast
100ml low-fat yoghurt
50g runny honey
175g pitted green olives
1 small bunch dill, chopped
2 tsp fine sea salt
625g Italian 00 flour
Olive oil and sea-salt flakes

Wash and chop the potatoes into cubes, toss with oil and a little salt, roast for 30 minutes until barely cooked, then cool. Mix 375ml water, yeast, yoghurt, honey, olives, dill with the potatoes in a bowl then mix in the flour and salt to a sticky dough. Leave the dough for 45 minutes then oil a patch of the worktop and your hands, knead the dough gently on it for 10 seconds then lift it back into the bowl. Repeat this three more times at 45 minute intervals, then line a baking tray with non-stick paper and press the dough out so it half covers it. Leave another 45 minutes then stretch the dough to cover the rest of the tray. Dimple the top, sprinkle with salt flakes, leave for about 30 minutes while you heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/390°F/gas 6. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until a deep golden brown on top.

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from The Guardian

The traditional apple version from southwest France uses dessert apples. Pears poached in red wine give a different result, subtle and lovely when served with cold crème fraîche. You’ll have a batch of syrup left over: use it in a fruit compote or for more pear poaching.

7 or 8 rock hard pears
375ml red wine, any sort
250g caster sugar, plus more for sprinkling
50g butter, salted or not
toasted chopped hazelnuts
3 or 4 large sheets filo (about half a 270g pack)
icing sugar

Peel, quarter lengthways and core the pears then place with the red win and caster sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer gently until the pears are slightly tender but not too soft. Place a side plate on the pears once the pan is off the heat to keep them submerged as they cool. Finally drain the pears free of syrup. Melt the butter then take a 20cm round tart cake and brush the inside with butter. Take one sheet filo, brush lightly with butter, sprinkle with caster sugar and hazelnuts, fold in half then tuck it into the tart case, then repeat this with another sheet. Spoon the pears in, fold the filo edges inward, then butter, sugar and nut sprinkle another sheet, crumple this and press it on top. Bake at 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas 4 for 30 – 40 until golden. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

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from The Guardian

Wholemeal flour can sometimes give a slight bitter aftertaste, but combining it with almond extract, brown sugar and oats masks this and creates a rich background flavour to stud with chocolate and dried fruit. The oil reduces the need for too much butter while making the cookies a little more chewy.

100g unsalted butter, softened
25ml sunflower oil
175g brown sugar
1 medium egg
1 tsp almond extract
200g wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
150g dried blueberries or sour cherries
100g – 150g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
75g rolled oats

Beat the butter, oil and sugar until smooth then mix in the egg and almond extract. Add the flour, soda and salt, beat this in well then stir in the dried fruit, chocolate chips and oats. Pinch off pieces of the dough and squeeze into balls about 2cm-3cm in diameter and flatten them slightly as you place them on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper. They don’t spread too much, just leave about 3cm between each cookie. Heat the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/335°F/gas 3 and bake for about 15 minutes until just beginning to brown at the edges.

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from The Guardian

Journalist Robyn Eckhardt from eatingasia.typepad.com tweeted me about a tahini bun she’d had in Istanbul and asked “why not peanut butter?” I thought about peanuts, salt, chillies and by the end of the day was eating this bread with slices of chorizo.

50g tahini
75g crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fine salt
2 long red chillies, not too fiery, charred over a flame
75g roasted peanuts
500g strong white flour, plus extra for shaping
1 tsp instant dry yeast
sesame seeds
oil for kneading

Spoon the tahini, peanut butter, cumin and salt into a bowl and pour on 100ml hot water. Deseed the chillies and chop roughly and add to the bowl; I leave the charred bits on. Add 200ml cold water and peanuts, stir well, add the flour and yeast, mix to a soft sticky dough and leave 30 minutes. Give the dough a 10-sec knead on an oiled worktop, place it in the bowl and leave an hour. Divide into three, shape into balls, leave 15 minutes then shape into sticks: pat the dough into an oval with some flour, folding it in upon itself a few times then roll about 30cm long. Brush with water, roll in sesame seeds and leave to rise 45 minutes on a tray. Slash down the length with a blade then bake at 220°C/fan 200°C/425°F/gas 7 for 30 minutes.

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from The Guardian

I’ve lowered the fat and increased the flavour, fibre and moistness for these easy peasy cheesy scones, good for picnics.

75g rolled oats, plus more for the top
50ml buttermilk
1 large egg
50ml sunflower or corn oil
1 large bunch parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
5 – 6 spring onions, finely chopped
200g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
350g plain flour, plus extra for shaping
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
beaten egg or milk for brushing

Place the oats in a saucepan with 150ml water, bring to the boil then spoon into a mixing bowl, stir in the buttermilk and leave 30 minutes to cool. Then beat in the egg and oil until smooth then stir in the parsley, spring onions and cheddar. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix everything into a soft dough. Cover a baking tray with non-stick paper, or sprinkle it with flour, and heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/425°F/gas 7. Flour the worktop and pat the dough to about 4cm thick and cut rounds about 6-8cm from it with a sharp cutter. Place these on the tray spaced 4-5 cm apart, brush the top of each with egg or milk and sprinkle a good pinch of oats on top of each. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until puffed and golden.

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