Rising to the Challenge

Rising to

THE CHALLENGE

RECIPES VICKI RAVLICH-HORAN | IMAGES ASHLEE DECAIRES

This time last year, we all had a little more time on our hands and many, me included, spent much of that experimenting in the kitchen.

Sourdough experiments across the nation vied with Jacinda’s daily announcements for top spot in our feed. Not in my house! While I love a beautiful crusty loaf of sourdough, my neighbour makes a brilliant one and Volare have seven stores around the Waikato, I figure, why bother? A husband, six-year-old, two chickens and a cat are enough living creatures for me to keep fed and watered! So instead, I always have yeast in my fridge and in less than a day, sometimes mere hours, I will have a delicious loaf fresh out of the oven, or possibly hot cross buns, flat bread for a platter or pizza for dinner. Here are a few of my favourites.

Fruit Loaf

My grandmother used to whip up a loaf of fruit bread in her bread maker every few days. I loved it and still have a soft spot for a fruit loaf. Her secret was some ground cardamom (you’ll find it at your local Vetro store). This loaf is a versatile one! Make it as a loaf for delicious fruit toast, plait it and drizzle with icing for an afternoon treat, or shape into buns for a traditional Easter bun.

¾ cup milk ½ cup boiling water 75g butter ½ cup brown sugar 2 tsp active dried yeast 1 tsp salt 4½ cups high grade flour 1 tsp mixed spice 2 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ground cardamom ½ tsp ground ginger 1 cup mixed fruit

Place the milk, water, butter and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix. Add the yeast and place in a warm place for 25–35 minutes. The yeast should cause the mixture to foam.

In the bowl of your mixer (with the dough hook attached), place the flour, salt and spices. Mix well before adding the liquid. Knead with the dough hook for 10 minutes. Add the dried fruit and knead in.

Remove the dough from the bowl. Clean the bowl (I do this with hot water, so it retains some of the heat), before lightly greasing it and returning the dough back. Cover with cling film and/or a damp tea towel and place in a warm spot to rise. You want the dough to double in size. Punch the dough down and shape into buns, place in a large loaf tin, or divide into three and roll and plait. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise again. When doubled again in size, bake in a pre-heated 190°C oven for 25–35 minutes for buns (around 40–50 minutes for a loaf depending on its shape and size). You know it is cooked if you tap it and it sounds hollow. Remember, resist the temptation to cut into the hot loaf! It needs to cool completely before you make your first slice.

Focaccia

This is a great loaf for sandwiches (fresh and toasted), or added to a platter of cheese, dips and cured meats. I love a slice, still warm with a slather of butter. And when it begins to get stale, focaccia makes the best croutons or crostini.

2½ cups warm water 2 tsp dried active yeast ½ tsp sugar 5 cups high grade flour 1 tbsp salt ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp sea salt flakes

Combine ½ cup of the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Put the bowl in a warm (not hot or cool) place until the yeast is bubbling and aromatic—at least 15 minutes.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, 1 tbsp salt, remaining water and yeast mixture. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 5–6 minutes on a medium speed. This is quite a wet dough so once I have kneaded it, I allow it to rise in the same bowl. Simply cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm spot to do its thing. You want the dough to double in size and, depending on the temperature, this could take between 1 and 3 hours. Coat a Swiss roll tin (or other high sided baking tray) with just over half the olive oil. And this is the cathartic bit, or when the kids want to get involved. Tip the dough onto the welloiled pan and press away. With your fingertips you want to push the dough so it reaches each corner of the pan and you are left with a dimpled dough. Pour over the remaining olive oil and continue to press to spread this over. When the dough rises again it will create the characteristic craggy looking focaccia. If you do not make decent indentations in the dough, the finished product will be very smooth.

Put the dough in a warm place until it has doubled in size (about 1 hour). While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 220°C. I also pop my pizza stone in there to ensure the base of the bread cooks well too.

Liberally sprinkle the top of the focaccia with the sea salt and bake until golden brown (about 25–30 minutes).

Change up your loaf by topping with rosemary, olives, or caramelised onions before cooking.

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Pide or Pizza Dough

This is a super quick bread to make and delicious served with hummus and my dukkha. It also doubles as an easy pizza dough.

1 tsp dried active yeast 1 tsp sugar 2 tbsp warm milk 2/3 cup warm water 2 cups flour 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra for brushing Combine the yeast, sugar, milk and water in your mixer’s bowl. Place in a warm spot for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. Stir in ½ cup of flour, cover with cling film or a beeswax wrap and place in a warm spot for an hour. Add the remaining flour, salt and oil and knead for five minutes (by hand or using the dough hook on your mixer). When the dough is smooth, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to stand for 1 hour. Divide the risen dough into three and roll into approx. 12cm x 30cm ovals. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with dukkah. Bake at 240°C for 8–10 minutes on a pizza stone if you have one.

Vicki's Dukkha

1 cup nuts (this is up to you, but I use ¼ cup each of cashews, pine nuts, almonds and pistachios) 1 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tsp fennel seeds 2 tbsp sesame seeds 1 tsp sea salt flakes ½ tsp cracked pepper Place the nuts on an oven tray and roast in a moderate oven for 10–15 minutes, being careful not to brown them.

Meanwhile, in a dry pan, toast the coriander, cumin, fennel and sesame seeds until they begin to pop. Take these off the heat and allow to cool, along with the roasted nuts. Combine everything in a food processor or mortar and pestle and process or pound until desired consistency.

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