Of all the things I bake, bread has to be one of my favourites. You take some really simple ingredients – flour, water, yeast and salt – and transform them into something that fills the whole house with enticing aromas so good you can’t wait to take it out of the oven and enjoy. Using different flours, adding a few other ingredients and the world of bread opens up to so many possibilities.
Sourdough. I have a starter named Lagertha that has been providing our house with bread every week for the last few years. She is tireless. Doesn’t complain, and is forgiving when you neglect her to go on vacation. She always delivers. Below are a few pics of what she does!
We love making pita bread and seeing the flat disks puff up on the hot baking stone. Here we have some whole wheat pita just out of the oven, waiting to be served with some lula kebab or shish tawook.
One of the many great things of being married to a wonderful Armenian woman is learning great recipes from my mother-in-law. Lahmajoun is one of these recipes that I have picked up and now make with my son. The dough is essentially pita dough rolled thin then topped with an aromatic meat mixture, baked then enjoyed
I have started making bagels on a somewhat regular basis. These are some sesame coated ones fresh out of the oven.
Simplicity – flour, water, yeast and salt – that is all that goes into this Pain de Campagne. This whole wheat bread has a nice chew and wonderful flavour, that is great with a hearty cassoulet.
These english muffins are neat bread to bake as they are baked on a griddle instead of the oven. They of course go well with some back bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
You can have fun with dinner rolls by rolling them in different toppings prior to baking. Here we have some plain ones, sesame, and some poppy sunflower seed buns.