The British have many traditions.  Most of them make me smile but none so much as a good glass of Pimms.

NOTE: If you live in Canada, like I do now and you are reading this confused about this Pimms stuff, I suggest you get to a Wine and Beyond and buy some (its in the gin section) and try a glass of English delight! 

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

Usually credited to James Pimm, a shellfish monger from Kent who opened his famous Pimm's Oyster Bar in London in 1823. Using gin, quinine and his own secret mixture of herbs, Pimm created a drink that he served as an aid to digestion.

 

PERFECT PIMMS

• 3 parts lemonade to one part Pimm's (Lemonade as in the fizzy stuff with bubbles not flat!

• 1 slice orange

• 1 slice lemon

• 2 slices cucumber

• 1 sliced strawberry

• sprig of mint

 

ALSO REQUIRED

• Rain, with slight breaks of sunshine.  You make the drink and await the sunshine, whereby you rush outside start the BBQ and burn the sausages whilst drinking the Pimms

• Tennis, Showjumping or any lovely British outdoor sport- as long as it's not delayed by the rain.

• A Royal Wedding- Pimms tastes at its best whilst watching Royals get married- its just a fact! 

 

METHOD

Pour Pimm's into a glass half filled with ice. Add fruit and fill the glass with more ice. Top with lemonade, lightly stir and serve. For an alternative to lemonade, try ginger ale.

Before I get into this recipe I want to talk about dried apple rings.  If you love them, I am sorry but they are very odd and have the texture and look of cardboard!  I was very dubious about putting them into a mix of bread, fearing it would be a disaster.  But you know what, cooked into bread they are given a whole new lease of tasty life!  Who knew!

I may have to make many batches of this bread to use those nasty looing rings of floppiness up, as I cant see me grabbing one from the packet as a snack anytime soon! 

Also if you are unsure of whether to make these, see the melting butter photo at the bottom- gets me every time.....................

 

 

APPLE, HONEY AND OAT BUNS

INGREDIENTS

• 350g All purpose white flour
• 50g oatmeal
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fast action dried yeast
• 1 tsp. mixed spice (I couldn't find this so used 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. ginger)
• 40g dried apple rings, snipped
• 50g sultanas
• 50g softened butter
• 2 tablespoons runny honey
• 225ml apple juice (preferably cloudy)

METHOD

1. Combine the flour, oatmeal, salt, yeast, mixed spice, snipped apple rings and sultanas in a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add the butter, honey and apple juice. Mix to a soft dough. 
2. Turn out on to un-floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth.  Cover and prove in a warm place until doubled in size.  (Note: this took a lot longer than normal breads as the liquid in it is not warm and therefore the yeast takes a lot longer to work its magic)
3. Knock back the dough and divide into 12 pieces.  Grease a 12 hole muffin pan and place a dough ball in each hole.  Cover and prove until doubled in size (Again, it takes a lot longer)
4. Pre-heat the oven to 220 C/ 425 F.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until the buns are golden.  Transfer to a cooling rack and brush with honey whilst still hot. 

This is just a good, honest, tasty loaf of bread.  It is great eaten warm from the oven and even better toasted and spread thick with honey the day after.  This is also a great bread for using up packets of seeds that seem to gather in the back of my baking cupboard (I think I even threw some nuts in too!).

WHITE SEEDED LOAF

INGREDIENTS

• 450g All Purpose Flour
• 1tsp. sugar
• 1tsp. salt
• 1tsp. fast action dried yeast
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, linseed, millet, pumpkin, poppy and sunflower seeds (or a mixture of any other seeds, just stick to 6 tablespoons of whatever seeds you like) plus a little extra for sprinkling on top of the loaf
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 300ml hand hot water

FOR THE TOPPING

• A little milk
• 2 tsp. mixed seeds

METHOD

1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and seeds in a bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add the oil and water.  Mix to a soft dough.
2. Turn out on to an un-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth.  Place in an oiled polythene bag and prove, until doubled in size. 
3. Grease a baking sheet or a loaf pan.
4. Knock back the dough and if using a baking sheet, shape into a round or place the dough into the loaf pan.  Cover and prove until doubled in size.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 220 C/425 F
6. Brush the surface of the dough with milk and sprinkle with seeds.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.  Cool on a wire rack. 

OK this is an official catch up on Life Without Lemons.  I took a little two week break from blogging to keep every minute of my time free for family, who were visiting from the UK.  I did however keep up with making bread each week- no time to blog about it but there is always time to eat!


So over the next week I will be posting my catch up posts to get me all caught up with my 52 Breads in 2013 Project.;



I have to give credit to my hubby who took the photos of the cooked bread read for this blog post as I was out for the evening.  He even did some of angles and close up shots- he knows me so well! 

TOMATO AND RED PEPPER TEAR 'N' SHARE BREAD

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 350g strong white bread flour
• Three quarter of a teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon fast action dried yeast
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 225ml luke warm water

FOR THE TOPPING

• 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato paste
• 50g small cherry tomatoes, halved
• Half a 290g jar chargrilled red peppers in oil drained and sliced
• 80g mild soft goat’s cheese
• 50 g grated mozzarella cheese
• 8 sprigs of fresh basil leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

1. Grease a tin measuring 22cm x 33cm.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir in the oil and water and mix to a soft dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a un-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Press the dough evenly into the base of the prepared tin. Cover and prove in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
4. With your fingers make dents all over the surface of the dough, pushing through to the bottom of the tin. Spread the tomato paste over the surface. Push in the cherry tomatoes and spread the strips of peppers evenly over the top. Using half a teaspoon at a time, place blobs of goat’s cheese over the dough and sprinkle then with mozzarella cheese. Scatter the basil over the top and season with pepper. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
5. Leave to rise for a further 20-30 minutes.
6. Bake for 25 minutes in a pre heated oven 200 degrees C/400 degrees F. Serve warm.