OK, so my bread project has hit a brick wall!  It's that midway dip in enthusiasm as well as a few epic fails when it comes to sourdough.... bloody sourdough!

I was really struggling to get myself inspired to cook any of the breads left in my book, so I did something drastic, I changed books!  I know I said it would all be from one book but I had baked all the good ones in it and it didn't cover sourdough bread. 

I have always wanted to cook sourdough and after reading this blog post about a starter that is 95 years old and had been passed from different families, I just had to give it a go! 

On a more positive note, our pizza oven is keeping us all very happy!  Tastiest pizza ever........







Needless to say I am now on my third batch of starter after some very smelly, non bubbly attempts so far! 

I will win, and make a great sourdough, so watch this space......

BBQ TOMATO SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 200g crushed tomatoes 
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree 
• 1 tablespoon light soft brown sugar 
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
• a few drops of Tabasco sauce 
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon English mustard
• salt and freshly-ground pepper

METHOD

1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pan. Add the onion and the garlic and fry over a medium heat for seven to eight minutes, stirring now and then, until the onions are soft and lightly browned.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and leave the sauce to simmer very gently for ten minutes, giving it a stir every now and then until it has slightly thickened.
3. Serve hot or cold- but it really is at its best when hot, smothering a BBQ cooked sausage in a soft white bun! 

There is something to be said for a recipe that only has three ingredients!  Its like a magic trick that just butter, flour and sugar can become a melt in the mouth treat in minutes.  Every time I make these I am so impressed with their tasty simplicity I am hard pressed not to eat them all myself- I have to hide them in my secret mummy only section that contains the good gin and very good chocolate- don't tell the kids! 

SHORTBREAD

INGREDIENTS

• 150g Plain Flour
• 100g Butter
• 50g Sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius.
2. Put butter, flour and sugar in the mixing bowl.
3. Mix together with wooden spoon and hands so that the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
4. Then use hands to squeeze mixure together so that the mixture looks like a dough.
5. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.
6. Cut out the shapes using your chosen cutter.
7. Place on a baking tray and leave in oven for 20 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
8. Then let the biscuits cool on a cooling tray for 10 minutes.

EASY BROWN BREAD

INGREDIENTS

• 300g All Purpose flour
• 300g Wholemeal flour
• 25g vegetable fat or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. fast action dried yeast
• 375ml hand hot water

METHOD

1. Grease a 900g loaf tin or a baking sheet (I did a baking sheet and shaped the loaf into a ball and placed in the baking sheet- feel free to do either)
2. Combine the flours in a large mixing bowl.  Rub in the fat (see below if using oil rather than fat) and stir in the sugar, salt and yeast.  Make a well in the centre (add the oil at this point, if using), and pour in the water.  Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients, mixing to a soft dough.  Use your hands to bring the last crumbs together.
3. Shape the dough into an oblong if using the loaf pan, or a circle if using the baking sheet.  Lay n the sheet with the seam on the bottom to help the loaf keep a good shape as it rises and bakes.  Using a sharp knife, make cuts in the top of the loaf- try a long one all the way along the top of a loaf in a loaf tin or a cross on a circle loaf in a baking sheet.  Place the loaf in an oiled polythene bag or cover well with a tea towel and place in a warm place until doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 230 C/450 F.
5. Bake the loaf for 30-35 minutes.  Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

And of course brown bread is healthier for you than white bread- yes, of course it is;