10 January 2010

NORWEGIAN BAKING

{or can anyone give me some bread making advice please?}

i'm just sitting here having eaten 3.

they took me an age from start to finish so i am savouring the result sans guilt.

as you may remember learning to bake with yeast was a new year resolution that i put in writing and i fully intend to keep at it. today's attempt was slightly troublesome but if i can try try and try again i may just get a bit more confidence as i go.

i made these cinnamon buns from nigella's dg book as i have done lots of cakes and sweet treats. halving the quantity because there's only 2 of us chickens here and had i have gone for the full monty i myself would have definitely eaten most of the 20. this way i'll probably eat about 8 of the 10!

anyway my dough did not turn in to the dough i thought it would. too runny by far. i'm glad i could call on c to keep adding more flour as i got in a very sticky kneading situation! i then remembered i had a dough hook attachment on my incredibly old braun food processor so gave it a whirl in that. still so sticky! i probably lost about a 1/4 of the dough to the work surface and the bowl and the processor all in all but eventually got something that looked kind of right and popped it in a bowl to do it's rise and shine thing in the airing cupboard.

they turned out fine but i feel well short of my artisan ambitions. maybe next time i should try a simple loaf. i see some fine examples on blogs of bready heaven so any suggestions would be most welcome. are you a by hand or with machine baker?

{p.s. edited to add...i just found this video tutorial for sweet dough and it's given me some tips}

6 comments:

  1. I had trouble with that Nigella recipe too. But I found one that suited us better and couldn't be easier. Link is here
    http://domesticali.typepad.com/domesticali/2009/02/before-and-after.html

    Good luck!

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  2. Have you heard of this gorgeous book?

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Baker-Providore-Leanne-Kitchen/dp/1741960975/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IHOONO8028WGK&colid=1U58DIZ14AZ9D

    I bought it after coveting it for ages and it's beautiful and brilliant. Lots of yummy bread receipes but also a real feel for *how* to use dough.

    x

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  3. Make some very butter rich cinnamon icing and pour it over those buns -

    I have found yeast brands differ greatly.....I like Doves Farm.

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  4. Kelly savour that wonderful ability to keep throwing all manner of baked goods down your cake hole without feeling guilt or seeing the result of it a week or so later. They look bloody delicious to me x

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  5. Looks really delicious!

    Feel free to check out my recipe for cinnamon rolls: http://www.flickr.com/photos/astridhagen/515786908/in/set-72157600300550940/

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  6. I know the best bread and baking book in the world - Rose Levy Beranbaum's 'The Bread Bible'. She gives such precise perfect recipes and instructions and everything turns out just as she says. I'm sure you will find your Norwegian Bun recipe and many many more you'll love in Rose's book. I really cannot recommend it highly enough.

    http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bible-Rose-Levy-Beranbaum/dp/0393057941

    ReplyDelete

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