Experimental baking

Bread, Yorkshire pudding, lemon and poppy seed cake

 Using some plain flour in bread doesn't stop it rising but using some self-raising flour in Yorkshire puddings does stop them rising - go figure.

I've successfully made sourdough bread from my own started a couple of times, but my last few attempts failed. I've no idea how old the rye flour was that I'd used but decided to get a fresh lot for my next attempt. 

Hence I had a little rye flour taking up space in the cupboard. I used it to make up the full amount of flour needed for the recipe below, but didn't have quite have enough, so had to add plain flour as well.

Sour cream bread ingredients

• 150ml sour cream*
• 250ml warm water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon fast action yeast
• 425g strong bread flour
• 75g rye flour
• 50g plain flour
• Groundnut oil for kneading

*I didn't actually measure the sour cream, but it was about half of a 300ml pot.

How to make sour cream bread

1. Mix the sour cream into the water with the salt, sugar and yeast.
2. Mix together into a soggy ball.
3. Cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm for 10 minutes (I put it in the bathroom).
4. Lightly oil a work surface and your hands.
5. Tip the dough out and knead gently for 30 seconds,
6. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and leave for another 10 minutes.
7. Repeat the kneading, leave for another 10 minutes, then knead again.
8. Leave covered in the bowl for an hour.
9. Grease a loaf tin and line the base with silicone paper if you have it, or greaseproof paper if you don't.
10. Pat the dough out so it's about 2cm thick, then roll it up.
11. Squash the dough into the tin seam side down, pushing it so that it reaches the corners.
12. Leave to rise for 90 minutes to 2 hours.
13. Heat the oven to 200 degrees C and bake for 45 minutes.
14. Leave to cool in the tin for half an hour before tipping out and leaving to cool on a wire rack till cold.

I hate making a roast beef dinner - it's too stressful trying to get everything ready and keep it hot at the same time. I made it last Sunday - the day I also made the sour cream bread and a lemon and poppy seed cake. What was I thinking?

Since I'd used plain flour in the bread, I didn't have enough for the Yorkshire puds, so substituted about half with self-raising flour, thinking this would make them even bigger. I was wrong. 

Jamie Oliver says don't open the oven door while your Yorkshire puds are in. I fail to see how this is possible while cooking all the other bits and pieces that go with a full-on roast beef dinner such as roast parsnips and potatoes. Luckily, the roast beef sandwiches with homemade horseradish cream we had for lunch the next day were a lot better than the actual lukewam dinner. 

To assemble a roast beef sandwich

 

Roast beef sandwich

 

1. Cut 2 pieces of sour cream bread into thickinsh slices and butter liberally.
2. Spread one piece of bread with homemade creamed horseradish (below).
3. Cut thick slices of cold beef from the joint and place on top of the horseradish cream.
4. Scatter a little coarse salt over the beef. 
5. Slice 2 cornichon lengthways and lay on top of the beef.
6. Add some peppery leaves such as watercress or rocket, then top with the second slice of bread.

Ingredients for creamed horseradish 

• 65g fresh horseradish root, peeled and thinly sliced
• 100 ml creme fraiche
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (or other if you don't have sherry)
• 1 teaspoon English mustard
• Pinch caster sugar

How to make creamed horseradish 

1. Mix mustard into the vinegar then add the grated horseradish.
2. Mix together then leave to stand for 10 minutes.
3. Mix in the creme fraiche and season to taste.