A recipe - because you asked :)

Lunch Loaves.

A mainstay of a good weekend,

feed the hungry workmen

so they will keep working!

For everyone who asked about the recipe,

here it is....

It comes from my favourite bread book,

Dough by Richard Bertinet

10g yeast

500gm strong bread flour

10gm salt

350gm(ml) water (I warm it very slightly)

Mix together in a bowl,

it makes a very 'wet' dough.

Once upon a time,

I would kneed the soft and sloppy stuff,

by hand,

in the strange, stretching way

as instructed by Bertinet.

But now, I just chuck the four ingredients

into the bread maker,

put it on the dough setting

and walk away for just over an hour.

Then when it has risen

and the kitchen is filled with

the heady scent of yeast

and rising dough...

Which,

after I have generously 

dusted flour on to a grease proof paper....

then tip out a gloopy,

stretchy,

scented

and warm dough.

Then with floury hands (very floury hands)

gently but firmly

spread the dough outwards

to make a roughly rectangular shape.

Open a jar of basil pesto,

inhale.

Deeply.

Grate cheese,

generous quantities.

Whistle while you grate.... **

Slather the dough with pesto,

Cover 2/3 thirds of the pesto

with the grated cheese. 

Re-flour your hands, regularly...

and flap the long ends of the dough

over into thirds.

I use the grease proofed paper to help.

Reach for your kitchen scissors,

or any clean scissors,

and cut your dough roll

into four.

Pinch one end of each quarter closed.

Tip each one on to the sealed end. 

The dough gently slumps

into a delicious fat roll.

Sprinkle on a little paprika...

Put into a hot oven (200 deg c)

and step away for 20 minutes and do a little washing up.

Alternatively go back out and carry on 

working on what ever project you are busy with. 

I was painting door edges.

Then, having checked,

tapped the dough 

and listened for that wonderful

hollow thud of confirmation

that your lunch loaves are cooked. 

Take to the aforementioned workers,

with a pot of coffee

and scoff

the lot

with lashings of finger licking

and lip smacking.

Yum.

I am, still, silly busy.

I've not been visiting blogs

as much as I would like to 

or commenting on those I have,

so I apologise - normal service will eventually return.

I hope.

** why whistling when grating cheese? Well, my sister in law, when a small girl, would have to whistle when she was grating - to prevent her nibbling the spoils!