Beetroot Bread

Ingredients:

• 250g Wholemeal bread flour

• 250g White bread flour

• 1 tsp Salt

• 200g Beetroot

• 200g Starter

• 300ml Warm water

Method:

Put the flours and salt into a large bowl and mix together. Grate the beetroot and add to the flour, along with the starter. Slowly add the water and mix together to form a dough.

You can add more or less water depending on how your dough feels; I find it

varies slightly every time.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly oiled worktop and knead for 10 minutes.

There are various ways to knead your dough. I like to stretch it out, then roll it back in and give it a 90 degree turn, before stretching it out again.

Put your dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely with a damp cloth to stop it drying out. Place somewhere warm, I usually put it near our wood-burner.

Leave to prove for several hours until the dough has roughly doubled in size. Sourdough takes longer to develop than bread made with shop bought yeast, but benefits from the extra time, as it develops a better flavour.

Tip your dough back out onto your lightly oiled work surface and carefully deflate it by poking it with your fingers. Reshape by folding in half four times and forming a nice tight ball. Coat with a little flour.

Place it in a lightly greased loaf tin for a square sandwich loaf, or into a floured proving basket, if you have one. Cover loosely with a damp cloth and leave for another hour or more to prove again. If using a tin, it should rise to the top.

Heat your oven to its highest temperature and boil the kettle. If using a proving basket, you will need to place an oven tray in to heat.

Place some hot water in a baking tray at the bottom of the oven, this will help to create a good crust on your loaf. If using the proving basket, tip your bread out onto the hot oven tray, slash the top and get it in the oven and shut the door, as quick as possible, to avoid heat loss. If using a loaf tin, slash the top and put your loaf tin in the centre of the oven.

Cook for 10 minutes before dropping the temperature to 200 degrees if the crust is looking pale, 180 degrees if the crust is noticeably browning, and 170 if it seems to be browning quickly. Cook for a further 40 mins.

When using a loaf tin, I like to take it out of the tin and place the loaf back in the oven for the last 10minutes.

Remove from the oven; the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Black Bread

Ingredients:

3 tsp dry blood (ask a butcher or check online retailers)

200ml/3/4 cup warm water

500g/2.5 cups bread flour (+ extra for coating)

10g/2 tsp salt

200g/3/4 cup sourdough starter

50g/2.5 tablespoons honey

Method:

Mix the dried blood with the water and whisk to a smooth consistency.

Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and mix together. Add the starter and honey and slowly add the blood solution and mix together to form a dough. You can add more or less water depending on how your dough feels. I find it varies slightly every time.

Tip out onto your worktop and knead for around 10 minutes.

Roll your dough into a ball, and dust with a little flour. Put it into a bowl and cover loosely with a damp cloth, to stop it drying out. Place somewhere warm.

Leave to prove for 3-4 hours, until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

Tip your dough back out onto your work surface and carefully deflate it by poking it with your fingers. Divide the mix into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and coat with a little flour.

Place onto a baking tray, that has been dusted with flour, and leave for another hour or to prove again.

Heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius and cook for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, the rolls should sound hollow when you tap them on the bottom.

These can also be cooked in the dying embers of a fire.

Leave to cool fully before serving with butter.

Walnut & Honey Bread

Ingredients:

200g/1 cup wholemeal bread flour

300/1.5 cups strong white bread flour

10g/2 tsp salt

100g/3/4 cup walnuts (roughly chopped)

200g/3/4 cup sourdough starter

50g/2.5 tablespoons honey

250ml/1 cup warm water (give or take)

Method:

Put the flour, walnuts and salt into a large bowl and mix together.

Add the starter and honey. Slowly add the water and mix together to form a dough.

It needs to be workable, so as not to stick to your hands too much, but too dry and it will fall apart. You can add more or less water depending on how your dough feels. I find it varies slightly every time.

Tip out onto your worktop and knead for around 5-10 minutes. I don’t bother to flour or oil the worktop, I never really found it necessary.

There are various ways to knead your dough I like to stretch it out, then roll it back in and give it a 90 degree turn, before stretching it out again.

Cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove, somewhere warm, for a couple of hours, or until it has roughly doubled in size.

Tip the dough back onto your work surface and shape into a loaf, then place on a baking tray.

Leave the loaf to prove for a further 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees C.

Slash the top of the loaf, and leave to prove for a further 10 minutes.

Pour some boiled water on the bottom of the oven.

Cook for 10 minutes before dropping the temperature to 200 degrees if the crust is looking pale, 180 degrees if the crust is noticeably browning, and 170 if it seems to be browning quickly. Cook for a further 40 mins.

Remove from the oven, the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom, if not return it to the oven for a little longer.

This can also be cooked in the dying embers of a fire, just divide the dough into small rolls first, rather than a loaf.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

King cake

Ingredients:

• • 750g strong bread flour

• 120g sugar

• Handful of sultanas

• • 12g salt

• 20g bread yeast

• • 100g Butter (melted)

• 450ml warm milk

• Ground cinnamon

• 125g Icing sugar

• 15ml Lemon juice

• Purple, green and yellow food colouring

Method:

Mix the flour, sugar, sultanas and salt together in a large bowl.

Add the yeast and the butter. Slowly add a little milk at a time, while mixing together with your hands to form a sticky dough.

Tip out onto your worktop and knead for a few minutes.

There are various ways to knead your dough, I like to stretch it out, then roll it back in, and give it a 90 degree turn, before stretching it out again.

Cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove for about 2 hours. Lightly dust your work surface with a little flour and roll out the dough to form a rectangle a quarter inch thick.

Sprinkle a good layer of cinnamon evenly over the surface and roll the dough up to form a sausage.

Place into a greased and floured bundt tin, making sure the 2 ends meet. Seal the join with a little oil or water. Leave to prove for a further 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Put the cake into the oven and cook for about 40 minutes, Remove from the oven and upturn to remove the cake from the tin.

Mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice and divide into 3 equal portions. Add the food colouring to the icing and drizzle over the cake.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Sweet Saxon Bread

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Ingredients:

• 100g/1/4 cup melted Butter

• 250g/3/4 cup full fat cream

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 Egg

• 450g/ 2 1/4 cups flour

• Tsp Yeast

• 1/2 tsp Salt

Method:

In a large bowl mix together the butter, cream, honey & egg.

Add the flour, yeast and salt and mix together to form a slightly sticky dough.

Tip out onto a work surface and knead for around 5-10 minutes.

Roll your dough into a ball, and dust with a little flour. Put it into a bowl and cover loosely with a damp cloth, to stop it drying out. Leave to prove for half an hour.

Divide the dough into four, take one piece and roll it into a sausage. Join the two ends of the sausage together, forming a circle. Finally twist the circle in half to form an ‘8’. Continue until you have four ‘8’ shaped mini loaves.

Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius.

Remove from the oven, the loaves should sound hollow when you tap them on the bottom.

Leave to cool fully before eating.

Pan fried oat bread

Ingredients:

• 250g/2 cups oat flour

• 200g/1 cup flour

• 50g, 1/2 cup oats

• 1 tsp yeast

• 2 tsp salt

• 250ml/1 cup warm water (give or take)

Method:

Put the flour, oats, yeast and salt, into a large bowl and mix together.

Slowly add the water a little at a time, and mix together to form a dough. It needs to be workable, so as not to stick to your hands too much, but too dry and it will fall apart. You can add more or less beer depending on how your dough feels. I find it varies slightly every time.

Tip out onto a work surface and knead for around 5-10 minutes.

Roll your dough into a ball, and dust with a little flour. Put it into a bowl and cover loosely with a damp cloth, to stop it drying out. Leave to prove somewhere warm for an hour or two, until its roughly doubled in size.

Tip your dough back out onto your work surface and carefully deflate it by poking it with your fingers.

Roll your dough into a ball, and roll to around 1/2 inch thick, or to a size that fits into your skillet.

Place your bread into the skillet and dry fry on a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, before flipping and cooking for a further 5-10 minutes. Watch it closely to avoid burning.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Alternatively you can make oven baked tear and share rolls. 

Divide the dough into 6 and roll into balls. Place the balls into an oven proof dish so that they are just about touching. Cook for 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

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Olive, Pumpkin & rosemary bread

Ingredients:

• 500g strong bread flour

• 10g salt

• 20g bread yeast

• 250ml warm water

• 50g black olives (sliced)

• 80g peeled and grated pumpkin or squash

Method:

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl, add the yeast. Slowly add a little water at a time, while mixing together with your hands to form a dough.

You can add more or less water depending on how your dough feels.

Tip out onto your worktop and knead for a few minutes.

There are various ways to knead your dough, I like to stretch it out, then roll it back in, and give it a 90 degree turn, before stretching it out again.

Cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove for about 20 minutes.

Lightly dust your work surface with a little flour and roll out the dough to form a rectangle a quarter inch thick.

Drizzle the surface with a little olive oil. Spread the olives, and pumpkin, evenly over the surface.

Roll the dough up from the short end and tuck the ends in to form a loaf. Place on a baking tray.

Leave the loaf to prove for a further 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius.

Slash the top of the loaf along its length, and leave to prove for a further 10 minutes.

Pour some boiled water on the bottom of the oven.

Cook for 10 minutes before dropping the temperature to 200 degrees if the crust is looking pale, 180 degrees if the crust is noticeably browning, and 170 if it seems to be browning quickly. Cook for a further 40 mins.

Remove from the oven, the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom, if not return it to the oven for a little longer.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Osterhlafas (Oyster loaf)

Ingredients:

• 1 large loaf of bread

• Large knob of butter

• 1/2 cup of white wine

• 1/2 a cup of water

• 12 Oysters (cleaned and shucked)

• 1/2 cup beef (cut into small pieces)

• 1 tablespoon of suet

• 2 egg yolks

• 2 tsp Parsley

• Salt & Pepper

Method:

Cut a ‘lid’ from the top of the loaf and scoop out the insides of the loaf, to make a bowl. Retain half the bread filling and break into small pieces.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the bread pieces, along with the wine and the water. Heat gently while squashing the bread pieces with a spoon to further break them up.

Bring to a simmer and add the beef and suet. Simmer for around 5 minutes. Add the oysters (including their liquid) and simmer for a few minutes.

Stir in the egg yolks, parsley and season with salt & pepper.

Pour the mixture into the hollow loaf and pop the bread ‘lid’ back on.

Put the loaves into a pre heated oven at 160 degrees Celsius, and bake for around 20 -25 minutes, until the filling has set.

Serve by slicing into think cuts.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 800g bread (torn into pieces)

• 800g mixed dried fruit

• 2 tbsp ground mixed spice

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 600ml milk (Any liquid will work. Try beer, wine, cider or whiskey)

• 2 large eggs

• 250g demerara sugar

• 100g Butter (melted)

Method:

Put everything except the butter into a large bowl and scrunch it up, to completely break up the bread and mix it up well.

Add the melted butter and mix well.

Grease and line a large baking dish and pour in the mixture. Pushing it down firmly into the dish. Sprinkle with a little sugar.

Place in the centre of a pre heated oven at 170 degrees for about an hour and a half until firm and golden. Cover with baking paper if it starts to brown too much.

Fennel & Beer Bread

Ingredients:

For the starter;

• 1 cup beer dregs

• 1 cup flour

For the bread;

• 800g/4 cups bread flour

• 2 tsp fennel seeds

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 550-600ml 1.5-2 cups beer

Method:

To make the starter, mix the beer dregs and flour in a bowl and cover loosely for 24 hours. After this time it should be quite bubbly.

Put the flour, fennel and salt, into a large bowl and mix together.

Add the honey and half a cup of the starter. Slowly add the beer a little at a time, and mix together to form a dough. It needs to be workable, so as not to stick to your hands too much, but too dry and it will fall apart. You can add more or less beer depending on how your dough feels. I find it varies slightly every time.

Tip out onto a work surface and knead for around 5-10 minutes.

Roll your dough into a ball, and dust with a little flour. Put it into a bowl and cover loosely with a damp cloth, to stop it drying out. Leave to prove for at least several hours, but overnight is ideal.

Sourdough takes longer to develop than bread made with shop bought yeast, but benefits from the extra time, as it develops a better flavour. The loaf should increase in size.

Tip your dough back out onto your work surface and carefully deflate it by poking it with your fingers.

Shape your dough into a loaf, and dust with a little flour. Place onto a lightly flour dusted oven tray and prove for another hour.

Heat your oven to 230 degrees Celsius. If you have a Dutch oven put this in your oven to heat as well.

Remove the Dutch oven (if using) and grease the inside with a little butter.

Place your loaf in the centre of the Dutch oven, pop the lid on and put back into the oven to cook for 30 minutes, remove the lid and cook for a further 15 minutes. If you are not using a Dutch oven, cook on an oven tray for 30 minutes and reduce the temperature to 170 degrees Celsius for the last 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Rye bread

Ingredients:
300g rye flour
100g white bread flour
100g sourdough starter
1 tsp salt
300ml warm water (give or take)
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

Method:
Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and mix together.

Add the starter and slowly add the water and mix together to form quite a sticky dough that is more like a cake mix than a bread dough. You can add more or less water depending on how your dough feels. I find it varies slightly every time.

Add the seeds and mix well. There is no point kneading this bread.

Place the dough in a lightly greased loaf tin. Cover loosely with a damp cloth and leave for a few hours, ideally overnight. It won’t rise very much due to the low gluten content of the rye flour.

Heat your oven to its highest temperature.

Put your loaf in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes before dropping the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius if the crust is looking pale, 180 degrees Celsius if the crust is noticeably browning, and 170 degrees Celsius if it seems to be browning quickly. Cook for a further 40 mins.

Remove from the tin. The loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Taken from my book ‘Eat like a Viking!’ Available now on Amazon

Saxon bread

Ingredients:

• 780g bread flour (plus a little extra for coating)

• 10g salt

• 26g honey

• 250g sourdough starter

• Warm water

Method:

Put the flour and salt, into a large bowl and mix together.

Add the honey and starter and slowly add enough water to mix together to form a dough. It needs to be workable, so as not to stick to your hands too much, but too dry and it will fall apart. You can add more or less water depending on how your dough feels. I find it varies slightly every time.

Tip out onto a work surface and knead for around 5-10 minutes.

Roll your dough into a ball, and dust with a little flour. Put it into a bowl and cover loosely with a damp cloth, to stop it drying out. Leave to prove for at least several hours, but overnight is ideal.

Sourdough takes longer to develop than bread made with shop bought yeast, but benefits from the extra time, as it develops a better flavour. The loaf should increase in size.

Tip your dough back out onto your work surface and carefully deflate it by poking it with your fingers.

Shape your dough into a loaf, and dust with a little flour. Place onto a lightly flour dusted oven tray and prove for another hour.

Heat your oven to its highest temperature.

Cook for 10 minutes before dropping the temperature to 200 degrees if the crust is looking pale, 180 degrees if the crust is noticeably browning, and 170 if it seems to be browning quickly. Cook for a further 40 mins.

Remove from the oven, the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom.

This can also be cooked in the dying embers of a fire, just divide the dough into small rolls first, rather than a loaf.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Taken from my book ‘Eat like a Viking!’ Available now on Amazon

Sourdough starter

A sourdough starter is a simple way of making bread without using shop bought yeast, instead you rely on naturally occurring yeasts.

This is great for making Rye bread and Sourdough. It gives an amazing flavour to the bread.

You can use any flour to make your starter.

One way to get a starter is to acquire a bit from somebody you know that already has some and just maintain the feeding cycle. Its easy to make your own starter, using naturally occurring yeast from the air in your Kitchen. You will need a large container, I use a container designed for holding a bag of flour, but have also used large kilner jars.

You will also need flour and warm water. I don’t tend to measure what I add but you are looking for a thick batter, so around 50/50 works well. Give it a good whisk, cover loosely and set it aside – Don’t forget it is going to be fermenting so don’t clip your lid on.

After a couple of days you should see signs of fermentation, tiny bubbles, like the image at the top of the page. If you smell it, it should be taking on a sharp, almost vinegary smell.

Add some more flour and water, whisk and set it aside again. Remember that your starter is now a living thing, so, like you, it needs feeding and watering regularly, I do it every couple of days.

You can remove some of your starter, as you wish, which makes a great opportunity to bake some bread with it! Wait a week to 10 days for the starter to establish properly before trying to bake with it. If you are unable to feed your starter for a period of time, stick it in the fridge. It should keep without being fed for about a week.

Taken from my book ‘Eat like a Viking!’ Available now on Amazon