Bread :)

Yummy yummy bread.
F has been attending a Steiner playgroup in Sydney. Every week they make bread and it is delicious! So they gave me the recipe :)
We tweaked it a little and this is what we made:

INGREDIENTS:
1Kg of flour (you can mix and match any kind- we used wholemeal and plain)
500ml of water (@ body temperature)
1 Tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp of oil (we used olive)
OPTIONAL:
Oregano
Chocolate flakes
Anything you want to add to the loaf.

1. Put 250ml of the water in a container and sprinkle the top with the yeast to make it bubble and foam (if it doesn't, it means the yeast isn't good and your bread won't rise). Leave for 10 minutes.
2. Add all dry ingredients less the oregano and chocolate flakes and mix in the mixer.
3. Add the water and yeast and knead with the kneading hook.
4. Slowly add the rest of the water until your dough forms.
OPTIONAL:
5. We split the dough in two and mix the oregano onto one batch and the chocolate on another. You can add whatever you like such as cheese, sultanas and nuts, etc.
...
6. Leave in a greased bowl covered with a tea towel at a warm place for it to rise for an hour.
7. Remove from the bowl and knead for a few minutes again. Put back in the bowl and cover with the towel and let rise again for another 30-45 minutes.
8. Make whatever shapes you like and bake in a 180ºC oven for 25-45 minutes (depending on the size of your loaves). It will be ready when you tap the bottom and it sounds hollow.

Enjoy!

AGAIN OUR PICTURES SHOW UP BLACK! :(

Rice empanadas (gluten free!)

In Bolivia they make these delicious treats and I miss them. So...we made up this recipe to try to imitate them. They are NOT exactly the same but delicious nonetheless. PLUS...they are gluten free!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup rice flour
1.5 cups of shredded tasty cheese (any tasty cheese that will melt nicely works)
1 cup of cooked cassava (also known as tapioca or yucca)
3 tbsp butter (we used olive spread)

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. If too dry, add milk or oil or more butter.
2. Make flat patties and put them in a baking tray (you do not need to place them too far from each other since they won't expand or rise).
3. Bake in pre-heated oven until they are slightly golden brown on the top and darker around the edges.

Yum!

Japanese milk bread

We found this recipe from La Fuji Mama and we decided we HAD to try it! We had never made bread before so this was quite exciting.

You can find the recipe and more details here.

Milk Japanese bread

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup of warm milk 

1. Mix the half of the flour with the sugar, yeast, and salt. 
2. Add the milk, mix well and then add the remaining flour until combined. In a mixer, using the dough hook, knead the dough for 5 minutes or you can choose to do it by hand until the dough is smooth and stretchy. 

3. Cover the dough and let it rise until it doubles in size (about 1 hour). We used a kitchen cloth.
4. Roll the sticky dough out into a rectangle about 8 inches by 14 inches on a smooth, greased surface with a greased rolling pin. Roll the shorter ends just a bit and then roll the dough and put crease down in the greased loaf pan.

5. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it has risen over the pan (about 2cm).
6. When the dough has risen over the middle, preheat the oven at 200 C.
8. When the dough is ready*, brush the top with some milk, then bake it for 25 to 30 minutes (the top of the loaf should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped lightly). 
9. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

Enjoy!

*Don't touch the dough after the second rise. We did and it deflated!!  Still delicious though :)