Sourdough Bread

To read about the benefits of Sourdough Bread, see my post on how to make a sourdough starter. Although I have included cup measurements, for best results, I recommend making sourdough by weight as the density of sourdough starter can be very variable.

(makes four loaves)

Ingredients

• 26 oz sourdough starter (about 3 cups)
• 43 oz wholemeal flour (about 9 cups)
• 1 tbsp yeast (optional but it gives a slightly less dense loaf)
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 30 floz warm water (3 ¾ cups) - I make it with two parts tap water to one part boiling water.

Method

• The night before, prepare your sourdough starter.
• Mix flour, salt and optional yeast in large bowl.
• Add warm water to the starter and mix

• Add the combined water/starter to bowl of flour/salt/yeast and mix until no dry flour remains. (If using shop bought flour you may need to add an extra 2-4 floz water.)
• It should be thick but runny enough that it spreads when you stop stirring.

• Divide evenly between four 2lb loaf tins and leave to rise for 8-12 hours.

Before and after rising.

• Bake at 200°C/GM4/400°F for 35 minutes.
• When ready, turn out immediately and leave to cool before slicing.

Sourdough Starter

Sourdough starter makes use of naturally occurring yeasts and removes the necessity of using shop bought yeast. Sourdough also has the benefit of reducing the phytic acid content. (Phytic acid can inhibit absorption of various nutrients.) Sourdough bread does not go stale as quickly as yeasted bread.

How To Make Sourdough Starter

You will need

• a large bowl or jug
• a tea towel or other cloth to cover bowl/jug
• water
• wholemeal flour (rye is reputed to be easier to start from scratch than wheat)

Making Your Sourdough Starter

• Place a cup each of flour and water in bowl/jug, stir, cover and leave to stand overnight.
• Each day for around a week, add equal amounts of flour and water, stir, cover and leave overnight again. (I recommend half cups to avoid being overrun with starter.)
• After a while it will start to get frothy and smell a little "beery". It will hopefully look something like this:

• After a week to ten days, if your starter has become frothy then it is ready to use.

Maintaining Your Sourdough Starter
Once you have used your sourdough starter, you no longer need to keep it at room temperature. (You can if you want but you may need to stir it every day to prevent it going mouldy.) I put mine in a small plastic tub in the fridge until the day before I will next need it. The night before I want to use it I mix up equal volumes of flour and water according to how much sourdough starter I will need in my recipe and stir in the starter from the fridge. The next day once I have used the starter, I put the remainder in a clean tub and back in the fridge.


See also:

• Sourdough Bread

Chicken stock

Chicken stock is very easy to make in the slow cooker or crockpot. This recipe follows on from the Slow Cooker "Roast" Chicken recipe.

Ingredients

• Chicken carcass
• Any juices in the bottom of the crockpot
• A slosh of vinegar
• Water

Method

• After carving the chicken, return the carcass to the crockpot.
• Add a slosh of vinegar and then add water to about an inch after covering the carcass.
• Leave on low overnight.
• Strain through a sieve to remove bones.
• Pour into sterilised jars and store in fridge.

Alternative storage method (Chicken Stock Cubes)

• Boil on hob until reduced down to 1 cup.
• Pour into ice cube tray and place in freezer.

• When frozen turn out into freezer bags and then use as regular stock cubes when required.

Slow Cooker "Roast" Chicken

or Crockpot Chicken

If (like me) you like your meat tender and juicy, this is definitely the way to cook it.

You will need

• One chicken
• One crockpot
• A little water
• Seasonings (I use black pepper, sea salt, sage and sometimes and a chopped onion)

Method

• Place chicken upside down in slow cooker
• Add about an inch of water.
• Sprinkle seasonings on top.

• Cook for about eight hours on low or about four hours on high. (You may need to adjust timings according to your slow cooker and the size of your chicken.)
• You can also use the slow cooker to make chicken stock with the carcass.

A Lazy Saturday Brunch

Ingredients

• One packet of bacon (eight rashers)
• One packet of sausages
• Four Eggs
• Three hungry people who slept in till late

Method

• Pop the sausages in the oven.
• Put the bacon in the frying pan on a low heat.
• Once the bacon is cooked, fry the eggs using the bacon fat left in the pan.
• For added laziness, serve on paper plates to minimise washing up.

Apple and Sultana Porridge

or Apple and White Raisin Oatmeal


I could eat porridge plain but my husband prefers it sweeter so I made up this recipe so that he would eat it too. I would call this recipe 2 1/2 servings because it serves two adults and a toddler.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (120g) oats
~1-2 tbsp whey (I just slosh a bit in)
A handful of sultanas (40g)
one chopped apple
1 British Pint (2 1/2 cups) whole milk

Method

• Put oats, sultanas and whey in bowl or jug, cover with water and leave overnight.
• In the morning drain the mixture and return to bowl/jug (or saucepan if cooking on hob) with apple and milk.

• Microwave for approximately five minutes, stirring half way or bring to the boil on hob while stirring and simmer until thickened.

Nutritional Information
Nutritional facts per serving (daily value):
Calories 347kcal
Protein 14g (29%)
Total Fat 10g (15%)
Sat. 5g (24%)
Chol. 23mg (8%)
Carb. 52g (17%)
Fiber 5g (20%)
Sugars 24g
Calcium 288mg (29%)
Iron 2mg (11%)
Magnesium 88mg (22%)
Phosphorus 417mg (42%)
Potassium 597mg (17%)
Sodium 95mg (4%)
Zinc 2mg (15%)
Copper 0mg (11%)
Manganese 2mg
Selenium 22µg
Vit. C 2mg (3%)
Vit. B1 0mg (27%)
Vit. B2 1mg (30%)
Vit. B3 1mg (4%)
Vit. B5 1mg (14%)
Vit. B6 0mg (9%)
Diet. fol. eq. 25µg (6%)
Vit. B12 1µg (17%)
Vit. A 246IU (5%)
Vit. A1 64µg
Vit. E 0mg (2%)
Vit. K 2µg
Vit. D 92IU (23%)

Exported from Shop'NCook Pro 3.4.3 (http://www.shopncook.com)

Baked Porridge

or Baked Oatmeal


This is especially nice on a cold winter morning but can also be used as a dessert or on its own for a snack. The recipe gives nine servings.


Ingredients
½ cup (4oz) lard (or butter or coconut oil but I find it tastes nicest with lard)
¼ cup (3oz) honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 ¼ cups (10floz) buttermilk
3 cups oats
½ cup raisins
2 eggs
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

• Mix together butter/lard, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, buttermilk and oats.
• Add raisins on top then cover and leave overnight.
• In the morning mix in eggs and bicarbonate of soda.
• Put in baking dish and bake at 350°F/GM4 for around 45 minutes until set in middle.
• Serve with yoghurt, buttermilk or milk.

Nutritional Information
(per serving when served with yoghurt)
Nutritional facts per serving (daily value):
Calories 439kcal
Protein 15g (31%)
Total Fat 22g (34%)
Sat. 10g (52%)
Chol. 85mg (28%)
Carb. 46g (15%)
Fiber 3g (12%)
Sugars 26g
Calcium 363mg (36%)
Iron 2mg (10%)
Magnesium 77mg (19%)
Phosphorus 420mg (42%)
Potassium 606mg (17%)
Sodium 566mg (24%)
Zinc 3mg (17%)
Copper 0mg (8%)
Manganese 1mg
Selenium 19µg
Vit. C 2mg (3%)
Vit. B1 0mg (19%)
Vit. B2 1mg (30%)
Vit. B3 1mg (3%)
Vit. B5 2mg (15%)
Vit. B6 0mg (8%)
Diet. fol. eq. 33µg (8%)
Vit. B12 1µg (18%)
Vit. A 300IU (6%)
Vit. A1 82µg
Vit. E 1mg (3%)
Vit. K 2µg
Vit. D 3IU (1%)
Exported from Shop'NCook Pro 3.4.3 (http://www.shopncook.com)

Fruit, Nut and Chocolate Mix

I've been aiming to make different fruit, nut and chocolate mixes which give 4mg iron per 100g. I made this one by using three bags of Coop Truly Irresistible fruit and nut mix, adding enough dark chocolate to make it around 30g of chocolate per 100g serving and then enough cashews to make it 4mg iron per 100g. I used to play about with a spreadsheet to work out the proportions but now I'm using Shop n Cook, it's loads quicker and easier to work it out. Anyway, on to the recipe:

Ingredients

• Three bags of Coop Truly Irresistible fruit and nut mix (i.e. 262.5g raisins, 127.5g dried apricots, 75g dried pineapple, 67.5g pecans, 67.5g hazelnuts, 60g dried cranberries, 52.5g almonds, 37.5g dried mango.)
• 550g dark choc
• 600g cashews

Method
Empty fruit and nut mix into very large tub.
Use scissors to cut up larger fruits so that things are fairly similar sizes.
Add cashews.
Break up chocolate into individual blocks and add to tub.
Put lid on and turn over a few times to mix.
Portion into tubs of 100g servings if desired.


Nutritional facts per serving (daily value):
Calories 447kcal
Protein 9g (18%)
Total Fat 29g (44%)
Sat. 8g (41%)
Chol. 0mg (0%)
Carb. 48g (16%)
Fiber 5g (20%)
Sugars 33g
Calcium 46mg (5%)
Iron 4mg (21%)
Magnesium 151mg (38%)
Phosphorus 280mg (28%)
Potassium 563mg (16%)
Sodium 10mg (0%)
Zinc 3mg (18%)
Copper 1mg (56%)
Manganese 1mg
Selenium 8µg
Vit. C 3mg (5%)
Vit. B1 0mg (14%)
Vit. B2 0mg (6%)
Vit. B3 1mg (5%)
Vit. B5 0mg (4%)
Vit. B6 0mg (12%)
Diet. fol. eq. 19µg (5%)
Vit. B12 0µg (0%)
Vit. A 262IU (5%)
Vit. A1 0µg
Vit. E 2mg (10%)
Vit. K 14µg
Vit. D 0IU (0%)
Exported from Shop'NCook Pro 3.4.3 (http://www.shopncook.com)

Buttermilk

Making buttermilk yourself gives significant savings over buying it. A 10 oz pot costs 70p. Using this recipe I end up with 90 oz for £2.20 saving me £4.10.

You will need:

• 10 oz pot of buttermilk
• 4pt/2 litre bottle of whole milk (ideally non-standardised and unhomogenised)
• 2 x 1 litre/2pt jars

Method
Pour half of the buttermilk into each jar.
Fill to an inch or two below the top with milk.
Put lid on and shake to mix.
Leave at room temperature for around 24 hours.
When it is ready, it will be thick - similar to the consistency of yoghurt.
Refrigerate and use as required.
In theory you can reserve some of your buttermilk to make the next batch but I find it doesn't work well enough to be worthwhile.


I use my buttermilk in baked porridge, pancakes, muffins and smoothies/ice lollies.

Quick Chorizo, Olive and Tomato Pasta

This is a quick easy recipe for a lunch or light dinner. The recipe gives three servings.


Ingredients

• 3 cups pasta
• 2 cups tinned tomato (a 400g or 1lb tin)
• 80g chorizo
• 80g olives
• 60g grated cheese - (to serve)

Method
Cook pasta.
Meanwhile chop chorizo into small chunks and open tin of tomato.
Drain pasta into a colander.
Put tomato, chorizo and olives into pan and return to heat.
Once liquid is boiling (after a couple of minutes) return pasta to mixture and stir in.
Leave on a low heat until everything is heated through.
Serve with a sprinkling of grated cheese.

Nutritional facts per serving (daily value):
Calories 507kcal
Protein 22g (43%)
Total Fat 21g (32%)
Sat. 9g (43%)
Chol. 44mg (15%)
Carb. 58g (19%)
Fiber 4g (18%)
Sugars 5g
Calcium 231mg (23%)
Iron 4mg (21%)
Magnesium 64mg (16%)
Phosphorus 274mg (27%)
Potassium 537mg (15%)
Sodium 894mg (37%)
Zinc 3mg (18%)
Copper 0mg (20%)
Manganese 1mg
Selenium 51µg
Vit. C 15mg (24%)
Vit. B1 0mg (20%)
Vit. B2 0mg (16%)
Vit. B3 4mg (19%)
Vit. B5 1mg (9%)
Vit. B6 0mg (20%)
Diet. fol. eq. 29µg (7%)
Vit. B12 1µg (12%)
Vit. A 495IU (10%)
Vit. A1 52µg
Vit. E 2mg (9%)
Vit. K 6µg
Vit. D 2IU (1%)
Exported from Shop'NCook Pro 3.4.3 (http://www.shopncook.com)

Clementine Spread

I was going to call this recipe "Clementine Jam" but because I didn't use any sugar, it is technically "Clementine Spread". It is a good way of preserving citrus fruits if you have too many to eat before they go bad.

Ingredients

• 1kg clementines (this word work equally well with other citrus fruits)
  
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Equipment

• Sharp knife and chopping board
• Food processor or the patience to chop very finely
• Pan big enough to accommodate fruit (mine was a 9" saucepan)
• Wooden spoon for stirring
• 2 x 1lb jars

Method
Wash fruits.
Chop roughly and remove any blemished skin.
Blitz in food processor until it looks like this:


If you don't have a food processor, you will need to chop it finely by hand.
Place in pan with lemon juice and simmer on low until it has reduced down to a jam-like consistency. (Mine took around an hour.)
Put in sterilised jars.
Store in fridge once cool.


Nutritional Information
(per heaped teaspoon serving)
Nutritional facts (daily value):
Calories 5kcal
Protein 0g (0%)
Total Fat 0g (0%)
Sat. 0g (0%)
Chol. 0mg (0%)
Carb. 1g (0%)
Fiber 0g (1%)
Sugars 1g
Calcium 4mg (0%)
Iron 0mg (0%)
Magnesium 1mg (0%)
Phosphorus 2mg (0%)
Potassium 17mg (0%)
Sodium 0mg (0%)
Zinc 0mg (0%)
Copper 0mg (0%)
Manganese 0mg
Selenium 0µg
Vit. C 3mg (4%)
Vit. B1 0mg (0%)
Vit. B2 0mg (0%)
Vit. B3 0mg (0%)
Vit. B5 0mg (0%)
Vit. B6 0mg (0%)
Diet. fol. eq. 2µg (0%)
Vit. B12 0µg (0%)
Vit. A 68IU (1%)
Vit. A1 0µg
Vit. E 0mg (0%)
Vit. K 0µg
Vit. D 0IU (0%)
Exported from Shop'NCook Pro 3.4.3 (http://www.shopncook.com)

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