Four Seed Bread - the Staff of Life

My second recipe - I am getting the hang of this.

25^th May 2001

Four Seed Bread

I have made this bread a number of times and it is not consistent. Sometimes it is lovely and other times far too heavy. I think it is a bread that needs to be made very carefully, and definitely needs lots of kneading.

It is beautifully balanced nutritionally, I think at this time I must have been preparing for the end of the world, as I seem to be collecting recipes that are 'all-in-one', or maybe it was a vegetarian part of my life. This bread could be made with some chopped rosemary and onion for eating with soup. Or some sun-dried tomatoes and basil for summer salads – I tried this once and it was delicious. It worked that time!

Oven: Pre heat to maximum and cook for ¼ hour at 425/232/8

then lower to 400/200/6 for 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1.25 pints warm water

2 sachets dried yeast

3 lbs strong organic white flour (brown is too dense for this already dense bread)

2 oz poppy seeds

2 oz sesame seeds

2 oz sunflower seeds

2 oz pumpkin seeds

125 ml sunflower oil

4 tsp salt

1. Put ¾ pint of warm water in a jug with 1 tsp sugar and the 2 yeast sachets. Mix and leave to froth.
2. Add to ½ pint warm water, mix and mix in enough flour to make a batter. Leave for ½ hour covered in a warm place.
3. Add the seeds, salt and oil and mix very well.
4. Then start adding the four to make a good dough.
5. Knead very well for 10 minutes on a floured board and keep adding flour until perfect.
6. Put in bowl and in warm place for 5 hours to double in size. Oil the top and cover with cling film and a cloth.
7. Knock back and shape into 3 loaves, rolls, etc.
8. Leave to prove again for another 2 hours.
9. Put in hot pre-heated oven for 15 minutes then turn down and cook until hollow. Cool on rack.

Coconut and Almond Oatcakes

This is my collection of recipes which I have been trying out and writing down for the last ten years. My recipe book is becoming a bit tatty now and I have decided to type them out.

You will see that most of them involve sugar, and there are very few savoury recipes! I am very fond of sweet things, far too fond my dentist says.

I have put the recipes in order of date, rather than gathering them together under any sensible cataloguing, but I like this as you never know what the next recipe will be. By the way, sometimes the recipes will be Imperial measures and sometimes metric. You need a set of scales that can switch from one to the other.

I hope you enjoy cooking them. Some of them are secret and some of them have a story, as you will see.

Bonne appetite!

25^th May 2001

Coconut and Almond Oatcakes

These are very filling and good for packed lunches, with complete nutrition and a good protein balance. Add to a yoghurt and 2 pieces of fruit and they will keep you going until dinner time. Perfect!

Oven: 350F/177C/Gas Mark 4 for 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

60g rolled oats

90g oatmeal

90g plain brown flour

125g desiccated coconut

100g raisins and chopped apricots

30g sunflower seeds

30g sesame seeds

75ml/5 tablespoons organic sunflower oil

125ml/1/4 pint juice – apple/orange/tropical fruit – take your pick

2 big spoons of honey

1. Put oats, oatmeal, flour coconut, fruit and seeds into a big bowl and mix very well.
2. Add oil and mix very well.
3. Add juice and honey and make a dough, with more flour if necessary (it will be!)
4. Pat it out and knead a bit and then pat down to 1/2” thickness and cut out 12 smallish rounds or 6 big rounds cut in half. Make sure the raisins are inside the dough or they will burn in the oven.
5. Cook for 20-30 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
6. These will freeze beautifully and each one has
   1. 239KCl
   2. 4g protein
   3. 16g fat
   4. 21g carbohydrate
   5. 5g fibre

Sunset in Glastonbury

Sunset from our house looking over towards Wearyall Hill in Glastonbury.  We have some amazing sunsets, or rather did have before the rain set in.  They are promising good weather from tomorrow onwards, I intend to get out in the garden in a minute to cut the grass as I don't believe a word of it!

Cavalier Puppies

It is sad how infrequently I post on this blog.  I think it is because it is so complicated, but I am trying to work it out and put up quilting, dog and baby stuff!
I am looking for a new cavalier or two and hopefully will have found them by the middle of August - Amantra Kennels is my likely provider of puppies, hopefully.  They have a tri that they are running on at present, but if she doesn't look show worthy will be trying to find a home for her.

This is Bridie, one of Lily's puppies that I really should have kept.  She had a blenheim and two tris and I wanted to keep all of them - Hestia, Hera and Hecate - but I sold them as they were winter puppies and so much work indoors, and the money was handy, after the terrible expense of the caesarian.

And here is Lily with one of the cavadoodles from her last, and last litter.  She is a very pretty dog but amazingly stupid.

Ella Imogen

This is Ella Imogen, my beautiful granddaughter, about two months' ago.