NEW Baker Post ......Homemade Sausage Bread - "The Alternative DAWG"

Hi everyone,

Sorry been busy elsewhere this week. However, I have had chance to make an alternative "hot dog" I've been threatening this for a while now and I have finally got round to making it.

Here goes:

As usual the 80p supermarket premix multiseeded 500g bag, mix with 330ml of water, this time I have put in about 2tsp of Olive Oil to keep the bread soft, mixing all together in a large bowl.

Once the mix is nice and stretching pop it back into the bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for about hour and half.

The dough should have risen well so pop it back out onto a floured surface and knock it back and knead some more for about 5 mins.

Now separate it out into equal chunks (this mix will do about 10 hot dogs)

I've done 5 so I can split down again.

You will need a bit more space now as you need to flatten out each of these chunks of dough to about 5mm thick.

Now you have all your prep for the dough done !

For this sausage bread I've used frankfurters, dead easy throw then into a pan of water for about 4 minutes simmering, empty out onto kitchen roll and dry off. You can use any sausage but cook them off before you start rolling into the bread, I reckon a Chorizo sausage would be really good as the oils would soak into the bread, think ill try that in a while!

Ok your ready to roll, roll the sausage in the dough sealing the ends and place on an oiled tray ready for the oven, once again cover with oiled cling film and place in a warm place for about 30-40 mins to rise

 
Don't worry about particular shapes just get them into something like they all taste just as good !

Get the oven up to 200 degrees C, remove cling film and pop into oven for about 15-20 mins, keep an eye at 12 mins as they will cook off quickly at the end.

Remove from oven and place onto wire rack.........yes I know there are a couple of odd ones but some rose slightly better than others !

Ok ready for the taste sensation, get a dip on the side of the plate, anything such as brown sauce, honey mustard, tomato sauce, mayonnaise. Grab a "dog" and dip it in. These are great for a lunch time snack and you can keep them in the fridge and eat the next day hot or cold.

 

I'm thinking what else could be an alternative!!

pasta bolognaise and a crunchy, oat and multigrain bread with garlic butter.

Hi again The alternative Baker here with a new bread............................................ sorry no video this week but some yummy piccy's

I made along with a really nice pasta bolognaise (with pasta that my daughter brought back from Italy....Yummy) a crunchy, oat and multigrain bread with garlic butter.

500g readymix flour (multispeed breadmix)
330ml lukewarm water
TBSL Olive Oil

Mix together and knead for about 10 mins, I then put it on a flat oiled tray and covered it with oiled clingfilm (loosely).

Left it in Conservatory for an hour, in this weeks heat you could sit and watch it grow!!!

It grew to a similar size to the cuppasoup bread remember ? http://alternative-baker.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cuppasoup-bread.html just in case you cant have a look.

Remove cling film, then cut strips into the bread as though it was slices not all the way just the top third.

Mix Olive oil, Butter and chopped fresh garlic into a bowl and pour generously over the bread making sure it get down into the cuts.

Bang it into the oven for 30 mins at 220 degress

Finish the pasta and sauce, dish up into bowls, remove the bread from the oven, Slice and smother in fresh butter Yum Yum, have a look below.

Ill get around to a video soon

Straight couple

Boy girl, girl boy.......................... you decide

A great weekend of adventure apart from an achilles rip on Brimham Rocks and the next 8 weeks in a leg splint.....................marvelous

Flat Breads

Hello its time for another bread blog from the Alternative Baker.

Here we are at Fountains Abbey for the weekend with some friends a nice campsite with a bar on site always useful.

Anyhow to the bread:

A nice ready mixed wholemeal flour base
No water this time but use 300ml of Beer for 500g mix, some spice as well goes down good with flat bread, mix all together with a bit of olive oil to give that little bit of moisture.

Nead for about 10 mins and leaft in a warm place covered by oiled clingfilm and let rise for about an hour-hour and half.

Then out to the barbeque we go get yourself a chunk of dough (between golf ball and tennis ball size) roll it out then flatten it out into a pitta sized bread and about as thick.

Wack it onto the barby or griddle and cook till brown, then either slice it open like a pitta and fill it or do like I've done and lay it flat couple of bangers and salad and away you go.

Top tip,

Dont let you pal look after the flat bread on the barbeque as they end up like black fizbee's

Thats it folks for now but have a look at our videos and try and work them out

not so straight couple

Have a good look at this video, can you work out how its been done ? is it 4 people, where did they go.

Had a nice weekend caravanning and larking about

Nice boys really

Just an Ordinary Lad

Just an ordinary lad                                               ............to 1970.........…

It's late summer and dads outside washing his lordships Bentley, the year is as I recall 1967 and I'm almost 3, we're on a beautiful private estate in Northern Ireland owned by one of the most influential and well respected gentry of the United Kingdom.

Gerry his lordship's son is playing football on the lawn in front of the garages were dad is washing the cars. He's about 11 I think and on his last week of holidays before he goes back to his english boarding school.

Suddenly we hear the distant hum and we all look out to the lake, Gerry shouts they're coming let's run down to meet them, dad and Gerry run on and mum picks me up to watch, out of the sky a bi-plane drops down, it has big ski like structures where the wheels should be and it swoops down onto the water at the bottom of the garden where dad and Gerry are stood, Gerry waving and jumping shouting out, but we can't hear what he's shouting over the noise of the planes engines.  

The plane lands and taxis into the quayside just like a motorboat would and is met by several staff. They wait for the doors to open, a very distinguished gentleman steps out of the plane closely followed by a tall man in military uniform (I found out many years later he was commander in chief of the British army). Dad helped the staff unload the plane onto the back of the trailer pulled by a small blue fordson tractor that was used around the estate for all sorts. "Bring up to the house Willy" his lordship shouted to dad, " the old Bentleys looking good, lovely job you've made of her" he continued, dad raised his hand to acknowledge the comments, dad wasn't for chat, especially with such an important person as the Duke.

Dad was a train fireman in the late fifties then in 1958 Lord Beacham decided trains were no longer the most cost effective means of transport and followed many closures of stations and lines, many men lost jobs including dad and had no option but to seek work elsewhere. Ice cream man, abbatoir, general labouring, bus driving were amongst many jobs dad endured before his cousin one day said the old duke is looking for a chauffeur and general handyman, go for it, I'll put in a good word with the butler he's a friend of Alice's.

A day later off dad went to the estate for the interview, complete with wedding suit duly dusted down, clean crisp shirt, tie and the obligatory clean hanky that some 50 years later mum would still say to myself have you got a clean hanky?

Several days passed and nothing was heard and then out of the blue one morning the editor of the local newspaper that owned the flat above that we lived in, rattled the door............."Willy there's a letter for you, the delivery boy brought it back from the lodge this morning, very posh envelope it must be important". dad opened the door his bus uniform almost complete as his shift started in an hour, "thanks Ivan" said dad not letting on that he was expecting anything..........................................

To be continued.........................post me a message if you want some more?

Cuppasoup Bread

Hi, I thought I'd share what I like doing. 
Here is my first post a simple bread for dunking in soup, I've included a video of me making the bread from start to finish.
Firstly you can buy a very simple all in one bread mix for about 80p from most supermarkets, yeast is already in all you need to do is add marg/oil if you want and water.......
I have just added water (lukewarm) 320ml for the 500g bread mix, get your hands in mix up, gradually continue until you get a soft dough.

Once you have got your nice mix take it out of the bowl and place on a floured board and knead, pull stretch crunch it, work it for a good 10 mins use more flour if you need to but get into a really nice dough, the kneading is essential so that the yeast begins to work and you will get really nice bread

 

Once you have done your 10 minutes of kneading shape it into a rough ball flatten it down a bit, then place it on a pre-greased flat baking tray (remember to grease it to stop the dough sticking to the tray), then cover with again pre-greased cling film not tight just lay it over. Place the tray in a warm area, windowsill is good or a conservatory, leave for at least 1 hour ....... go have a cup of tea..........

After at least an hour have a look the dough should have increased in size probably 3 fold at this stage, turn the oven on to approx 200 degrees C gas mark 7, guideline is 230 degrees but mine's a fan oven so a little bit less. bang it for about 15 minutes KEEP YOU EYE ON IT its a flat bread so wont take that long 

12 minutes gone !! have a look okay another few minutes, take it out of the oven CAREFUL ITS HOT!!, place on a wire rack upside down give it a knock if its hollow your done, a really crispy bread ready to eat.
I've made some soup the other day (pancetta, potato, onion and pepper) if you like my blog I might show you how to make it! so Ive re-heated the left over soup poured it into a cup ready
Carefully whilst the bread is still warm get yourself a nice thick slice, no butter just the bread dunk it into the soup and your away really delicious and all for no more than a couple of quid to feed at least 3 of you.

 

That's it my first blog hope you enjoyed it, others may follow if you all like them. They will get more in detail and creative, this one was to get you going anyone can do this.

If you like what you see, comment on me and share with your friends. See yous later.

 

The Alternative-Baker