Daring Bakers Debut: Tender Potato Bread

Feeling daring…
After deliberating for several months, Eva of Sweet Sins and I decided we are daring enough to join the Daring Bakers. I was thrilled to find out that for our first challenge, Tanna of My Kitchen in Half Cups, chose a recipe from a gorgeous book Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World by the Toronto couple, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. They met in Tibet in 1985 and began a career which combined their travel memoirs with the food they discovered, researched and photographed along the way. Watch out for their forthcoming book Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Stories from the Other China which will be published in May 2008.

More about the book Home Baking…

I have not read their very popular book of Hot Sour Salty Sweet, but if it’s anything like Home Baking, then I should definitely put it on my Christmas Wish List. Home Baking is a mammoth hard cover book of global recipes, from sweet pies and tarts to festive breads, bagels, flat breads, a variety of cakes and cookies. The couple have visited countries and kitchens where ingredients and techniques are widely divergent and the local tastes lean to quite varied flavours. It’s not just the recipes, or the beautifully captured images (the couple took all the location photos) in the book that makes this one of my favourite books. It’s the evocative stories about their encounters with the people they met along the way that they've woven through the book that adds an intriguing dimension to it.

I can’t praise this stunning book more highly. But do not expect this book to be a general purpose book for baking or a resource for techniques because some of the recipes (just like this month’s DB recipe challenge) are at times rather vague and can be somewhat tricky to follow. However, Naomi said in this interview, “Don’t not do it cause you’re afraid…Forgive yourself, enjoy it…everything takes practise…it’s that less-than-perfect look that gives the baking such character.”

On to the DB challenge…Tender Potato Bread
With that in mind, I pursued this month’s DB challenge with a relaxed attitude. You can see from the original recipe posted here that the amount of potato and flour is not precise, and Tanna suggested that for the potato, we could use between 8 oz (beginner) to 16 oz (advanced). I have been baking bread for many years now, and since the whole point of joining DB is about taking risks and reaching beyond my comfort zone, I decided to use 14oz of sebago potato (unpealed weight) and ended up using about 7 cups of flour (plus extra for kneading).

Making the dough…
Once I decided on the proportion of potato and flour, I found the process pretty straight forward. The dough was quite soft and sticky so using a plastic scraper to gather the soft dough together helped. The dough rises fairly quickly, maybe because of all the starch in the potato. The bit that I found slightly tricky (or should I say sticky?) was when I wanted to shape the dough. I had grand plans of making cute mini buns with fillings but my dough was quite soft. But I didn’t want to add more flour (or else it will be less "tender"). I quickly improvised and was very happy with the final results.

My DB touch…
- I made a meat-filled ciabatta looking loaf. Due to the spicy filling, it almost reminded me of a stuffed Turkish pide.
- I also made some dinner rolls. For a more interesting shape, I placed the dough in mini tart moulds and placed a fresh rosemary sprig on top.

Curry Meat Filled Potato Bread

Tender Potato Buns

Potato Bread with Curry Beef Filling
The idea for this curry flavoured filling idea stems from my Singaporean upbringing. When I think of potato, I think of curry, when I think of curry, I think of mopping up the rich gravy with bread. Hence the birth of the curry beef filled potato loaf.

Half quantity of the tender potato bread dough
250g mince beef (or lamb)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 tbspn of curry powder mixture*
2 small carrots, cut into small cubes
1 cup frozen peas
Tomato paste
Fresh coriander, chopped rouhly
Salt
Vegetable oil

* Try to use better quality curry powder from a specialty shop (not commercial brands). Mine is from Singapore and it is a blend of the following ingredients: Coriander seeds, cumin, tumeric, fennel seeds, chilli, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and cloves.

1. In a non-stick pan/wok, sauté the meat at high heat till it’s brown and cooked through. Set aside.
2. In the same pan/work, sauté the garlic and onion in a bit of oil till fragrant. Add the curry powder and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Add carrots, peas and return the cooked meat into the curry mixture. Add tomato paste and salt. Stir-fry till peas are cooked. Take the pan off the heat and stir through the fresh coriander. Set aside to cool completely before filling the dough.
4. After the first proofing, on an oiled non-stick baking sheet, stretch the dough into a rectangular shape (about 13 x 11 inches) . Place the meat filling in the centre and seal it with the dough. Rub the top of the loaf with olive oil. 5. Bake it at 210° C (fan-forced) the first 10 minutes, then 180° C for another 20 minutes.

Freezing...
I froze half of the meat-filled loaf. More than a week later, I defrosted it slightly in the microwave oven, rubbed some more olive oil on the loaf and reheated it in the convection oven. It was still delicious and moist, but crispier then when it was first baked.

Final verdict...
True to it’s name, we loved the tender texture (airy and moist) and the flavour of this bread. Quikong said it all when he remarked. “You should make this again.”

Curry Meat Filled Potato Bread, Sliced

Do check out the creations of the other Daring Bakers here. A big thank you for this month’s host, Tanna, for choosing such a fabulous recipe.

SHF #37: Mango and Apricot Frappé

Mango and Apricot Frappé

The theme for this month’s Sugar High Friday, hosted by Leslie of Definitely Not Martha, is Beta Carotene Harvest. While I love pumpkin and sweet potatoes, with the warm spring weather we are having in Sydney and my short-term goal of staying away from calorie ridden desserts, I chose to do a something refreshing with mango and apricots - fruits that are currently in season down under- which that are also rich in beta carotene.

As I’ve said often, one of the things I enjoy about blogging is learning more about food- and nutrition-related topics. Mangoes and apricots are beautiful to look at because they contain rich deposits of carotene pigments. The carotenes come in many different variations, and range in colour from yellow to deep orange. Beta carotene is a valuable nutrient because it's an antioxidant, and our bodies can convert it into vitamin A.

Here are three ways we can maximise our absorption of beta carotene:
- The beta carotene in certain vegetables/fruits (such as carrots) is more readily available for absorption after cooking.
- For fruits (such as mangoes) that store their carotene pigments in microscopic oil droplets, where they are pre-dissolved, it is presumably much more available for our bodies to absorb them, even when we eat the fruit raw.
- Dried fruits such as apricots provide more than twice the beta carotene than when fresh.
(nutrition information above is taken from here)

I chose to absorb my beta carotene in this liquid “dessert” ;-) Aren't these mini-martini glasses cute? These were gifts from Quikong's mom (Thanks D!!).

Mango and Apricot Frappé
Adapted from Bill Granger’s Bills Sydney Food

2 tbsps caster sugar
4 tbsps boiling water
2 cups ice
1 cup chopped mango
1 cup chopped apricots
2 tspns fresh lime juice
200 ml white rum (or soda water or plain yogurt)
Lime rind

Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water to make a syrup. Blend it with the remaining ingredients till smooth. Serve in a cold glass and garnish with lime rind. Makes 2 large glasses.

Do take a look at the round up by Leslie for SHF #37 here.

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Other Bill Granger inspired recipes I've blogged about:
Passion Fruit Curd
Ricotta Pancakes
Upside-down pineapple and cinnamon cake

Dark Chocolate Beetroot Brownie

The first food blog I discovered was Béa's La Tartine Gourmande. I've been a big fan ever since. I always feel inspired by her stories, recipes, photography and food styling. I've tried and enjoyed many of her recipes - there are too many to mention. Recently, while doing my research on beetroot for my previous post (How do you Beet it?), I stumbled upon her Dark Chocolate Beet Brownie. Beetroot and dark chocolate...wow!

Whenever I come across a recipe that intrigues me, there is only one thing to do - make it! Since Peabody's virtual potluck Housewarming Party is coming up on 8th December, I thought that this will also be a good excuse to bake something sweet. I'm "bringing" this brownie to the party because it's so different - most people would not have tried before. I may even be able to persuade a few people to enjoy beetroot. That includes you beet ambivalent ladies - Kate , Susan , Cynthia and Wendy! ;-)

Béa adapted the brownie recipe from Cuisine Gourmande. Her original recipe can be found here.

My adjustments: In anticipation that Béa preferred the brownie to be less sweet, I increased the sugar to 120g. Since I wanted my brownie to be deep & dark, I also added a heaped tablespoon of cocoa powder with the flour. I used a square pan (7″ x 7″).

Verdict: This is a MUST for beetroot lovers. The sweet, earthy flavour of beetroot was a perfect match for the dark chocolate. Due to the use of ground almond and not as much butter as some brownie recipes, this brownie was moist without being dense. The texture was not like a typical brownie, but was more like a cross between a friand/fanancier(due to the ground almond ) and carrot cake (due to the shredded beetroot). I think I will increase the amount of cocoa next time. It got Quikong's two thumbs up, so Peabody, I hope that you and the other "guests" at the party will enjoy it too.

Why not join in the fun at Peabody's Housewarming Party? Make a dish and post the recipe on your blog by 6th December. You can also join the party if you don't have a blog. More details here.

How do you Beet it?

“It's a little known fact that if you placed all the t-shirts end to end that had been thrown away with beetroot stains on them, they would stretch 3.87 times round the Earth. Beetroot juice is known in scientific circles as a biological stain, it resists all manner of detergents and woe betide any husband who gets it on his shirt collar as it can be mistaken for lipstick by a suspicious wife!” – Magic Veg

Beetroot Risotto, recipe from Shaun

Before I came to Australia, I was only familiar with canned beetroot. I didn't want to eat too much of it because I thought all that red colouring can't be good for me. Many years later, after encountering fresh beetroot, I discovered that the red colouring is all natural. More recently, thanks to my partner, Quikong (I told you he is a gourmand in denial!), I learnt how to cook beetroot leaves. It's great when you can use all the parts of a vegetable.

These days, I just can't resist vibrant pink-stained beetroot dishes. When I saw Shaun's Beetroot Risotto, I just had to have some. It was delicious (thanks, Shaun!). The subtle spices in the pickled beetroot wonderfully compliments the flavour of the beetroot. I followed Shaun's instructions exactly (except for substituting balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar). I also crumbled some goat's cheese feta on the risotto just before serving. Beetroot has a strong flavour so it pairs well with this cheese. I didn't have any leftover, otherwise I would have made some beetroot arancini.

Quick Tips for eating/cooking Beetroot:

Raw: After peeling, beetroot can simply be grated, tossed with a little orange juice and eaten raw.

Boiled/Steamed: Beetroot can be boiled or steamed for 20-60 minutes depending on its size. It is cooked when you can pierce it easily with a skewer. Allow to cool and then the skins will just slip off.

Baked/Roasted: Wash, trim the stalks and wrap each beetroot separately in foil. Place in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes, then serve. Either eat the skins or take them off. Baked beetroot has a rich earthy flavour, although it is a little drier than steamed beetroot.

Beetroot leaves: Small, young beetroot leaves can be used in salads. Older leaves are slightly bitter, but they can be shredded and cooked like spinach. I prefer to steam the leaves (& young stems) and make a Greek Style warm salad (batzaria):

Still hungry for more beet information? Alanna from A Veggie Venture has compiled various ways of cooking beetroot and a very impressive long list of recipes. You can check it out here.

A few other recipes that I have tried or would like to try....

Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything shared this delicious old-fashioned Beetroot Chutney from Iain Hewitson's book on the Tolarno. It’s great with roast meats. I’ve had it in a roast beef roll.

Tired of the usual pesto? Alanna Kellogg of a Veggie Adventure shared this delicious Beetroot Pesto recipe which she got from the manager from Wolf Pine Farm.

At your next party, how about serving up some deep red Beetroot Hummus? This recipe shared by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict is easy yet stunning.

With warmer days arriving in the southern hemisphere, this Cold Polish Beetroot Soup from Dagmar of A Cat in the Kitchen is just the thing to whip up.

How about beetroot desserts? YES!!! Beetroot is very versatile indeed:

- Dark Chocolate Beetroot Brownies by Béa of La Tartine Gourmand. Irresistible!

- Vegan Chocolate & Beetroot Cake with Spiced Beetroot Glaze. A very festive looking cake by Kathryn of Limes and Lycopene. One would never guess that it has tofu in it (don't tell Quikong!).

So how do you like to have your beetroot?

Bread Baking Day #4: Chickpea & Pink Peppercorn Bread

or ..... How to trick your Meat-Man (or Woman) into eating MORE chickpeas

You have already heard about how I successfully converted my Meat-Man to eating chickpeas. Based on some of the comments from my previous post, it sounds like there are other Meat-Men out there who are not keen on chickpeas. Here is another way you can convert any chickpea phobic without them even knowing - in a bread.

Verdict: Two thumbs up from Quikong. We dipped it in garlic infused extra virgin olive oil. We also dipped it in regular extra virgin olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar. He was surprised when I told him later that there were chickpeas (lots!) in the bread. I enjoyed the bread because it was moist and slightly dense. Perfect to have with a salad for a light lunch.

Bread Baking Day #04 is hosted by Baking History who has chosen the theme of “Bread & Spices”. I am fond of adding spices to both sweet and savoury breads. In this chickpea bread, the flavour of the cumin was too subtle and almost completely lost due to the spicy pink peppercorn. I would increase the amount of cumin next time.

Chickpea and Pink Peppercorn Bread

100ml water
100ml milk
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
125 g mashed canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
375g (3 ¼ cups) unbleached plain flour
2 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp fresh pink peppercorns in brine, drained
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp sugar
1 heaped tsp instant dried yeast
Extra milk, for brushing

Preparation
1. Mix the flour, yeast, cumin, salt and sugar together in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
2. Add the chickpeas, peppercorn, and all the liquid to the center of the flour and mix to a soft dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic.
3. Place in a lightly oil bowl, cover with a lightly oiled clear film and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
4. Turn the dough into a lightly floured surface and knock it back (punch down) lightly. Shape the dough into a round disc. Place it onto a baking sheet and cover with the oiled clear film and leave it to rise for 30-45 minutes. It will spread out in a slightly flat disc.
5. When the dough is almost double in size, preheat the oven to 200° C (400° F). Slash the top of the loaf with four diagonal cuts, then rotate and repeat to make a criss-cross effect. Brush the top of the dough with milk.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Adapted From The Complete Book of Baking.