Panini al Pomodoro

 Just as the sun had warmed up the garden, I went out to collect a few herbs ready for the topping.  The Predough, started up Thursday was light and puffy, so I got started with my dough.  I had run out of my normal flour and had picked up a bag of Waitrose's Leckford Estate Strong White Flour the day before.  I'll be popping back to pick up another bag of this batch.

The smell of all the ingredients: the dough, the onion, olive oil and tomato mixture, and the herbs filled the kitchen.  I used sun dried tomato paste, which is less red than standard tomato paste, but that is what I had in the cupboard, so with standard tomato paste would make for a different coloured dough.

Here is the dough divided into 12, it has been resting under a tea towel for 15 minutes, and ready to be formed into balls.  I have this technique well under my belt now, but a little too much, as I think that a little rustic look, a little hand made look, is more appealing compared with an almost machine like finish.

When they were ready for the oven, they were gently brushed with olive oil, and topped with a little sun dried tomato paste, and herbs.  In the meantime a friend arrived with a jumper, and I managed to find some fine wool and make a pretty good 'invisible' mend to a hole in Marie Claire's jumper.  All the while popping up once or twice to check the buns.

The buns rose really well and were very light,

Early evening we had a Friday Evening moment, with a 'sharing board' and a drink on the patio, this is another delicious savoury bun, from Jane Mason's The Book of Buns.....