I love the way that keeping in contact and sharing can widen one's horizons, and encourage one to step outside our comfort zones. For several years I have been baking yeast doughs, then about ten years ago I got into sourdough. I love all types of yeast dough, having used fresh, dried, and wild yeasts. Way back I met and became great friends with Vicki who used to bake for her artisan stall at Southwold, then I taught my friend Marie-Claire in Kenilworth to bake bread and to make preserves, then also in Kenilworth my friend Mandy who loves experimenting in the kitchen too, have all helped me enjoy and share my kitchen adventures.
Vickie introduced me to Bertinet, and various other great bakers and writers, on whose courses she had been on. I am completely self taught, and enjoy absorbing and practicing techniques at home. Marie-Claire introduced me to Bake with Jack, and I have been following and enjoyed learning from him via his YouTube videos and blogs, and Mandy suggested that I may find Sourdough Bakers on Facebook, whose name has morphed to Wild Sourdough UK and Beyond, interesting.
Last week after reading Joe Parke's details of his Babka on WSUB, I felt it was time for me to attempt a sweetened enriched sourdough.
At the same time I wanted to try a 'filling' which Marie-Claire has used in some of her 'Chelsea Buns'. So thanks to Marie-Claire, Mandy, and Joe Parke, my first Sourdough Babka is quite a success.
The amusing thing is that I was completely unaware that Babka's had featured on GBBO recently. It was Marie-Claire who enlightened me after I emailed her with the Babka pictures as attachments with my rating of the filling she had sent me. Now I understand the subtext to some of the comments on Joe Parke's post. Joe is a professional working at Star Bistro, which is currently not open. What a smashing place this looks, I wish them well and hope they open and are well supported as soon as safely possible. With it not far from Cheltenham, I can just see that it would be lovely for Mr S and I to have a break in that area and drop in for a few meals at the Star Bistro.
Joe suggested I look up 'The Perfect Loaf'. I happened on their post on how to make Ricotta, so out came the litre of raw buffalo milk from the freezer, and I have a cheese for a Pizza Blonde, another suggestion by an internet gardening friend Brian. The Whey is going in the dough, and also lunch time soup!
Pizza Blonde about to go in the oven
I am looking for a recipe for butter buns that I used to buy in Cirencester. On searching the web this comes up in one of your blogs ... but which one!? Would be really happy if you could help with my search. Regards Sandie
ReplyDeleteIt is on this blog. If you type in Butter Buns in the search box at the top right hand side, you will find it. Happy Baking, let me know how you get on. Should you wish to write about this, the recipe is mine, and you should give a link to the post.
DeleteI love how your culinary journey and meals have been inspired by so many of your friends Noelle. Food is so much more than just fuel that feeds us, it is the recipes that our mothers and grandmothers (and fathers!) have made for us and taught us to make, it is favourite party treats that a lovely relative or friend may bring, and recipes shared by friends, if only via the Internet, it brings us warmth and love. Thank you for this lovely post.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely words Mandy, thank you.
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