Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 6 (not preheated),
Baking time: about 35 minutes.
4. Put the choux pastry rolls on a rack to cool down.
Tip: These are delicious when served with herb curd cheese.
Variation: To make cheese rolls, finely dice or coarsely grate 100 g/31⁄2 oz Gouda cheese and incorporate into the dough.
BREAD
134 | Sweet poppy seed and sesame seed croissants
For children (12 pieces)
Preparation time: about 30 minutes
Baking time: about 20 minutes
For the baking sheet:
baking parchment
For the cheese and oil cake mixture:
300 g/10 oz (3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
150 g/5 oz curd cheese (low fat)
100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) milk
100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil
80 g/21⁄2 oz (3⁄8 cup) sugar
1 pinch salt
For coating and topping:
yolk of 1 medium egg
2 teaspoons milk
3–4 teaspoons poppy seeds
3–4 teaspoons sesame seeds
Per piece:
P: 5 g, F: 1 g, C: 26 g, kJ: 575, kcal: 137
1. Preheat the oven and line the baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. To make the dough, mix together the flour and baking powder, sift into a mixing bowl and add the other ingredients. Stir with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first briefly at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting until the dough is formed. Do not knead too long or the dough may become sticky. Then shape into a roll on a floured work surface.
3. Cut the roll into 12 pieces and shape the pieces into rolls about 18 cm/7 in long with slightly thinner ends.
4. Beat the egg yolk into the milk and brush over the dough rolls. Sprinkle half the dough rolls with poppy seed and the other half with sesame seeds. Shape the rolls into crescent-shaped croissants, put on the baking sheet and slide into the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated), Gas mark 6 (preheated),
Baking time: about 20 minutes.
5. Remove the croissants off the baking parchment and put on a rack to cool down.
Tips: These taste best when they are fresh.
They are also suitable for freezing. When defrosted, crisp them up in the oven preheated to 200 °C/400 °F (top and bottom).
Variation: To make poppy seed and sesame seed rolls, cut the dough roll into 12 pieces, shape these into balls, make a cross-shaped incision at the top with a sharp knife, brush with milk and sprinkle the seeds on top. Then bake as described above.
BREAD
135 | Rolls with sunflower seeds
Popular (12–14 pieces)
Preparation time: about 30 minutes, excluding rising time
Baking time: about 30 minutes
For the baking sheet:
some fat
For the pastry:
100 g/31⁄2 oz sunflower seeds
300 g/10 oz wholemeal flour
200 g/7 oz wholemeal rye flour
1 packet fast action dried yeast
1 level teaspoon sugar
1 heaped teaspoon salt
about 375 ml/12 fl oz (11⁄2 cups) warm water
125 g/5 oz sour dough mix
Per piece:
P: 6 g, F: 5 g, C: 28 g, kJ: 755, kcal: 180
1. Roast the sunflower seeds in a pan without fat and put on a plate to cool down.
2. To make the dough, put the white flour and rye flour in a mixing bowl, add the dried yeast and mix carefully. Add the other ingredients for the dough and stir with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first briefly at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting for about 5 minutes to make a smooth dough. Shortly before the end, add the sunflower seeds to the dough (keep 1–2 tablespoons back to garnish the rolls) and incorporate thoroughly. Cover and put the dough in a warm place to rise until it has visibly increased in volume.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven and grease the baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour, take out of the mixing bowl and knead again briefly on a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a cylinder, cut into 12–14 pieces and shape each piece into a ball.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated), Gas mark 6 (preheated),
Baking time: about 30 minutes.
6. Put the rolls on a rack to cool down.
Tip: Instead of using a packet of sour dough mix you can also use a packet of sour dough extract. In that case make the dough with 500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) warm water instead of 375 ml/12 fl oz (11⁄2 cups).
BREAD
136 | Onion, bacon or herb rolls
Piquant (12 pieces)
Preparation time: about 35 minutes, excluding rising and cooling time
Baking time: about 25 minutes
For the baking sheet:
baking parchment
For the onion rolls:
250 g/9 oz onions
30 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) butter
or
For the bacon rolls:
100 g/31⁄2 oz streaky bacon
2 teaspoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil
or
For the herb rolls:
1⁄2 bunch parsley
1⁄2 bunch chives
1⁄2 bunch dill
For the yeast dough:
200 g/7 oz (2 cups) strong white flour
200 g/7 oz rye flour 1 packet fast action dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil
300 ml/10 fl oz (11⁄4 cups) warm water
Onion rolls per piece:
P: 4 g, F: 5 g, C: 25 g, kJ: 667, kcal: 159
Bacon rolls per piece:
P: 4 g, F: 10 g, C: 24 g, kJ: 839, kcal: 200
Herb rolls per piece:
P: 3 g, F: 3 g, C: 24 g, kJ: 567, kcal: 135
1. For onion rolls, peel the onions and chop finely. Melt the butter, add the onions, braise them lightly and leave to cool down a little.
For bacon rolls, chop the streaky bacon finely, heat the oil, add the bacon, sweat it and leave to cool down a little.
For herb rolls, rinse the parsley, chives and dill, pat dry and chop up finely.
2. Put the wheat and rye flour in a mixing bowl, add the dried yeast and mix carefully. Add the other ingredients for the dough and stir with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first briefly at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting to make a smooth dough. Depending on the recipe, add the other ingredients just before the end and stir quickly into the mixture to incorporate into the dough. Cover and put in a warm place to rise until it has increased visibly in volume.
3. Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour, take out of the mixing bowl and knead briefly again on the work surface. Line the baking sheet with baking parchment and preheat the oven.
4. Divide the dough into 12 pieces of similar size, shape into rolls and put on the prepared baking sheet. Make a cross-shaped cut 1 cm/3⁄8 in deep in the top of the rolls and return to a warm place to rise again until they have visibly increased in volume. Then put the baking sheet in the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated), Gas mark 6 (preheated),
Baking time: about 25 minutes.
5. Put the rolls on a rack to cool down.
Tip: You ca
n also use deep-frozen herbs to make the herb rolls. Use 2 tablespoons each deep-frozen parsley, chives and dill, or 6 tablespoons deepfrozen mixed herbs.
BREAD
137 | Fladenbrot (unleavened bread)
Economical
Preparation time: about 30 minutes, excluding rising time
Baking time: about 15 minutes
For the baking sheet:
baking parchment
For the yeast dough:
150 g/5 oz yogurt
200 ml milk
450 g/16 oz (41⁄2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
300 g/10 oz (3 cups) wholemeal flower
3 level teaspoons baking powder
1 packet dried yeast
1 level teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon sugar
50 g/2 oz (4 tablespoons) soft butter
2 medium eggs
For coating and topping:
1–2 tablespoons butter
sesame seeds
coriander seeds
poppy seeds
caraway seeds
In all:
P: 109 g, F: 99 g, C: 546 g, kJ: 14825, kcal: 3542
1. For the dough, warm the milk with the yogurt. Put both kinds of flour in a mixing bowl with the baking powder, yeast, salt and sugar and stir carefully. Add the other ingredients for the dough and the warm milk-yogurt mixture and stir with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first briefly on the lowest setting, then on the highest setting for about 5 minutes to form a smooth dough. Cover the dough and put in a warm place to rise until it has visibly increased in volume. Line the baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. Preheat the oven. Knead the dough again briefly on a slightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough into a flat oval shape (about 30 x 25 cm/12 x 10 in and about 2 cm/3⁄4 in thick).
3. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet and prick several times with fork. Melt the butter and brush the dough with it. If you like you can also sprinkle sesame seeds, coriander seeds, poppy seeds and caraway seeds on top. Cover the dough and put in a warm place to rise until it has visibly increased in size. Then put the baking sheet in the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 220 °C/425 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated), Gas mark 7 (preheated),
Baking time: about 15 minutes.
4. Leave the golden brown baked bread to cool on a wire rack or serve while still warm.
Tip: You can also freeze unleavened bread. In this case, crisp up the defrosted bread for 10 minutes in the oven (preheated top and bottom to 220 °C/425 °F).
BREAD
138 | Potato bread
suitable for freezing–sophisticated
Preparation time: about 30 minutes, excluding rising and cooking time
Baking time: about 40 minutes
For the baking sheet:
baking parchment
For the yeast dough:
300 g/10 oz floury potatoes
salt
600 g/11⁄4 lb strong white flour
1 packet (42 g) fresh yeast
1 level teaspoon sugar
175 ml/6 fl oz (3⁄4 cup) warm water
1 medium egg
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
2 level teaspoons salt
For coating:
some water
In all:
P: 78 g, F: 30 g, C: 474 g, kJ: 10492, kcal: 2504
1. Wash the potatoes and boil in salted water for about 30 minutes until cooked.
2. To make the dough, sift the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Crumble the yeast into it and add the sugar and warm water. Using a fork, work in a little of the flour round the well and carefully mix with the three ingredients, then leave to rise at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes, peel and push through a potato press.
3. Add the warm potatoes and other ingredients to the dough and stir with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first briefly at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting for about 5 minutes to make a smooth dough. Cover the dough and put in a warm place until it has visibly increased in volume. Line the baking sheet with baking parchment.
4. Preheat the oven at the top and bottom. Dust the dough lightly with flour, take out of the mixing bowl and knead briefly on the work surface. Shape the dough into a round loaf, put on the prepared baking sheet and put in a warm place until it has visibly increased in volume again.
5. Make several decorative cuts 1 cm/3⁄8 in deep in the top of the loaf using a sharp knife (without pressing down), brush with water and put the baking sheet in the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 6 (not preheated),
Baking time: about 40 minutes.
6. Brush the bread with water occasionally while baking to ensure a beautiful crust. Put the bread on a rack to cool.
BREAD
139 | Wholemeal spelt bread
Easy–suitable for freezing
Preparation time: about 30 minutes, excluding rising time
Baking time: about 45 minutes
For the baking sheet:
baking parchment
For the yeast dough:
425 g/15 oz wholemeal spelt flour
1 packet fast action dried yeast
1 level teaspoon brown or Demerara sugar
2 level teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil
250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) warm water
For coating:
some water
In all:
P: 49 g, F: 42 g, C: 276 g, kJ: 7062, kcal: 1669
1. To make the dough, put the spelt flour in a mixing bowl, add the dried yeast and mix carefully. Add the other ingredients for the dough and stir with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first briefly at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting for about 5 minutes to make a smooth dough. Cover and put in a warm place to rise until it has visibly increased in volume.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at the top and bottom. Line the baking sheet with baking parchment.
3. Dust the dough lightly with flour, take out of the mixing bowl and knead briefly on the work surface. Shape the dough into a round loaf, put on the prepared baking sheet and put in a warm place until it has visibly increased in volume again.
4. Make several diagonal cuts 1 cm/3⁄8 in deep in the top of the loaf using a sharp knife (without pressing down), brush with water and put the baking sheet in the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 6 (not preheated),
Baking time: about 45 minutes.
5. Brush the bread with water occasionally while baking to ensure a beautiful crust. Put the bread on a rack to cool down.
Tip: Knead 2 tablespoons of herbes de Provence into the dough.
BREAD
140 | Rye bread with pumpkin seeds
Suitable for freezing
Preparation time: about 30 minutes, excluding rising time
Baking time: about 40 minutes
For the baking sheet:
baking parchment
For the yeast dough:
250 g/9 oz coarsely ground wholemeal rye flour
250 g/9 oz (21⁄2 cups) plain (all-purpose) white flour
1 packet fast action dried yeast
1 level teaspoon sugar
1 level teaspoon salt
375 ml/12 fl oz (11⁄2 cups) warm water
150 g/5 oz pumpkin seed
In all:
P: 90 g, F: 75 g, C: 352 g, kJ: 10300, kcal: 2459
1. To make the dough, put the wholemeal rye flour and wheat flour in a mixing bowl, add the dried yeast and mix carefully. Add the other ingredients for the dough (except for the pumpkin seeds) and stir with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first briefly at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting for 5 minutes to make a smooth dough. Incorporate the
pumpkin seeds right at the end. Cover the dough and put in a warm place until it has visibly increased in volume. Line the baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. Preheat the oven at the top and bottom. Dust the dough lightly with flour, remove from the bowl and knead briefly on the work surface. Shape the dough into 1 or 2 oval loaves, place on the baking sheet and again leave in a warm place until it has visibly increased in volume. Brush the dough with water and dust with flour.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 6 (not preheated),
Baking time: about 40 minutes.
3. Put the bread on a rack to cool down.
Tip: Instead of pumpkin seeds you can also use sunflower seeds.
GLOSSARY
Glossary and information
Baking ingredients
In baking, it is vitally important that all the ingredients used are very fresh and in perfect condition. Ingredients that have been stored a long time and are of inferior quality can completely ruin the results.
Almonds
The fruit of the almond tree. They are available blanched (peeled) or unpeeled, whole, chopped, flaked (slivered) or ground.
Aniseed
Highly aromatic seeds with a sweet aroma. When ground, the aroma evaporates very quickly. Buy only in small amounts and just before you are about to use it.
Arrowroot glaze
Starch made from the roots of tropical plants, used to make a glaze. To make arrowroot glaze, take 250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) water or fruit juice. Blend 2 teaspoons arrowroot with a little of the liquid, then stir in the rest of the liquid. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1⁄2–1 minute until it is clear. When it has cooled down a little, pour it over the fruit using a tablespoon. Leave the glaze to set before serving.
Baking powder
A raising agent consisting of bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar mixed with a starch. During the baking process it produces carbonic acid in the dough which expands, thus lightening and raising the dough.