No Bake Cheesecake

Cheesecake. Yum. That completely sums up my long-standing love affair with no-bake cheesecake. But I'm fussy about my cheesecake. Don't give me those stodgy baked varieties, I have no time or taste for them. It's got to be the refrigerated variety every time - despite my intense dislike of gelatine (I rarely eat jelly and look for yoghurts that don't contain gelatine).

Refrigerated cheesecake is unbelievably simple, but can be dressed up to look sophisticated and impressive. With very little effort (and preferably a functioning refrigerator) you can wow your guests.

This weekend was a long weekend in the US for the Labor Day holiday. We duly had guests over and I decided to make cheesecake for dessert. Something I haven't done for about 15 years. I don't know why. It's a dessert I love, but rarely make. It was also the weekend that we had FRIDGE TROUBLE [cue dramatic music]. So, on Wednesday of last week I decided that our fridge, that was easily 10 years old, that we'd discussed replacing before it died on us, that came with the house when we bought it, needed to be retired. I duly went out and bought a new fridge (and dishwasher too) and organised for them both to be delivered and installed on Friday. They were. In a timely and efficient manner.

My new, gleaming, brushed stainless steel, French door, pull-out-freezer-drawer fridge took up pride of place in the kitchen. It shone, announcing its newness to the world. It set off my electric kettle, my stand mixer and my espresso machine beautifully. All stainless steel, all shiny and new, letting the world know how much I love to cook, how much my kitchen is a source of joy for me. Everything looked great. I loaded up my shiny new fridge with all the fresh and frozen produce from the old fridge (all of which had been carefully packed on ice until then) and I smiled beatifically and my glorious new appliance. Then I went about doing all the things the installers had recommended - ditching the first 3 gallons of water from the dispenser, turning on the ice machine and waiting for it to produce happy little rectangles of frozen goodness, and generally fussing about.

I started to get suspicious when that evening the fridge still hadn't cooled. By the time I went to bed, I had worked myself into a fair state of worry. But we decided to give it overnight and see how it went. Saturday morning came around. Still nothing. Not a puff of cold. No icy fingers gently caressing all the things we'd stored in there. Naturally, I turned quickly to Google for the answers. "The compressor" it shouted, "No, the gasses have to settle and that can take 3 to 5 days" it debated, "Rubbish! There's a blockage" it equivocated. All the while, my mind screamed "YOU GOT A DUD!".  My beautiful, brand new, expensive fridge had suddenly become a costly meat safe. We checked on theory 1 and 3 and decided to give it a little more time for theory 2. Meanwhile, I marinated meat and made cheesecake.

Sunday morning rolled around and still nothing. The meat in the freezer had defrosted, the food in the fridge was starting to go off. There was nothing for it. I rang the store I bought it from, explained the problem and asked for a replacement asap. They were actually very good about it, but couldn't organise a delivery for the same day. Still, Monday we would have a new fridge. Yes ma'am, the situation had been escalated to the manager's attention. Yes ma'am, they would be happy to reimburse me for all the food losses. Yes ma'am, they would bring the new fridge on Monday and wouldn't leave until they were sure that it actually was working. Umm…ok. But where was I supposed to store the marinated meat and the cheesecake (the REFRIGERATED cheesecake) in the meantime?

Thank goodness for two large coolers (eskies) and a quick-thinking husband who trotted off to buy a small bar fridge. So disaster averted, the defrosted meat had to be cooked up or thrown out. So began my day of cooking every last bit of meat we had in the house. With only two people joining us for dinner, needless to say we were very well stocked. So at the end of that very long story, here's my recipe for cheesecake.

Ingredients:
Base/crust:
2 cups crushed graham crackers
2 tbsp sugar
125g butter (melted)

Filling:
3 pkgs (8oz/226g each) cream cheese (softened)
1 pkt gelatine (7g)
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1-2 tsp orange essence (or vanilla)
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime

Method:
Line the base of a round spring form cake tin with parchment paper. I cut off a square piece, larger than the base of the tin, placed it over the base then put the wall belt on and closed it, securing the parchment paper onto the base. This will make removing the cheesecake from the base much easier later (and that will stop any scratching up of your cake tin from cutting cheesecake on it!).

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, the sugar and the butter well. Firmly pack it into the cake tin and place in the fridge (hopefully you have a functioning fridge at the time).

In a stand mixer, place the cream cheese and sugar and beat until soft and mixed through.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, place the water and gelatine. Allow to sit for a minute, then place over medium heat. Stir constantly until gelatine is dissolved. Remove from heat and beat into cream cheese mix in the stand mixer.

Add lime zest and juice and continue to mix on medium-low speed. Gradually add cream and orange essence, continuing to beat the mixture. The mixture will be of pouring consistency and you'll think it's a little too runny, but don't panic. The gelatine will set it well.

Pour over the refrigerated base and return to the fridge for at least 3 hours (preferably overnight).

When you're ready to serve, run a warm palette knife, butter knife or thin plastic spatula around the inside edge of the wall belt to separate the cheesecake from the tin. Open up the spring and remove the wall belt. Carefully slide the cheesecake off the base of the tin and onto a serving plate using the parchment paper. Decorate with whatever fruits you like and serve.

A Tale of Stormy Weather and Root Vegetables

It's Winter in my part of the world and we've just had a category 2 cyclone hit the coast. Up here in the hills, it was wet and windy, but not much worse than that. We've been fortunate to not have lost power or had any storm damage, but the weather does turn one's mind to thoughts of warm and stodgy food. Root vegetables are gloriously in season now and we're getting some delicious beetroots, parsnips, carrots, potatoes and the rest.

I'm purposely leaving swedes (rutabagas) out of this collection. They're a vegetable that have resisted my many overtures at friendship. Bitter and distasteful, they do their best to shun my tastebuds, while taunting my eyes with their rotund, yellowy-puple forms displayed so temptingly at the grocer's. We have a tenuous relationship on which I'm choosing not to dwell.

Beetroot, on the other hand, is a firm favourite of mine. I'm becoming increasingly convinced that I must have eaten a lot of dirt as a child and that is why I love the deep earthy taste of beetroot. To me they really do taste like soil; sweetened and glorified. I'm not talking about the over-processed, over-sweetened variety found in tins and plastic bottles. I'm talking about the fresh, dirt-covered variety you find in the fresh food market. The kind you have to wash, peel and cook before you can eat them. The kind that stain your hands the deepest ruby red for days on end. The kind you wear dark colours near even when you're only looking at them... just in case. Real beetroot.

So now you know my dirty secret. My deep and abiding love for the earthiness of beetroot. Given the season, the weather and the availability of my ruby treasures, I thought it was time to venture into some uncharted and politically fraught territory (uncharted for me). I decided to slide down the slippery slope of attempting to make borscht. Let me say from the outset, there are as many ways to make borscht as there are families in Eastern Europe. I must have scanned 50 recipes for it, each one with a detractor commenting at the bottom of the page that "this is not how you make borsch/borscht" (they can't even agree on the final consonant!). In the end, I got the gist of the various recipes and decided to make my own version.

This is NOT a traditional borsch/borscht recipe from anywhere, but I'm hoping it will become a tradition in our house.

Ingredients:
Vegetable Stock
3L water
1 carrot
2 stalks of rosemary
4 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 French shallots or 1/2 a medium sized red onion
salt to taste

Soup
8 - 10 beetroots
1 large nadine potato
2 - 3tsp raw sugar
pepper to taste
150g salted butter

cream to serve

Method:
Make a stock as you would for any soup (if you have chicken or beef stock on hand, you can use that). Allow the stock to simmer and flavours to infuse for at least an hour (the longer you leave it, the richer the flavours - top up the water as you need to).

Peel and chop the potato (large pieces is fine). Add to the stock. Top and tail, peel and quarter the beetroot and add to the stock. Add sugar (I use raw sugar because I like the richer, slightly molasses flavour of it).

Cook for at least an hour (make sure all the vegetables are very soft and easy to mash).

Remove bay leaves and rosemary sticks (the leaves will have fallen off by this stage). Blend the soup with a stick blender (or do in small batches in a blender).

Taste for salt and add if necessary. Add freshly ground pepper and butter. Stir through and taste. Serve warm with a dollop of cream.

NOTE: A chilled version of this soup would be wonderful in Summer.

Pop goes the... well... popcorn

There's something so exciting about popcorn. I suppose it's the uncertainty of whether it will actually pop, and then how much of it will pop. Will you be left with only a few singed kernels at the end, or will their be an inch thick layer of unpopped kernels?

And then there's the smell... that delicious, heady mix of oil and butter, simmering gently, acquiring a nuttiness. The succulent mix coaxes the subtle aromas from the corn kernels as they go in, and the kitchen smells divine. Like warmth and sunshine, the smell of happiness and laughter and adventure.


The sound of popcorn, the gentle pfut pfut as each kernel springs into its new life; white, fluffy and inviting. It warms the cockles of my heart.

Quick Snack Fixes

Dinner tonight was marinated chicken wings, stuffed tomatoes, salad and garlic bread. They're quick to make, taste delicious and look pretty impressive. Plus, it's another way to use up some eggs from our Bantam chickens!

Stuffed Tomatoes:
Ingredients

• 4 vine-ripened tomatoes
• 4 Bantam eggs
• Malden sea salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• sharp Cheddar cheese (tasty is good)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Cut the tops off the tomatoes (so you have little lids). You can discard these (our chickens are getting them).

Cut through the segments inside the tomato very carefully, trying not to break through the tomato. Scoop out the flesh, leaving behind a tomato case. Reserve the scoopings for another recipe or blend and make into tomato paste.

Sprinkle salt and cracked pepper on the inside.

Add a paper-thin slice of cheese (or grate cheese).

Crack one Bantam egg into each tomato. These little eggs are just perfect for the tomato cases. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again.

Arrange your tomatoes on the lined baking tray and bake for 15 - 20 minutes till eggs are set. Serve immediately.

Garlic Bread:

You can make this with pretty much any kind of loaf you like. I usually use a ciabatta or other crusty Italian loaf, or a baguette. It also makes a great after school snack.

Ingredients

• 125g butter (salted butter is good)
• 1 tsp Malden sea salt
• 1 sprig basil leaves
• 4 cloves garlic
• bread of choice

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C.

Use chop sticks as a guide when slicing

Now this is a handy trick that will ensure you never cut all the way through your bread again when making garlic bread. Take two wooden chop sticks (use the normal sized ones, not the take-away variety that you have to separate). Place one on either side of your loaf of bread. Cut slices into the bread until your knife hits the chop sticks (this ensures that you don't cut all the way through, but cut enough to allow you to spread the butter onto each slice).

In a food processor, blend the butter, garlic, salt and basil leaves. If the butter is too hard and won't cream, add olive oil to loosen it.

When your garlic butter is ready, spread it liberally in each slice you've cut in your bread.

Finally, spread a good amount on the top of your loaf too. This helps to keep the crust crunchy.

Cover your bread in baking paper and then in baking foil (Alfoil/tinfoil) and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

Serve hot.

Cheese Soufflé

Soufflé is one of those dishes that seems to strike terror into the heart of home cooks, but I'm not really sure why. It's an extremely easy dish that tastes sublime and looks spectacular. The last time I made soufflé, I was newly married, entertaining like mad and desperate to impress all and sundry. I was thrilled that my first soufflé worked and then proceeded to make them so regularly that my husband and I both grew to dread the sight of them. But after 15 years, it was definitely time to have another go at it. This recipe makes a delightfully light and fluffy soufflé.

This single soufflé alone would have been more than enough for dinner, but I'm not known for doing things by halves, so dinner included soufflé, scotch eggs and salad followed by creme brûlée for dessert.

Cheese souffle

Ingredients:

• 14 slices white bread
• 450g sharp/tasty Cheddar cheese
• 3 cups full fat milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 10 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste (I use freshly ground pepper corns and Malden sea salt)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

Trim edges of 14 slices of whet bread (I gave the crusts to my chickens as a "thank you" for their lovely eggs, but you could save yours to make breadcrumbs for another time), then cube/quarter each slice.

Grate the cheese using the large side of the grater or a microplane for soft cheese.

Beat the eggs and milk with salt and pepper until just smooth (don't over beat).

Butter a casserole dish and alternately layer the bread and cheese (two layers of each) evenly along the bottom.

Pour the milk and egg mixture over. Melt the butter and drizzle over the top.

The longer you can allow the bread to soak up the milk mixture, the better the soufflé will be.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The soufflé will rise and brown nicely. Serve as soon as possible or it will deflate and that is such a sad sight.

It didn't take long for the family to get stuck in!

Creme Brulee

Creme Brûlée

We've recently acquired chickens all of whom seem to have decided to lay eggs at once. So we're inundated with eggs and I've been steadily increasing the levels of cholesterol we're consuming. In an attempt to use up the eggs in a timely fashion (seriously, between 2 and 6 eggs a day is more than we can be expected to cope with) I've been trawling recipes for egg-rich foods.

Trusty creme brûlée is one of the easiest desserts you can make but it always looks stunning at the table. This recipe is a really simple one and pretty much fool proof. I've added a few tips along the way which make all the difference. You can make this in individual ramekins (if you have them) or in a single casserole dish. I doubled the quantities for my casserole dish and it worked well.

Creme Brulee
Ingredients:

• 6 egg yolks, chilled
• 6 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 1/2 cups thickened (or whipping) cream, chilled
• 4 tablespoons caster sugar for topping

Method:

Butter and sugar the casserole dish

Preheat oven to 170C/275F and adjust oven rack to centre position.

Butter and sugar ramekins or casserole dish (tip out excess sugar).

Place ramekins/casserole dish in a baking pan (you will need the baking pan to be deeper than the dish containing your creme brûlée - remember you're cooking the custard in a bain-marie).

Boil water in a kettle for the bain-marie/water bath. Take it off the boil and allow it to cool a little until required.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until they are slightly thickened.

Add sugar and mix until dissolved.

Mix in cream, then pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins/casserole dish.

Baking pan bain marie

Carefully pour the hot water from the kettle into the baking pan so that it comes (at least) halfway up the sides of the ramekins/casserole dish. One of the biggest mistakes in baking creme brûlée is not using enough water in the water bath. The water should be at the same level as the custard inside the ramekins/casserole dish. It is meant to protect the custard from getting too hot and over-cooking.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes (up to 50 minutes in casserole dish) or until set around the edges but still loose in the centre. The cooking time will vary according to the size of the dish you are using. Check after 30 minutes and then in 10 minute increments until the desired consistency is reached. It should jiggle a little when shaken gently.

Allow to cool in the water bath, then remove the ramekins/casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap (glad wrap, cling film etc) and refrigerate until required.

When ready to serve, uncover and sprinkle with sugar. Use a blow-torch to caramelise the sugar - stop just before the desired result because the sugar will keep cooking in its own heat.

This dish can be served cold from the fridge or slightly warm (especially if you're pressed for time).

Something's Fishy

As part of the "no red meat during the week" campaign, we've been increasing our intake of seafood. Bouillabaisse seemed like the perfect fit.

I've wanted to have a go at this scrumptious seafood soup for a long time, but have avoided it largely because my youngest son hasn't coped well with seafood. His intolerance seems to be improving now and, more importantly, he's keen to try more.

I was afraid this was going to be a complicated dish with lots of obscure ingredients, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy.

So here's my version of a perennial favourite.

Cheat's Bouillabaisse
Ingredients:

• 2tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 red onions, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1 tin diced tomatoes
• 4 bay leaves
• generous pinch of saffron
• salt and pepper
• orange peel from 1 orange (use a zester)
• 1 cup good white wine
• 750ml fish stock, warmed
• 500g clams
• 250g prawns (shelled and deveined)
• 250g scallops
• 500g Spanish mackerel, cubed
• 1 smoked trout, skinned, filleted and shredded
• 1/2 cup coriander /cilantro leaves (leaves only)

Rouille:

• 2tbsps hot fish stock
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup white bread, crusts cut off
• 1 red chilli
• 1/2tsp salt

Method:

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a heavy based pan. Add onions, garlic and bay leaves and fry till onions are translucent.

Add tomatoes, saffron and orange peel and cook gently for around 5 minutes.

Add white wine and fish stock and bring to the boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes.

This is a good time to make the rouille if you're using it. Put fish stock in the bottom of a blender or food processor. Add garlic, chilli, salt and bread. Blend until very smooth. With the food processor still running, add the olive oil in a slow drizzle (it's like making mayonnaise). Stop blending when the oil is incorporated. Place the rouille in a bowl ready to serve with the soup - use sparingly like you would Tabasco sauce.

When the soup has simmered for 20 minutes, raise the heat and add clams. When clams pop open (this is fun, it's a bit like watching popcorn - use a glass lid on your pot so you can see it), add the mackerel. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add scallops and prawns and cook for a further 5 minutes.

To serve, place the bouillabaisse in a bowl, sprinkle the shredded smoked trout and the coriander leaves over the top. Allow each person to add their own rouille.

Serves 4 - 6

What's Up Doc?

I've been wanting to try my hand at cooking rabbit for some time now. As a meat, it completely intrigues me. Not quite red meat in a beef kind of way, but not white meat like chicken or pork either. So today, I decided to get some from my lovely local butcher (the trip there is always fun since he flirts like mad with all the customers!). He very kindly chopped it up for me and gave me lots of encouragement.

I trawled both recipe books and the internet for recipes and in the end, came up with a mish-mash that I'm pretty happy with. It's a bit reminiscent Coq au vin, but here it is...

Rabbit Stew
Ingredients:

• 1 rabbit (chopped into small pieces by the lovely butcher)
• 2 brown onions, finely sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, whole
• 3 strips pancetta, finely sliced
• 3 medium carrots, cubed
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 - 5 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 8 medium-sized button mushrooms, halved
• 1/2 small fennel bulb, finely sliced
• 1/3 cup good red wine
• 2 tbsps good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1 litre water or chicken stock

Flour for dredging:

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 tsps salt
• 2 tsps smoked paprika (Spanish paprika is really good)

Method:

Preheat oven to 190C.

Mix flour, salt and paprika. Dredge rabbit in flour and keep aside.

Heat oil in heavy based pan and fry pancetta strips till crispy. Remove and reserve for the end.

Brown garlic pods gently. Remove and reserve.

Brown rabbit pieces, a few at a time. Remove and reserve.

Fry onions and mushrooms. Add a little salt (a pinch is plenty) as this helps to soften the onions quickly. When the onions are translucent, add the browned garlic, fennel, carrot and bay leaves. Fry for a few minutes until fennel softens.

Arrange rabbit pieces on top. Add water/stock, red wine and balsamic vinegar. Taste for seasoning and add salt if required.

Bring to the boil then transfer to the oven. Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours or until rabbit is tender and comes easily off the bone.

Sprinkle the reserved pancetta on top just before serving. Serve hot.

Deviation from the Theme!

So after making the claim that I'm returning to my roots and becoming a river to my people, I completely deviated from the theme last night. It was bruschetta made with a ceviche of Tasmanian salmon for entrée, Tandoori Red Snapper, rice and roasted brussel sprouts for mains and pumpkin pie with a biscuit crust for dessert.

So here's the Ceviche Bruschetta recipe...

Tasmanian Salmon Ceviche Bruschetta (this is NOT a weight-watcher's recipe!)

• 2 medium sized Tasmanian salmon fillets (skin off)
• 1 red onion
• 1 red chilli
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 1 - 2 limes
• salt to taste
• fresh basil leaves
• fresh corriander (cilantro) leaves
• 1 - 2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 100g butter
• Ciabatta or similar bread, sliced

Dice the onion and chilli finely and place in a glass/ceramic bowl. Chiffonade the herbs and add them with the zest of one lime to the onion and chilli. Slice the salmon into 2 inch long pieces that are so thin they're almost translucent. Mix with the onion mix and squeeze the limes over. Add salt to taste and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for around 4 hours.

Just before you're ready to serve, heat a heavy-based pan with the oil and butter in it. Add the garlic and fry gently. Add the bread slices and fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove from pan and drain. Discard the garlic.

Dice the tomatoes very finely and mix through the ceviche at the last minute when you're ready to serve. Pile the ceviche on top of the bread and serve.

Serves = 12 slices of bread

I'll post the Tandoori fish, brussel sprouts and pumpkin pie recipes by and by...

Kedgeree - a hearty start to the day

Kedgeree is a terrific way to start the day. The version of kedgeree that's popularly made is a British dish. It's thought to have originated from kitcherie or kitchiri - an Indian vegetarian dish made with rice and lentils.

The story goes that the British brought a version of this dish back during colonial times. The British version incorporates fish (usually a smoked variety). My version uses beautiful fresh fillets and was made mild enough for the kids to enjoy.

It's filling, delicious and a brilliant way to start the day.

Ingredients
2 cups (160ml cup) Basmati rice
4 x 160ml cups water
200 - 250g Tasmanian salmon fillet
200 - 250g blue groper fillet
200 - 250g pink snapper fillet
6 - 8 spring onions
1 red onion
1 inch piece ginger diced
1 red chilli (more if you like it hot) diced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
200ml cream
5 eggs hard boiled and diced

Method

• Wash the rice in cold tap water to remove as much starch as possible. You can skip this process if you like, but it will make the final product more stodgey and less fluffy.
• Cook the rice in the 4 cups of water as you normally would (I like to use either a rice cooker or cook it in the microwave).
• While the rice is cooking, slice the fish very finely, dice the eggs, onions, chilli and ginger and chop the spring onion.
• Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and fry the onion until translucent.
• Add the chilli and ginger and fry for another minute or two.
• Add the fish and turmeric and stir gently until the fish is just cooked. This will only take a few minutes.
• Add the cream and diced eggs and mix through.
• Add salt to your tastes. Turn off the heat.
• Once the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork, mix it in and add the chopped spring onion.

This is a really quick and easy recipe. The real secret to the flavour lies in using really fresh firm fish.

Bread Dough by Ratio

Freshly baked bread smells divine!

Baking bread has to be one of the most soothing activities I can think of. There's something magical about bringing the yeast to life and watching the dough grow. And nothing beats kneading dough for catharsis. If I'm feeling crabby at someone or frustrated at the world, bread dough can soothe me in a way that very little else can. And the smell of freshly baked bread.... Heaven!

There are some important facts to note about bread dough.

• If you have access to instant or live yeast, you are likely to have better dough than if you have only dried yeast.
• The more yeast you add, the faster the dough will rise, but that doesn't necessarily make for a better dough.
• Leavening a dough for longer can make for a more flavoursome dough... but it is possible to allow a dough too much rising time (thereby killing the yeast - remember yeast is alive).
• Sugar is important. This is what the yeast feeds on.
• You must knead the dough, allow it to rise, knead again and allow to rise before baking. The second kneading is very important. It helps to redistribute the yeast more evenly through the dough and makes for a more evenly risen bread.
• Baking the bread with a tray of water in the oven helps to achieve a moist, fluffy bread.

So here's the recipe that I'm using at the moment. It's a good simple recipe and is based on Michael Ruhlman's recipe in his Ratio book.

Ingredients (based on the ratio of flour : water = 5 : 3)

• 500g plain (baker's) flour
• 300 - 350g water (warm - I heat it up in the microwave for 1.5 mins)
• 10g salt
• 1 tsp yeast (instant)
• 50g butter (softened)
• enough sugar to start the yeast (1.5 - 2 tsps roughly)

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Measure the flour, salt, yeast, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor.
• Mix using a dough hook and add the warm water while mixing. Stop adding water as the dough comes together.
• Do not overmix in the food processor. Remove the dough and knead by hand.
• The dough is sufficiently kneaded when you can stretch a small piece of it into a translucent sheet without tearing it.
• Place in a lightly oiled/greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise.
• When doubled in size, remove from the bowl and knead again. The dough is ready when it is springy and hard to knead.
• Place in a lightly oiled/greased bowl, cover with fresh plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise again.
• When risen, the dough can be shaped (into a loaf tin, into a plait, into a round loaf - whatever shape you like).
• This is when you might add sea salt, sesame seeds or poppy seeds to the top, or brush with milk for a nice glaze.
• Place a tray of hot (or just boiled) water in the oven as a steam bath. Place the bread dough in the oven.
• Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until browned and it emits a hollow sound when tapped.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a board to cool completely.
• Cover in a clean tea towel and store in an airtight container.

Spring onion and sea salt encrusted bread

Remember this is a fresh bread and meant to be eaten within a day or two. It's so delicious, it doesn't usually last more than a day in our house anyway!

You can jazz it up in all sorts of ways. Add cheese, grated potato, sprinkle coarse (sea) salt on the top, brush with milk (makes a lovely glaze), sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds - whatever takes your fancy. You'll probably find that you experiment more once you've made this dough a few times.