Following on the ‘Sourdough recipe’ post, here’s a quick outline for finishing the loaf. Leave the kneaded dough to rise for around three or four hours. The timing isn’t critical, and will depend on your kitchen temperature, but the aim is to double the dough volume. I use the mixing bowl with cling film over, and it’s important to either cover the bowl or give the dough ball a light cover of oil to stop a crust forming. Next comes the shaping. Remove the risen dough and give it a…
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Dandelion salad herb
Apparently we have the French to thank for breeding a dandelion salad herb cultivar. I got mine as seeds from a local merchant. We like the occasional dandelion leaf addition to green salads, and friends have commented favourably on it, but it’s definitely for those who don’t mind a bit of bitterness. You can blanch the leaves under a pot to reduce the flavour, but who’s organised enough for that? Growing dandelion I would have said this hardly needs instruction. It stretches the boundary between weed and herb if you’ve got…
Read MorePhotoperiodism
This plane tree is on my daily circuit. In mid Winter (July 14th) these branches still hold their leaves because the day length is artificially extended by the street light. The rest of the tree is bare. I reckon in a colder climate the cold nights would tip the balance.
Read MoreWho are we?
I was deeply impressed recently by a film clip from the late 19th century. It was part of a program on the development of the new technology of electricity generation in New York city. A ‘war of currents’ had developed between Edison, who was heavily invested in direct current, and Tesla, who wanted to introduce the radical new alternating current. Edison wanted to make AC unpopular by portraying it as dangerous, and so he staged public electrocution of various animals. The clip shown was of an elephant, shackled, being electrocuted…
Read MoreSalad burnet
I was glad to see our virtuoso local chef Chui Lee Luk single out salad burnet the other night as one of her favourites. It’s an excellent plant for a sunny balcony, as it’s happy in a pot, very hardy, available to pick all year, and hard to find in the shops. The leaves are very pretty and have a cucumber aroma, with maybe a little coriander leaf in there too. Only pick the young leaves while they are the paler green, as the older leaves get tough. I think…
Read MoreConcentric reflections
Here’s a photo that added interest to a midwinter evening. I had got caught in unexpected rain on my way home from the gym, but was glad to see this pattern in the plane trees on the way home. It demonstrates some aspect of physics that only concentric surfaces reflect light back to an observer. Pretty though.
Read MoreBread making methods: why so many?
A favourite quote of mine is from a kindly Singaporean professor, who said to a student who had just given a particularly fraught presentation “My dear girl, what is the point of arriving if you haven’t enjoyed the journey?” (Imagine an Indian accent). If you’re going to take on a commitment like bread making, you want the process to appeal to your situation. It seems like there are almost as many bread making methods as there are bakers, and if you’re making bread regularly then you’ll probably have found a method…
Read MorePhalaenopsis
Great orchids for Sydney, you can buy Phalaenopsis as a flowering display that will last for over a month, then keep them with an expectation that they will flower again. They are easy to keep as long as the basic conditions are right, and that means light and water. Phals are low light plants, naturally growing deep under the rainforest canopy. Their thick leaves easily overheat in sunlight, even morning sun in Summer. A south facing window or a spot inside a brightly lit room are good locations. If you…
Read MoreSourdough recipe: machine kneading
This sourdough recipe gives me a good sourdough loaf with machine kneading. It evolved from reading Emily Beuhler’s excellent book, Bread Science. Make sure your mixer can handle the heavy work though, before you try. Method 3 cups (750 mL) bakers flour 3 tablespoons starter 350 mL filtered water 1 tsp salt 1 cup (250 mL) secondary flour (ie wholemeal or rye) Mix the bakers flour, starter and water and leave to stand for at least 30 min. Tip the dough into a kitchen mixer with the dough hook attached, and begin mixing…
Read MoreSourdough starter
I got mine from a friend who got his from Tasmania. Before that I tried making my own starter, but the flavour wasn’t great. Emily Buehler’s method involves leaving organic rye flour paste to ferment, and hoping that after a few weeks it settles to a good equilibrium. This is not guaranteed. I’ve seen a TV cook prepare a sourdough starter in a few hours, but that is far from my experience of what’s involved. However you get your starter, you will need to keep it going. A typical regime…
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