Posts Tagged ‘bread’
A Very British Food Revolution
October 10, 2010 | 
Author This year, like many others previous, I holidayed the coasts of Europe, namely the wonderfully sunny South of France. As well as a warm week on the French coast, I also spent a fortnight in America.
Although I have alot of French family, I would never ever class myself as a Francophile in any sense of the word, but holidaying in France is not only convenient, but it’s also relatively hassle free. After all, you can reach it by train, plane or boat.
France has sun, some splendid beaches and is very family-friendly as well as making the perfect getaway for a couple’s weekend. The food, as I’m sure those of you who read any David, Mayle, Olney, Fisher, have ever eaten at Raymond Blanc’s or ever seen a cookery show on TV will recognise, is pretty good. I have no desire to sound like an espadrille and straw hat wearing Englishman-in-Provence stereotype but, yep, they got fruit, they got veg and they’ve got meat.
No doubt you’re aware that France, with its vast, regions of endless mineral-rich, fertile fields have some fantastic produce, world class in fact. The wine, oils, cheeses and meats are all top notch stuff and for many years have put British foods to absolute shame. Previously restaurants would often bypass British produce opting for French, Italian and Spanish goods to sit proudly on their menus instead of home grown.
But in just the last few years there has been a silent but swelling revolution, a food revolution, a British led food revolution that is totally unique to this island. We have in the space of a few years become the world leaders in quality and variety. People are protesting with their plates and shopping bags, no longer do they want Chicken Dippers and Turkey Twizllers, chemical and additive rich foods, just good, simple, honest stuff.
Producers based in and around the South-West, Cotswolds, Surrey and London are finally receiving recognition for their hard work, local produce is officially back in fashion, beautifully crafted goods from smaller producers can be seen on menus and in Delis, farm shops and even on Supermarket shelves. Leading the way are some colourful characters, sure we’ve all seen Jamie Oliver travelling round calling this and that ‘puka mate’, and we’ve seen the Hairy Bikers riding around telling us all about food that they champion, but who are the real champions at a local level in this revolution?
Well I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear there are quite alot and where I live in the Cotswolds the change in food production, marketing and selling has been drastic. No longer to people want cheap anything goes food packed full of additives and chemical nasty’s. Good food is here to stay in Britain but as I discovered in America this ethos has not yet landed on US shores.
Champions such as Rob Rees the Cotswold Chef, Farmers markets around Gloucestershire, television presenter Tom Herbert owner of Hobbs House bakery’s in Nailsworth are setting the trend for the new generation of foodies.
Companies such as the Cotswold-based Winstone’s Ice Cream have managed to defy the Global recession and continue to grow, and with growth innovate and adapt their already world famous product.
The company started in 1925 by Albert Winstone’s, is now owned and run by Albert’s great granddaughter Jane Vear. Along with her two sons Tom and Benjamin Vear they have managed to attract new customers by ensuring that their ice cream is made with the finest possible local ingredients. The shift to using local fruit, milk and cream has been gradual, costs have increased but their customer base understands that quality costs more.
Along with adapting recipes that are almost a century old, bringing ingredients up to date and using local producers the company has also began to undertake a program of green initiatives including recycling all of their cardboard and plastic waste.
For Jane’s son Ben, who looks after the majority of the companies communications it is not just important to take these steps; recycling waste, supporting local business and using the highest quality ingredients but as he explained to me, ‘its hugely important to actually communicate to the outside world that we are making these changes, we do this via promotional material, social networking such as twitter and facebook and more directly by telling our customers at the point of purchase’.
British food is back in fashion and inspired by the cultures and daily needs of an indescribably complex group of individuals. Food with resonance, spirit, challenge, not some faded outdated recollection of a mythical, romantic, classical past but instead obsessed with food miles, quality of ingredients and with an audience of ever more conscious eco shoppers. Britain is heads and shoulders above its counterparts, America still has a long way to go and Europe is firmly following the trend.
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Clean the drain, or make pretzels?
The King of Salt and Dough
The German-speaking countries of Europe are full of very interesting baking creations. From rye bread to pumpernickel, croissants to Frankfurter Kranz , fruit cakes like zwetschgentorte, dumplings in their huge variety to just regular brötchen (potato breads, too), the list is enormous. But if there is one that sticks out as representative of German baking it’s the pretzel. We know it here as a salty, hard snack that goes well with beer, which is great in its own right. However, in Germany, especially in the south, it is a high art form that bakers spend considerable time perfecting. As of late, I have been doing some practicing myself and, along the way, have learned some very interesting things about this ages-old form of bread.
Pretzels are basically bread dough that has been dipped or boiled in some sort of a salt solution. If you open a cookbook and proceed to make them, the salt will be sodium bicarbonate, otherwise known as baking soda. The formed pretzel is dipped or boiled in the solution, then baked. I like these and like making them, but I always wondered why they never came out that deep, mahogany brown that I know to be the distinguishing color of pretzels I get at the German deli. Then I found out from a German baker why; I’m using the wrong salt. To achieve this color, one must use instead sodium hydroxide, otherwise known as lye. That’s right; the same thing that cleans out drains also makes beautiful pretzels. It’s not poisonous, once baked it converts to bicarbonate, a rather harmless substance. That does not mean that one does not proceed with utmost care when making them. Since I can, I’m going to make them both, as the only difference is the salt. That way I can show, side by side, the difference. I shall then allow you to decide.
Start with basic white bread dough. You can pre-buy this, pre-make and refrigerate it till ready or make it fresh; it just needs to be at room temperature before you start. For our purposes we’ll assume the dough has gone through its first rise and has been punched down and start there (if you have questions on how to make a basic dough let me know; we bake all of our own bread and have it pretty well down. And a Kitchenaid makes it a snap).
Preheat oven to 450⁰.
Take four cups of water and add 1/3 cup of baking soda to it. This is for our baking soda pretzels. Set this aside. In a stainless bowl, add 4 cups of warm water. To this, add ¼ cup of lye SLOWLY. Stir with a wooden spoon and when dissolved, set aside.
Divide the dough, enough for one loaf, into 12 equal parts. The parts should be balls of dough about 2” in diameter. On a smooth, non-floured surface, start rolling the dough into an even strand that is 12-15 inches long.
rolling the dough for pretzel
Try not to add flour, as you want it a little sticky so the pretzel form will not fall apart. When the strand is made, fold it into a pretzel shape. I couldn’t take pictures of this while doing it, as I only have two hands, but here is a little diagram I absconded with from another website:
The mystery revealed
All pretzels made? Ok, take two cookie sheets and lightly grease. Place the baking soda water on the stove and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the pretzels one at a time and boil them for two minutes, turning once. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and place on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt to your liking, and place in the oven for about ten minutes or until brown.
Boiling pretzels in water and baking soda
Now, the others. Put on some painters gloves to protect yourself. With the lye water, place pretzels in the bath and let them sit for 1½ minutes. Fish them out and place on the cookie sheet, salt and bake for about 10 minutes.
The Outcome:
Left: Lye Pretzel Right: Baking Soda Pretzel
Well, they are different in appearance, but not too much in the taste department. I guess I would make the baking soda ones more often, as they are a little easier to make. But I must say that they never last long whichever one I do make. Also, we go through more American prepared mustard when I am on the pretzel-making kick. Enjoy!