Time to say goodbye

May 31, 2017



I'm hugely grateful to everyone who has travelled with me, read this blog and baked my recipes. You have been an absolute delight in my life and inspired me so much.

But, now it's time to turn this blog from an active website to an archive.

The website won't disappear. It will still be here as an archive. I hope you still enjoy the recipes and keep baking. 

roll

Sunday Rolls

May 17, 2017


Sunday Rolls are perfect for a romantic picnic or lazy Sunday morning breakfasts with the family.

18 pcs.

30 g fresh yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 dl (300 g) skimmed milk
1 egg
9 dl wheat flour 
100 g butter, softened
Filling:
75 g butter, softened
2 tbsp poppy seeds
Glaze: 
1 egg, lightly beaten
pinch of salt
poppy seeds

Stir the yeast, sugar and salt into the cold milk. Add egg. Gradually mix in 8 dl of wheat flour and 100 g of soft butter. Knead the dough about 5 minutes. Add some flour if the dough is still sticky. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for about an hour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently. Divide the dough in half. On floured surface, roll out each one to a 10-inch wide rectangle. Spread the soft butter on the top and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Fold the rectangle into thirds and cut into triangles. Line two baking trays with parchment papers, place the rolls on them, cover and let rise about an hour.

Add a pinch of salt into the egg and whisk slightly. (The salt breaks down the globs, making the egg watery and easier to spread.) Brush the rolls with a beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Preheat the oven to 250°C. Bake for 10 minutes.

rieska

Potato-Mushroom Rieska

May 10, 2017


Rieska is one of the traditional breads of Finland. These little breads are usually made from barley, but this time I used wheat flour. I also put some wild mushrooms in my rieska dough, because I love to walk in the forest and hunt wild mushrooms. My freezer is still full of them and the next autumn and heaps of new mushrooms are nearer than I want to admit in May. 

Smetana is one of the sour cream products widely used in Central and Eastern Europe. It is similar to crème fraîche (28% fat), which is a good substitute for smetana, but take notice, that the lighter sour creams sold in the US contain only 12 to 16% butterfat.

10 – 12 pcs.

2 potatoes (300 g)
120 g smetana
1,5 dl (0,75 cup, US) wild mushrooms, cooked and chopped
1 tsp salt
5 leaves of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tsp baking powder
4 dl (250 g) coarse wheat flour

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm. Peel and grate the potatoes.

Stir all the ingredients together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into 10 or 12 thin, round breads. Line two baking trays with parchment papers and place the rieskas on them.

Preheat the oven to 250°C. Bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy the rieskas while still warm with a touch of butter..

granola

Granny's Granola

May 04, 2017


Granny's Granola is less sweet and darker version of my favorite granola. No sugar, just 4 tbsp of honey and black plums instead of sweet and colorful dried fruits.

Also, this granola is supposed to be, not black and burned, but very dark. Be careful, check and stir the granola often 10 to 15 minutes before the end of the baking time. Granola can burn very easily. 

8 dl (3 cup, US) old fashioned oats 
5 dl (2 cup, US) nuts, chopped 
4 tbsp chia seeds 
0,5 tsp salt 
1,75 dl (0,75 cup, US) coconut oil 
4 tbsp honey
3 dl (1 heaping cup, US) dried plums, chopped 

Combine the oats, roughly chopped nuts, seeds and salt in a large bowl. Mix the coconut oil and honey and pour the wet-mix into the dry-mix. Stir well. Line a large baking tray with a baking paper sheet and spread the granola on top. 

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Place the baking tray on the center rack of the heated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure the granola is completely dry and remove from the oven. 

Allow the granola to cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle dried plums (cut in raisin-size pieces) on top. Stir well. Cool the granola completely.

Store in an airtight jar. Enjoy with yoghurt.

no-yeast

Turku Sourdough

April 26, 2017


This bread reminded me why I love to develop bread recipes. I like the magic of the process, which sometimes gives me The Best Bread in the Whole Universe. This bread, which I lovingly named after my home town, is one of those moments.

2 breads

First day

5 dl (500 g) water
5 dl (300 g) rye flour
2 dl (200 g) sourdough starter
1 tbsp honey

Mix together all the ingredients. Cover with a tea towel and leave to sit at room temperature until you see lots of bubbles, it takes a day or two.


2 dl (1 cup US) wheat berries
water

Cover wheat berries with water and leave the bowl on a table overnight. If the pre-dough isn't ready the next day, put the berries in the refrigerator until you'll use them. 

Second or third day

pre-dough
soaked wheat berries (at room temperature)
5 dl (500 g) lukewarm buttermilk
1 tbsp salt
2 dl (1 cup US) sunflower seeds
3 tbsp honey
2 dl (120 g) graham flour
14 dl (750 g) rye flour

Stir the wheat berries, buttermilk, salt, sunflower seeds, honey and graham flour into the pre-dough. Gradually knead in the rye flour and keep kneading the dough about 10 minutes.

Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Divide the sticky dough into two bread tins. Cover and leave to rise. 

Preheat the oven to 175°C and bake for 2 hours. Take the breads out of the tins and bake another 10 minutes. 

Let cool on a wire rack. When cooled, wrap the breads tightly and store in a cool place until the next day. Cut into thin slices and serve with butter.

Store in a cool place where Turku Sourdough will keep several days. Storing the bread in the freezer is a good solution too.