Bread Matters (38 page)

Separate the eggs and beat the yolks with the caster sugar until thick and creamy.

Put the milk or cream into a saucepan with the vanilla pod and bring to the boil. Remove the pod, pour the milk on to the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Heat this mixture in a double boiler, or in a bowl placed over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring constantly until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine sieve and leave to cool completely.

Stir the caramelised breadcrumbs into the cold custard. Whip the egg whites until they are stiff and fold them into the mixture. Pour it into a plastic container and put it in the freezer. Remove it once or twice during the freezing process and give it a stir to stop ice crystals forming.

You could also churn this recipe in an ice-cream machine. Make the mixture up as described and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Finally, as some reward for having accompanied me this far, may I offer you a drink?

‘It seems,’ opines Elena Molokhovets in Chapter 46 (‘Kvas, Beer, Mead’) of her
Gift to Young Housewives
¹
,
‘that our Russian kvas has all the qualities necessary to be considered not only one of the healthiest and most nutritious drinks, but also one which has healing properties, especially for consumption [tuberculosis].’

Although this sounds like just another example of Russian exceptiona-lism and self-congratulation, modern research into the beneficial effects of lactic acid bacteria (see page 38) should make us pause before hastening to judgement.

Kvas is a kind of mildly alcoholic small beer, fermented from grains (rye, wheat, buckwheat and barley in the main) and malt. Its name betrays its provenance, since the Russian for sourdough or leaven is
zakvaska.
It has been a favourite drink of the peasantry since medieval times. One feels that William Cobbett would have approved of it as an everyday drink for farming folk.

With its slightly bready flavour and lactic undertones, kvas is something of an acquired taste for Western Europeans. The nearest comparison would be with a bottle-conditioned, cloudy and yeasty wheat beer.

Kvas is a double dose of fermentation, since the main ingredient of the brew is bread, which has itself already been fermented. I leave you with this modest example and celebration of the self-renewing process at the heart of breadmaking.

Kvas

The Russian recipe calls simply for rye bread. It will come as no surprise that I suggest using Borodinsky, but any 100 per cent rye bread will do.

I recommend sourdough instead of the yeast specified in the recipe. It seems to me that, if we are to believe the claims for kvas’ healing properties, we should aim for a slow fermentation with plenty of opportunity for the development of lactic acid bacteria.

The function of the raisins is to provide a source of sugar, which creates a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Unless you are an experienced home brewer, equipped with champagne corks and wires, it might be sensible to use plastic screw-top bottles for your kvas. You will be able to see if excessive pressure is building up inside them and if they do explode, there will be only mess, not injury.

Makes 5 litres of kvas

The day before

Prepare a Rye Production Sourdough (page 165)

The kvas mixture

450g Borodinsky (or other rye bread)

4.5 litres Water

300g Molasses (or treacle)

150g Rye Production Sourdough (above)

2 per bottle Raisins

Cut the Borodinsky into small pieces and dry them out thoroughly, either in a warm, dry place over a few days or in a very low oven (130°C). Put them in a bucket of at least 5 litres capacity. Boil the water and pour it over the bread rusks. Cover and leave until the temperature has dropped to about 35°C. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve or a piece of muslin into another bucket. Press the crumby sludge very gently to release the last of the liquid but do not squeeze it hard or too much sediment will fall in.

Add the molasses to the warm liquid and mix thoroughly. Then add the prepared rye sourdough, mix well, cover and leave for 12 hours in a warm place (as near to 30°C as you can).

In the morning, strain and pour into sterilised bottles, adding 2 raisins to each bottle. Seal tightly and move to a cool place.

Molokhovets says that the kvas will be ready to drink in 2 days. I would keep an eye on the bottles. If they start ballooning alarmingly, release some pressure, or just pour and enjoy, provided you don’t mind cloudy beer. If, when you unscrew a bottle after a few days, there is no audible release of gas, the bottle fermentation has probably not got going. Give the bottle a bit of a shake and bring it into a warmer place to kickstart the fermentation.

Once it has acquired its modest fizz, kvas is best served chilled. It can also be used as the liquid for making soups such as
borshch
and
shchi.

RESOURCES

Some of the specialist ingredients and equipment mentioned in this book are not widely available. Below is a brief list of suppliers and also of a few organisations concerned with the relationship between food and health.

Ingredients

ORGANIC FLOUR BY MAIL ORDER

The Watermill,
Little Salkeld, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 1NN

Tel: 01768 881523

www.organicmill.co.uk

Shipton Mill,
Long Newnton, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8RP

Tel: 01666 505050

www.shipton-mill.com

Wide range of flours, including ciabatta flour, semolina, rice flour, kibbled rye, Kamut flour, spelt flour and chestnut flour.

Doves Farm Foods Ltd,
Salisbury Road, Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 0RF www.dovesfarm-organic.co.uk

Wide range of flours, including gluten-free blends and rice, buckwheat and gram flours. Mail order through third parties only, with links from the Doves Farm website.

FWP Matthews Ltd,
Station Road, Shipton-under-Wychwood,

Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire OX7 6BH

Tel: 01993 830342

www.fwpmatthews.co.uk

Also supplies a range of French flours.

Bacheldre Watermill,
Churchstoke, Montgomery, Powys SY15 6TE

Tel: 01588 620489

www.bacheldremill.co.uk

Goodness Direct,
South March, Daventry, Northamptonshire NN11 4PH

Tel: 0871 871 6611

www.goodnessdirect.co.uk

Wide range of small packs of speciality and gluten-free flours, plus other ingredients.

SEA SALT

Anglesey Sea Salt Company (Halen Môn Salt),
Brynsiencyn, Anglesey LL61 6TQ

Tel: 01248 430871

www.seasalt.co.uk

Although salt is a ‘non-agricultural’ ingredient under the terms of the EU Organic Regulation, this salt has been certified by the Soil Association as being derived from clean sea water and processed without additives.

The Low Sodium Sea Salt Company Ltd,
101-103 Palace Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 3JZ

Tel: 020 8402 6079

www.soloseasalt.com

HOPS

The Organic Herb Trading Company,
Milverton, Somerset TA4 1NF

Tel: 01823 401205

www.organicherbtrading.co.uk

ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLY CAUGHT FISH

Graig Farm Organics,
Dolau, Llandrindod Wells, Powys LD1 5TL

Tel: 01597 851655

www.graigfarm.co.uk

DIASTATIC MALT FLOUR

It is worth trying your local home-brewing supplier for this, but the following

is a mail-order source:

www.art-of-brewing.co.uk

Equipment

WOOD-FIRED BRICK OVENS

Alf Armstrong,
Forno Bravo UK, Ivy Cottage, Quebec, Kirkoswald, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 1DQ

Tel: 07989 410528

www.fornobravo.com

Alf supplies and builds a range of wood-fired brick ovens, from domestic to commercial.

PANNETONS/PROVING BASKETS

Creeds (Southern) Ltd,
New Street, Waddesdon, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP18 0LR

Tel: 0870 350 9000

www.creeds.uk.com

Small range of linen-lined proving baskets. Creeds also supplies other bakery equipment such as thermometers, plastic scrapers, dough marking knives and professional weighing scales.

Dough Boys Bakeries Ltd,
79a Hargwyne Street, London SW9 9RH

Tel: 020 7274 6100

www.breadsetcetera.com

Wide range of bread proving baskets made from bent wood – typically used for Continental rye breads.

DIGITAL SCALES

www.ourweigh.co.uk

PIZZA STONES AND OVEN LINERS

Probably the cheapest ceramic stone for baking ‘sole’ breads and pizzas is a large, unglazed quarry tile (or two) from your local tile shop. Purpose-made offerings are available from:

Professional Cookware Direct

www.cookware.co.uk

The Hearth Kitchen Company (USA)

www.hearthkitchen.com

Interesting ceramic liner designed to make an ordinary domestic oven perform more like a brick one.

Armorica,
19 Rams Walk, Petersfield, Hampshire GU32 3JA

Tel: 08456 017262

www.armorica.co.uk

PANETTONE CASES

Reynards (UK) Ltd,
Greengate, Middleton, Manchester M24 1RU

Tel: 0161 653 7700

www.reynards.com

This is a wholesaler, so you will be asked to buy a large number of cases.

Organisations

The Soil Association,
40-56 Victoria Street, Bristol BS1 6BY

Tel: 0117 314 5000

www.soilassociation.org

The UK’s leading environmental charity, promoting sustainable, organic farming and championing human health.

The Food Commission,
94 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF

Tel: 020 7837 2250

www.foodcomm.org.uk

Campaigns for safer, healthier food in the UK.

Foods Matter,
5 Lawn Road, London NW3 2XS

Tel: 020 7722 2866

www.foodsmatter.com

Publishes a magazine about food sensitivity problems and solutions.

Slow Food Movement

www.slowfood.com

International organisation whose aim is ‘to protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenisation of modern fast food and life.’

Baking Courses

‘As to the act of making bread,

it would be shocking indeed,

if that had to be taught by the means of books.’

WILLIAM COBBETT
,
Cottage Economy
(1823)

So why not try a hands-on class with the author of this book? Bread Matters Ltd runs baking courses at the Village Bakery, Melmerby, in the unspoilt Eden Valley near the Lake District.

For further details, visit www.breadmatters.com or write to:

Bread Matters Ltd, The Tower House, Melmerby, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 1HE

NOTES

CHAPTER 1

1.
Biagini, R. E., MacKenzie, B. A., Sammons, D. L., Smith, J. P., Striley, C. A., Robertson, S. K., Snawder, J. E.
Evaluation of the prevalence of anti-wheat, anti flour dust, and anti-alpha-amylase specific IgE antibodies in US blood donors.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2004 June; 92(6):649—53. This study found wheat-sensitive antibodies in 3.6 per cent of a large unselected group of blood donors. In terms of the UK population, this would mean that about two million people have some form of wheat intolerance.

2.
Constituents of Chorleywood Bread Process loaf: Cauvain, S. and Young, L. (2000).
Baking Problems Solved.
Cambridge: Woodhead. National Association of Master Bakers (1996)
The Master Bakers’ Book of Breadmaking.
Ware: NAMB.

3.
Dupuis, B. (1997).
The chemistry and toxicology of potassium bromate.
Cereals Food World, 42, 171-183.

4.
Gerrard, J. & Sutton, K. (2005).
Addition of transglutaminase to cereal products may generate the epitope responsible for coeliac disease.
Trends in Food Science & Technology 16 (2005) 510—512. Malandain, H. (2005).
Transglutaminases: a meeting point for wheat allergy, coeliac disease and food safety.
Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005; 37:397-403.