So the other day, I finally decided to roll up my sleeves and remove the finger jewelry again for some kneading! It has been a while since my last home made bread and after deciding to experiment with some brinjals (or aubergines...I don't really know how big the difference is), I thought it would only be fitting to see whether or not they would work in a rustic (in other words...very straight-forward) bread. There were two versions of photo's that came out of this cooking session; my photo's (taken with my WWII artifact) and photo's with Stef, my housemate's camera. Her photo's were absolutely brilliant; so brilliant in fact that I questioned whether it was me who baked the bread after seeing those pictures. Unfortunately however, I could not get them from her in time, and so, I've opted for my own instead. But, I guess they're still not too bad! Here is my attempt at a Brinjal, roasted tomato, mushroom and olive bread!. Feast your carbo-loading eyes! Honestly, any bread is easy to make if you make it with enough love... and strong wrists! A Couple of Instructions: For your dough, you can do it according to any recipe you find on the internet, but the general principle which I use goes along the lines of 2-3 cups of flour (and then you'll need to add more as you start kneading), one packet of instant yeast, a pinch of salt and luke warm water (add slowly!). Once you've finished kneading your dough, leave it in the bowl and cover with a layer of cling film or perhaps just a plastic shopping packet or anything that will retain a bit of heat (we're going for the incubator effect here...like a little floury baby). What I usually prefer to do then is to find a good towel or blanket and then wrap the bowl with this. I look for a sunny spot outside in the garden and place it on a chair for approximately 40 minutes. While the rising of the dough happened, I prepared the filling for the bread in the oven, take a look: A bit of oil in the pan--we all know why we need oil, sliced up brinjals, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Seasoned with rosemary and lemon herbs, paprika, S & P and coriander. Leave in the oven for approximately 15 minutes at 160-180 degrees Celsius (but keep checking on it; the aim is roasty, not charcoal and cinders). Once the dough had risen enough (you'll know it is ready when it almost wants to climb out of the bowl itself), I gave it another kneading and spread it out into the same pan used above for the roasted contents in the same way we would do with a pizza. I then smeared a thin layer of balsamic and red onion dip on the laid out dough (for creaminess) and then packed all the ingredients onto the flat dough. This is where the olives also came in. Because I opted for a bread that is easier to cut into slices for sandwiches (open-faced or closed), what I then did after laying out all the roasted bits, is I gently lifted the dough and rolled it up (roly-poly fashion) from right to left and then swiveled it in the pan so that it would fit spaciously (room for growth, in life and in bread is always a good thing...). I usually bake my bread for about 30 minutes or longer, depending on how (for lack of a better word) crusty you want it. After waiting impatiently in the kitchen, pacing up and down, the bread was finally ready. I gave it a few minutes to cool off (which was torturous) and then proceeded to cutting a few slices. I topped mine with normal cheddar cheese, a slice of hickory ham and Steer's Italian dressing (and more black pepper). The loaf in its entirety lasted more or less 1 day only-- Stef and myself being the main culprits of its disappearance. It was really simple to make, but the results spoke for themselves and it was a real hit with the rest of my commune.
Obviously if you were to try this recipe, you could add a whole bunch of your own ingredients or own toppings afterwards, this was merely a summation of what was in my cupboard at the time! Please do give it a try, and always remember that, you can make anything well, if you add enough... <3 ... (wow, that was cheesy). Happy Baking!
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AuthorHi there, my name is Judete Fourie. I am a twenty-something-year-old writer living in Stellenbosch in SA's Western Cape. Follow my day to day adventures that involve wine, wit and braaibroodjies. Archives
June 2017
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