Domestic Goddess in Training - Bread 3 and other bits

Today, I thought as I got out of bed, is going to be a good day.

Today I feel like cooking lots.

And so I did.

I cooked lots.

I made bread.

This is it going in

and this is it coming out

I thought it looked nice, I thought it tasted nice and I was quite pleased.  Well, I was quite a lot pleased actually. 


While this lovely, lovely loaf was in the oven cooking away I also made broad bean hummus which is a recipe of  Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall from the latest television series of River Cottage Everyday.  It is a bit of a faff because of the peeling of the broad beans.  Well, actually it is only a faff if the broad beans haven't been cooked well.  What you have to do is pop the cooked broad beans out of their skins by giving them a squeeze.  I will have you know this is an art.  If the beans have been cooked for too long, they don't pop.  You have to scrape the skins back and it gets stuck under your nails which is absolutely yukky and it takes  ages.  If you haven't cooked the beans for long enough - the same thing. But, if you really have to  under or over cook, I would advise undercooking.  It is a bit  easier scrapingwise.  But a perfectly cooked (and by this I mean following the recipe and not wandering off somewhere and forgetting about them or forgetting to put the timer on and guessing they have been on longer than they have because time has distortions you know) bean will just 'pop' out of its skin when squeezed.  However, and this is the artistry part two bit  -the pressure and aim has to be just right.  Too much pressure and it will 'pop' across the kitchen.  Aim it at the centre of your dish or whatever you are using because a centimetre off (look at me all metric) and it will miss the dish and end up who knows where - I am still missing a bean or two with the souls of airplanes.  When you have podded all your beans they go into a food processor - like this

and when you have added all the other ingredients and whizzed them all a bit they look like this

I also made some chickpea hummus from the same episode - this is the before picture

and this is the after

For the chickpea hummus I don't follow the quantities of the recipe to a T because I don't like tahini over much so I do it to taste.  What works for me is less tahini and more lemon juice, garlic and oil.  I also put the salt and pepper in as I whizz it instead of seasoning afterward.  I also don't like it too gloopy so I use less liquid overall.  And I used tinned chickpeas instead of dried ones.  Other than that I followed the recipe.
And this is my finished lunch - made by me

I should have arranged the plate a little better to make it more aesthetically pleasing but I was very hungry by the time it was all ready and just didn't want to wait any longer.  I wish I could say I grew the vegetables myself - well I could say it but it wouldn't be true.  If I knew how to do little arrows I would point them at 12 o'clock and say 'chickpea hummus' and at 10 o'clock I would say 'broadbean hummus' and right hand side of the plate my arrow would say 'homemade bread'.  

 I also made scones

going in

coming out

an attempt at food styling  (ok room for improvement)

and about to be eaten with a little too much butter



I think that was a good days cooking - and eating.

Nigella et al - look out - I am improving.