Yarn in my Pocket

I am still making bread using the method described in my All-machine white sourdough bread recipe, but these days I usually go for a mixture of rye and malted granary bread. I thought I would post an updated recipe for my own reference (and anyone else who is interested). I typically let the machine knead and bake the bread, but you can tip out the dough once it has risen, then shape, prove, and bake as you would any bread.

The time between steps will depend on how active your starter is when you begin, and the ambient temperature. This summer, I could start a batch in the morning, and have bread by the evening. In the winter, it can take two days to get through all the rising steps.

In addition to the usual baking equipment, you need:

• A large jar (c. 1 litre) or bowl that you can cover. I use a Kilner jar with the metal parts removed. This stops bugs etc getting in without the pressure building up.
• A bread machine that has separate ‘dough’ and ‘bake’ cycles. The nature of sourdough means that you can’t always predict how long the bread will need to rise between kneading and baking.

Ingredients
Sourdough starter from fridge
50g rye flour
400g malted grain flour
275ml water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar (dark works well)
1 tbsp milk powder (optional, but helps it keep well)
1 tbsp oil (I usually use a neutral oil; dealer’s choice)

Step-by-Step

• Add the starter, the rye flour, and 75ml water to a large jar. Stir together well, cover loosely, and leave at room temperature until it becomes bubbly
• Add 100g flour, 100ml water to the jar. Stir in, and wait again
• Add another 100g flour and 100ml water to the jar, stir, and wait for it to bubble up. After this is complete, the mixture should fill about two-thirds of the jar. It’s capable of overflowing at this stage, so it’s wise to keep an eye on it!
• 525g of this mixture is for your bread; the rest can go back into a jar in the fridge. Feed it with equal weights flour and water if you think it needs it, but it won’t need much (say 10-15g of each).
• Add the active starter and the rest of the ingredients to your bread machine in the recommended order. For me, that’s oil, then starter, then dry ingredients on top. S
• Start the ‘dough’ cycle on your bread machine.
• Let the bread rise in the machine until it looks well-risen and ready to cook
• Start the ‘bake’ cycle on your machine.
• Voilà! Bread!

Time for some short and sweet round-up posts. Plus, the Tour de Fleece (France!) starts today, so perhaps I’ll try and see how many race days I can post…

Under those circumstances, it seems only fit to start with the spinning. As of this morning, both wheels were naked – I finished winding off this little lot last night:

That’s about 1700m of singles wool/viscose blend, and just over 300g; the fibre is from Hilltop Cloud, via a Ravelry destash. It’s destined for weaving; I think the slubs will make it a challenging warp, but I’m going to try anyway. I think the weft will be burnt orange; it will be a surprisingly colourful fabric (for me), but you’ve got to break out of the usual patterns once in a while, no?

Next up: enough fuzzy grey yarn to knit a skirt. It’s already carded, and the sample is spun and knitted:

So, then, to the wheel! (This is my new garden chair, apparently good for spinning, but the test had to be done indoors, because… rain…)

I make (and eat) a lot of kimchi, certainly by British standards. I almost always have a jar in the fridge; I have it as part of my breakfast most days, and at dinner probably a couple of times a week. It’s incredibly convenient; it’s pre-seasoned, pre-chopped veggies just ready to add to your stir-fry/eggs/rice/noodles.

For years, I’ve used this recipehttps://www.chowhound.com/recipes/easy-napa-cabbage-kimchi-kimchee-29505 as my go-to (with mods; described below), and recently was horrified to discover that the whole of Chowhound had suddenly shut down while I wasn’t looking…

Fortunately, I found it replicated here, along with a bunch of other recipes that I haven’t tried yet. (Might; might not). But that’s the point at which I realised I really want to start recording, rather than just bookmarking, the recipes I make on a regular basis. I’m a little anxious that I shouldn’t be posting other people’s recipes, whole and verbatim, in my own blog, and I haven’t quite figured out what to do about that yet. In this case, I feel OK about it, as the original source is no longer available…

The original recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 2-pound Napa cabbage
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 12 cups cold water, plus more as needed
• 8 ounces daikon radishes, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchsticks
• 4 medium scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces using all parts
• 1/3 cup Korean red pepper powder
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup peeled and minced fresh ginger from about a 2-ounce piece
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves (from 6 to 8 medium cloves)
• 2 teaspoons minced Korean salted shrimp
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 2-inch pieces, discarding the root end. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss with your hands until the cabbage is coated. Add enough cold water to just cover (about 12 cups), making sure the cabbage is submerged (it’s OK if a few leaves break the surface). Cover with plastic wrap or a baking sheet and let sit at room temperature at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Place a colander in the sink, drain the cabbage, and rinse with cold water. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and transfer to a medium bowl; set aside.
• Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the cabbage and toss with your hands until evenly combined and the cabbage is thoroughly coated with the mixture. Pack the mixture tightly into a clean 2-quart or 2-liter glass jar with a tightfitting lid and seal the jar. Let sit in a cool, dark place for 24 hours (the mixture may bubble). Open the jar to let the gases escape, then reseal and refrigerate at least 48 hours before eating (kimchi is best after fermenting about 1 week). Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Instructions

1. Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 2-inch pieces, discarding the root end. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss with your hands until the cabbage is coated. Add enough cold water to just cover (about 12 cups), making sure the cabbage is submerged (it’s OK if a few leaves break the surface). Cover with plastic wrap or a baking sheet and let sit at room temperature at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Place a colander in the sink, drain the cabbage, and rinse with cold water. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and transfer to a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the cabbage and toss with your hands until evenly combined and the cabbage is thoroughly coated with the mixture. Pack the mixture tightly into a clean 2-quart or 2-liter glass jar with a tightfitting lid and seal the jar. Let sit in a cool, dark place for 24 hours (the mixture may bubble). Open the jar to let the gases escape, then reseal and refrigerate at least 48 hours before eating (kimchi is best after fermenting about 1 week). Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

My tweaks:

• I don’t add the fishy ingredients. I know that’s heresy to some, but though I’m not a vegetarian myself, I do feed vegetarians on occasion. I am happy to add fish sauce/shrimp paste while cooking if I want it in the finished dish
• I don’t add the sugar, either. I’ve tried it with and without, and haven’t found much difference.
• I usually use carrot instead of daikon. The co-op has carrots.

I’ve made this with all sorts of greens. Kale works well! Savoy cabbage is a bit too tough. You can even use lettuce (but it’s a bit limp).

Summary: ferment stuff! Make tasty foods! (They say it’s also very good for you…)