Chocolate & Orange Loaf

I've become a real breadmaking fan since moving to Brunei.  The climate in our non-airconditioned kitchen, whilst a pain in the arse for cooking most things as you need to go and have a shower after about 5 minutes in there, is perfect for rising yeasted doughs.  I am in the routine of making a couple of malted granary loaves every fortnight which we slice and freeze so I can just pull a slice out of the freezer on a school-day in my 5:45am stupor, and 3 minutes later have toast. 

I've recently begun some tentative experimentation with sweeter breads, most often the recipe that you find on the side of the packet of the Waitrose Organic Malted Grain bread flour that we buy from SupaSave here in Brunei.  It's a nice loaf with only a hint of sweetness from the added honey, and I often adapt it slightly by using whole hazelnuts instead of the specified walnuts, and also throwing in a handful of raisins.  Eaten toasted, slathered with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, it even makes getting up at stupid o'clock almost acceptable.

But this morning I decided to push the boat out still further and have a go at some Chocolate bread.  I had found the recipe on the back of a sachet of dried yeast from Sainsbury's, and had hung onto the empty packet intending to make it.  As the expiry date on the packet is July 2011, I think I must have held onto it for well over a year before I actually got round to making it, such is the speed at which my culinary mind works at times...

But as I said, this morning I tackled it.  I was up and about well before Rob (thanks to him 'forgetting' it was a public holiday today so setting his alarm clock last night... thanks love!) - he had managed to go back to sleep but I was suddenly and irritatingly wide awake and ready to bake.

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate & Orange Loaf

500g strong white bread flour
25g cocoa powder
25g butter
1 1/2 tsp fast action dried yeast
1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
Grated rind of one orange
100g milk chocolate chunks
2 tbsp milk
315ml cold water

Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl and rub in the butter.
Add the yeast, sugar, salt, chocolate pieces, orange peel and mix well.
Add the milk and water (I also added some orange oil I found lurking in the fridge) and mix to a dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 10 minutes (or 5 minutes in a mixer with a dough-hook).
Shape the dough as required (I plonked mine into a greased non-stick loaf tin) and place onto a well-greased baking tray.
Cover loosely with greased clingfilm (or don't bother - I didn't) and allow to double in size.  This may take 30-60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
Carefully uncover and bake in a preheated oven - 200C fan, 220C non-fan, gas mark 7 - for 25-30 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

I'm pleased with it.  It tastes lovely, especially with some salted butter (I love the salty/sweet combination).  Mine has quite a loose crumb as I lazily didn't knead it for the allotted 10 minutes.  My board kept sliding around on the work-surface (note to self, put damp teatowel underneath it next time to stop it moving so much) and the chunks of chocolate also made it tricky to knead well.  So I gave up and left it to rise.  It's now sliced and in the freezer... but I'm a little worried it'll be a pain to toast as the chunks of chocolate will melt in the toaster.  Still, it'll taste great I'm sure, even if it is a little messy!

More Macarons

It's rhubarb season again! I missed out on buying the first of the luminously pink forced rhubarb this year, but now the greener chunkier stalks are everywhere. I bought some last week, but then discovered that a rhubarb-hating colleague at school had a garden full of it... so now I have a plentiful - and free - supply.



Ever since my recent trip to London, and the excitements of the Laduree shop, I have been itching to try making macarons again. I had a vision of making delicately pale pink beauties, filled with raspberry, or perhaps strawberry jam... but the arrival of my first bunch of rhubarb (and a typically heavy hand with the food colouring) meant that my plans soon changed. Those pale pink macarons will have to wait for the Summer.

I used half of my first batch of rhubarb to make a couple of jars of rhubarb and ginger jam, possibly my favourite of all jams, but something I had only ever bought from the local WI market. Sorry ladies of the Womens' Institute, but I think from now on I'll be making my own! Why does no one tell you that making jam is so easy? Clearly it's a WI conspiracy...

I did tint my macaron batter pink, but on seeing the finished jam decided that a hint of yellow colouring was needed. In my usual lazy fashion I couldn't be bothered to use a teaspoon, just thought I'd tip the bottle and add a mere couple of drops..... and in it gushed. Bright orange macarons! In for a penny... I (more carefully) added some orange oil, reasoning that orange and rhubarb were a perfect partnership. These macarons, once cooked, were delicious, with a taste reminiscent of a childhood sweet. Sherberty, like Refreshers. Gooooooood!



The addition of some lightly gingered buttercream, and a dollop of the rhubarb and ginger jam elevated them to Laduree level (well, nearly) et voila, les macarons parfaits!




The recipe can be found here, in my previous macaron post. My first batch had coloured slightly so the only change that I made to the recipe was to reduce the oven temperature to 120C and increase the cooking time to 15 minutes. These macarons didn't brown at all, and had the bonus of an ever so slightly chewy texture.

These were very popular in the school staffroom too! I am pondering new flavours for my next macaron making session... I'm sure it won't be long before I make them again.

Rhubarb