guess who's back?

i am the kind of person that definitely feels that time away from things is a necessary component in being able to appreciate them fully. i can apply this approach to pretty much every aspect of my life, from friends and family, to work, to favourite albums, novels and films. even, in fact, to my kitchen. i've always wondered if it's something particular to my tendency toward fixation; i have a habit of letting my mind focus on one idea, playing it out repeatedly until i am sick of thinking about it and have to get away from it out of some kneejerk reaction. it must be something like that, because it's always external influences that make me see the idea in new light, make it seem less oppressive and repetitive. bear with me on this, it is going somewhere.

as you can tell from the fact i have had the time to sit down and write this; i am back from barcelona, which ed and i visited with his friends tim and emma. before i went away i was actually getting sick of my kitchen, running out of inspiration and falling into the dreaded rut of seeing food merely as fuel to get me through weekend shifts. it wasn't at all that i wasn't cooking, it was that i didn't really care what i cooked, i didn't think it worth the time and energy to consider why or how i was making what i was. this listlessness probably came from major stresses in other life areas, but put quite bluntly, the time away from having to put pan to stove couldn't really have come along more conveniently.

barcelona was, obviously, a ridiculously good place for food adventures. yes, even for a strict vegetarian like myself. and by 'like myself' i mean in tow of a totally committed carnivore like ed. i managed amply, and the best bit? i didn't have to put any of the food forethought i was sick of in. but then i had a total starry-eyed moment. ed and i visited the rambla catalunya branch of taller de tapas on a 'well this place looks pretty good' whim (note to woody allen fangirls/boys, i didn't notice til after but this place actually features in vicky cristina barcelona) and spent what probably amounted to a couple of hours in absolute awe of their food. the particular moment i had came upon trying their pa amb tomaquet, which basically is totally a catalan thing, apparently: bread with tomatoes and oil. sounds simple enough, right? wrong. i ate this stuff and it was like a light came on. this bread was actually insane, ciabatta like with the crispest crust, and my brain immediately went into mad scientist mode, trying to work out how they'd done it exactly, or more accurately, trying to work out exactly how i could do it. basically, this is exactly what i was talking about earlier. someone else's idea or product or influence totally rekindling my fascination; making me look at things in a new way and set myself new challenges. as we speak today i am ticking off ingredients for an attempt at ciabatta, and earmarking as much info as i can on sourdough starters. perfect airy bread will be mine.

in the meantime, i'll give you a lifesaver bread recipe for those moments when you're not in the throes of fascination or inspiration with the process. or when you don't have time for the whole slow-rise thing. or for if you're a bad liar but still want to be able to say 'god it was so easy....and it didn't take any time' when you're showing off to mates coming around (don't act like you don't do it, we all do). this isn't bread proper, in that it has no yeast to speak of. but if it looks, feels, tastes and smells like bread, well, who is anyone to argue? it's definitely more of the rough, rustic ilk, denser than the airy mediterranean stuff i've been dreaming of since, but it has it's place in any baker's repertoire, particularly given that we're in the season for young, chalky goats cheeses. best of all, it's flour-to-table in half an hour, which gives me way more time to read up on the science of massive airholes.

walnut and honey soda bread (from the river cottage bread handbook, by daniel stevens)

200g honey (i used some i'd infused with dandelion petals, recipe here)
200g walnuts
500g plain wholemeal flour
10g salt
4 tsp baking powder
300ml water

preheat the oven to 200 degrees c/gas mark 6. soften the honey in a pan over a gentle heat. using a pestle and mortar, crush half the walnuts very finely, almost to a powder. crush the other half very coarsely. this gives the ideal combination - lots of flavour from the crushed nuts, and texture from the large pieces.

combine the flour, salt, baking powder and walnuts in a bowl. add the honey and water, and mix together until evenly combined. knead briefly to a firm dough.

divide the dough mixture in two and shape into rough rounds. flatten to about 5cm high and cut a deep cross in each, almost through to the base. bake for 20-25 moinutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the base.

allow the bread to cool a little on a wire rack. serve.

so here is mine:

basically, like i said, perfectly good bread in half an hour. a recipe ideal for those sick of the sight of their kitchen, or those busy maniacally researching other aspects of the yeasted baking process. this bread is ace with cheese of any description, or masses of butter and more honey; and i will definitely be knocking it out on a nigh-weekly basis during pear season.

anyways, what with my bread obsession well and truly back, and the fact i plan to start my sourdough adventures this week; i expect you'll be hearing a lot more from me, in far more excitable tones than have been evidenced for the past month. i cannot begin to tell you how good it feels to be excited by breadmaking again.