Quality has Risen
Real Bread Week (22nd February to 1st March) is an international celebration of additive-free bread, those that make it and those who seek it out.
The latter is the tricky bit, as there are so few independent bakers left, certainly not on the high street.
So it's a great excuse to head off to garden centres, farm shops and other independent centres of 'real food' excellence - the sort of place you're most likely to find Stokes' Sauces, Condiments and Relishes.
Take this scooped out ciabatta-style roll, filled with a variation on a Niçoise salad - tuna, egg, tomato, olives, basil, with peppers and celery for a little crunch. Drizzle it with Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing, topped out with a dollop of our Garlic Mayonnaise, or crowned with our Creamy Caesar Dressing - wonderful.
Taste - the Standards have Risen
Bao Buns
Bao, or Baozi buns are Chinese steamed buns, bread-like dumplings which take fillings such as this crispy duck, spring onions and cucumber with
Stokes Hoisin Sauce ... deliciously.
Put 530g of plain flour, 7g of dried yeast, 40g of caster sugar and 15g of baking powder into a bowl (or mixer with a dough hook) with a good pinch of salt. In a measuring jug, combine 50ml of milk, 225ml of warm water and 25ml of vegetable oil.
Slowly add the wet to the dry, kneading constantly (mechanically or by hand). Once the mixtures are combined, continue kneading at a good pace for 3 or 4 minutes until you have a smooth, glue-like elastic dough.
Form this into a ball on a flour dusted worktop then rub about 1 tbsp of oil onto the surface of the ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth then leave it to rise for up to 1.5 hours, until it doubles in size.
Shape the risen dough into 10 or 12 round buns then flatten them, pushing the dough out with the palm of your hand into ovals about 3cm thick. Steam them in batches in a steamer (or Heath Robinson improvisation of a cooling rack over a simmering pan of water with a lid) for 8 or 10 minutes, cool, open, fill and enjoy the experience.
By Bread Alone
Real Bread comes in so so many shapes, sizes, national representations and cultural centrepieces. What we put on it, between its slices; what we wrap in it, toast with it, grill, bake and roast with it, is equally broad and culturally significant.
An English Breakfast in an English Breakfast Muffin served with signature English Brown Sauce so deliciously interpreted by so English an independent producer as Stokes.
British pork in the form of sausages, bacon, black pudding with runny yolk from British free range eggs and Stokes Tomato Ketchup.
Italian ciabatta, American rye bread, Persian pita, Egyptian sourdough, Irish soda bread, Mexican tortillas - all wait for toppings and fillings inspired by our taste buds and '
made better' by Stokes.
Sourdough Brunch
Make a marinade to flavour halved cherry tomatoes and mini Mozzarella antipasti balls using Stokes Raspberry & Balsamic Dressing with our wholegrain Cider & Horseradish Mustard and a drop of orange juice whisked into it. Soak the cheese and tomatoes in the marinade with a good sprinkle of sea salt for half an hour or so.
Crush a couple of avocados with 2 tbsp of Stokes Garlic Mayonnaise, combining this fine aioli with the unique avocado flesh.
Toast thick slices of sourdough bread whilst a couple of eggs are frying, then assemble - spread the avocado, add a fried egg, top with the marinated tomatoes and cheese and scatter chopped mint with a twist of pepper and a drizzle of the now tomato-infused marinade over the top.
Savoury Bread Cake
Far, far more exciting than it sounds, this is a rustic Italian savoury cake, using stale bread soaked in milk and seasoning then baked with cheese, ham and tomatoes.
Cut about 300g of stale bread into small cubes, lay them in a flat baking dish and soak it with a couple of glasses of milk. Use a spoon to break the bread down, adding 2 eggs and 40g of grated Parmesan. Season and form the mixture into a dough.
Spoon half the dough into a large, deep frying pan, flattening it down with a spoon or spatula. Make a very thick cheese sauce stirring Stokes Classic English Mustard into it for a warming finish.
Now, lay slices of ham onto the dough, then a layer of tomatoes and 3 or 4 tbsp of our Bloody Mary Tomato Ketchup with oregano and basil then the thick cheese sauce on top. Spoon the rest of the dough onto this flavour packed layer, pressing it down, particularly around the edges, with the spatula.
Put the pan into a medium oven for 7 or 8 minutes. Turn it out onto a plate then carefully slide it (the other way up) back into the pan and into the oven for 7 minutes more, until browned all over. Serve your Stale Bread Cake with a salad end enjoy the most amazing real bread meal you will ever have tasted.
Taste - the Standards have Risen
More foodie thoughts for the week:
Pancake Imagination -
We would have pancakes every day at home, savoury as well as sweet, particularly with recipes like these - here.
Creating the Classics -
We look into some of Stokes' early steps in creating classic beauty in a bottle and joy in a jar - here.
Tasty Discoveries -
Chilli Jam on Halloumi Soldiers! Enjoy this and other tasty discoveries to try and share - here.
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