Wild Garlic Quiche Lorraine

Post Sponsored by Doves Farm

After rye and spelt what other ancient grain flours are out there to try? If you’ve been following my recipes for a while you might know I am also a big fan of buckwheat, but today we are using a flour that’s totally new to me, Khorasan or Kamut as its also known (Kamut is the trademarked name of Khorasan wheat). I wanted to try making a pastry as I find it’s always a great test of how a flour works, how well it absorbs moisture, if it can be overworked and if needs extra binders to hold together.

To test the flour I made multiple batches of pie dough changing the amounts of khorasan in the recipe, from 20% up to 100%. My favourite dough was made with 1/3 plain flour and 2/3 khorasan. It was easy to work with and had a great level of flavour from the khorasan. 100% khorasan works fine but didn’t taste significantly better than my end pie dough where using a little regular plain helps make a great tasting pie dough thats easy to work with. The grain is very fine and absorbs a little more moisture in pie dough than regular plain flour and it has a wonderful malty, buttery flavour that tastes almost caramelised in the pastry, it’s absolutely delicious.

Khorason/Kamut Flour Pie Dough
50g Doves Farm Organic Plain Flour
100g Doves Farm Organic Stoneground KAMUT® Khorasan Wholemeal Flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
125g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
5 tbsp ice cold water

Filling
3 large eggs, plus 1 yolk for the pastry
200ml double cream
100ml whole milk
250g pancetta, cooked until crisp
75g gruyere, grated
45g wild garlic, finely chopped
Pinch of nutmeg

To make the pie dough mix together the plain flour, khorasan flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and toss in the flour to coat. Rub the butter into the flour until it is in large flakes, you don’t want to rub in like you would for say a crumble, the flakes of butter makes for a nice flaky pastry.

Drizzle in the water a couple tablespoons at a time, tossing together with the flour mixture. Once all the water is added you should be able to gently press the dough together, forming a uniform disc of dough. Wrap in clingfilm or a beeswax wrapper (great if you’re reducing your usage of plastic) and refrigerate for at least an hour before using. 

When chilled, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worksurface until just over 10 inches in diameter then roll back onto the rolling pin and unroll into a 9 inch pie plate (I prefer metal or glass). Trim the excess dough so that the overhang is about an inch long. Fold the excess dough under itself so that it forms a thick rim around the outside of the pie plate. Use your preferred method to crimp the pie and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. 

Line the pie with a piece of crumpled parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake in an oven preheated to 190C (170C fan) for about 20 minutes or until the crimped edge is golden. Carefully remove the parchment and the rice and place back into the oven to bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until the base is fully baked. As the filling is a wet custard brush the inside of the pie with a lightly beaten egg yolk. Bake for another minute or until the yolk is set. This will help keep the pastry crisp whilst the filling bakes. Remove and set aside whilst you prepare the filling. Reduce the temperature to 180C (160C fan).

Whisk together the eggs, cream and milk then add the pancetta, gruyere, wild garlic and nutmeg along with some freshly grated black pepper. Pour the custard into the baked pie shell and grate over a little extra cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the outside of the custard is set and the centre is still a little wobbly. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

Quiche is best served on the day made but you can refrigerate it for a couple days if needed. 

Best Ever Rye Chocolate Brownies

Post Sponsored By Doves Farm

Last week’s recipe, the tahini and chocolate cookies, may well have been your first introduction to the perfect pairing of chocolate with rye flour (or maybe it was my crinkle cookies) but today, with the help of Doves Farm (LINK), we’re taking this magical combination to its logical conclusion, brownies! Rye flour is another example of an ancient grain, and another of my favourites. Rye might be more well known as the flour used to make dark, flavoursome loaves of bread most often associated with Scandinavian baking but using it in sweet recipes adds a wonderful depth of flavour not found with regular wheat flour - malty and nutty. Rye happens to be lower in gluten (though not gluten free) which helps makes these brownies extra tender and because of the added flavour coming from the rye, these have a deeper more interesting flavour. But even if you like good old fashioned brownies don’t worry you’ll still love these, they’re just..well..better. 

When it comes to choosing your flour you have two types of rye, white and wholewheat, just as with regular wheat flour. And just as with wheat flour the choice of which you use will affect the flavour. Personally I almost always use the wholewheat variety as it has so much more flavour and in these brownies it is competing with a strong flavour in the form of chocolate, so the nuances would just be lost with white rye.  

Rye Chocolate Brownies

175g Doves Farm organic wholemeal rye flour
50g cocoa powder 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
200g unsalted butter, diced
300g dark chocolate (65-75% cocoa solids)
150g caster sugar
220g light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan). Lightly grease, and line with parchment, a 9x13 inch brownie pan.

Into a large bowl sieve together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. The main reason for this is to remove any lumps of cocoa but there will also be a little bran from the rye flour left at the end. This can either be added to the dry goods or omitted, depending on your preference (it’s still quite finely ground bran so it doesn’t add much texture so I tend to leave it in, plus the bran has lots of flavour).

Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water, and heat, stirring occasionally, until fully melted. Remove and set aside for a few minutes.

Meanwhile place the eggs, sugars and vanilla into a large bowl and using an electric mixer whisk together for 3-4 minutes or until the eggs have increased in volume and the mixture is pale and fluffy. This whisking action helps to give the finished brownie a shiny crackly crust and the ideal dense and fudgy texture. With the mixer still running pour in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture, whisking until fully combined. Switching to a spatula pour in the dry goods and mix together just until everything is combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared brownie pan and spread into an even layer. As I think all chocolate recipes benefit from salt you can also add a little extra sprinkling of salt at this stage, in the form of flaked sea salt. This really helps to bring out all the flavours in the rye and chocolate and makes these brownies shine. You can omit this is you prefer, just don’t omit the salt in the batter as the finished brownies will taste flat and dull. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. The finished brownies will be puffed up a little but still gooey inside. As the brownies cool the mixture will sink back a little, creating the perfect dense fudgy texture we all love. Allow to cool at room temperature for an hour before transferring to the fridge for a couple hours to cool completely. Lift the brownies from the pan and use a sharp knife to cut into squares. The brownies are on the rich side, they are brownies after-all, so I tend to cut them into 16 small squares. 

Kept in a sealed container the brownies will keep for at least 4 days. 

Tahini and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies Inspired by Mokonuts in Paris

For many people, me included, Paris is the best city in the world when it comes to pastry, it’s an undeniable fact that some of the pastry chefs in the world are in Paris. But you know what you cant find in the city, a good cookie. Now I’m not talking sables, sure the French can pull of wonderful cookies like that, but when it comes to American style cookies, those in the realm of the chocolate chip cookie, well the less said the better. I remember when a ‘US style’ bakery opened in the Marais with the promise of a warm chocolate chip cookie enticing me to the bakery. Sadly I couldn’t be enticed past the door as the cookies in the window were a truly sad example of a cookie. Thankfully there is one bakery that is changing this in a very big way, so on those rare occasions nothing else than a warm gooey cookie will do I have a place to go. 

Mokonuts is a bakery and restaurant a little out of the tourist mainstay, but well worth a detour, in the 11th arrondisement. Its a small hole in the wall spot turning out some absolutely wonderful food but more importantly for todays purposes amazing cookies. These cookies are from a hidden gem these days, they’ve been featured everywhere from the New York Times to Saveur Magazine. The reason I am so late to the game is I simply refused to believe the hype, surely no bakery in Paris is worth visiting for cookies when there is so much amazing patisserie on offer? I bow my head in pastry shame because these cookies are truly phenomenal, using ingredients not commonly found in cookies. They’re using everything from buckwheat to tahini, miso to black olive, and every single cookie I have tried has been a delight with a wonderful chewy texture hiding a treasure trove of additions, the sort of cookies that demand you buy at least one extra as their is no way they’ll all make it home. With my current obsession with all things tahini it was the sesame seed studded cookie that caught my eye, that and the multigrain chocolate chip cookie I absolutely must order every single time I’m there. 

I wanted to make a cookie inspired by the flavours found in this fabulous spot and I think I’ve done them proud. The flavour of my tahini and rye chocolate chip cookie is my idea of heaven, a perfect pairing of slightly bitter dark chocolate, nutty rye flour and of course the tahini paste which gives an almost savoury nutty back note. I have made these multiple times now and never once have I been able to eat only one, these things are addictive. 

Tahini and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 15

125g wholemeal rye flour
100g wholemeal plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
75g tahini
200g light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g chocolate (65-75% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
Sesame seeds, to coat

To make the cookie dough place the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and mix together to combine, set aside.

Place the butter, tahini and sugar into a large bowl and using an electric mixer beat together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined, then add the chocolate and mix until evenly distributed. Scoop the dough into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for about 4 hours until firm. I often make these in the evening and bake off the dough the next day.

Scoop the cookie dough into pieces about 60g in size. Roll into balls and then coat in sesame seeds, you’re not looking to completely cover the cookie just a nice even coating over all the cookie. 

Place onto parchment lined baking trays, a couple inches apart, and then bake in an oven preheated to 190C (170C fan) for about 10-11 minutes. This temperate is a little higher than normal to help set the cookies earlier so they don’t spread as much. After they’ve been in the oven for about 7 minutes remove the trays from the oven and give them a firm tap on the surface before placing back in the oven for the remaining time until browned around the edges. Allow the cookie to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

These cookies will keep in a sealed container for about 3-4 days. 

Spelt Sourdough Cinnamon Buns

Post is sponsored by Doves Farm

Did you know it’s #RealBreadWeek? A week celebrating bread made the old fashioned way, nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast, no funny chemicals or mass commercial processes. Unsurprisingly, I can happily get behind this. As a guy who has tried and failed on far too many occasions to successfully work with sourdough the last couple months have been a revelation, as I committed myself to conquering this week spot in my baking arsenal. I am now regularly turning out loaves of bread I am childishly excited about. I would love to say I am joking but I have performed an actual happy dance when I pull from the oven, a blistered loaf of sourdough that looks like it has come from the shelves of one of the many amazing bakeries London has to offer. I do know however that I will never bake loaves of bread more than once a week and so the question is, what else to make with the starter that is happily hibernating in my fridge right now? The answer is clearly cinnamon buns, it’s the very obvious, very delicious choice. To celebrate all things bread we also have to talk flour and for that I turned to Doves Farm, one of the UK’s best organic flour companies. I am currently working with them to show you a whole world of alternative grains, specifically ‘ancient' grains. 

Now the term ancient grain might not be one you’re accustomed to hearing but it has a fairly simple definition. It is a form of grain that has been cultivated for food for over millennia and one that hasn’t been changed much through selective breading like modern cereal varieties like rice, corn and the wheat varieties we use more widely (the stuff found in regular flours). This means grains like buckwheat, KAMUT®  khorasan and spelt. The bigger question might be why use ancient grains when regular wheat is so readily available. The answer I am most interested in is flavour. Those of you that have tried something that pairs the flavours of rye and chocolate together understand what I mean, these grains have their own unique flavours and ones that can enhance your recipes. 

For today’s recipe I am using spelt. Spelt is one of the ancient grains we are maybe more accustomed to, you’ve been able to buy it supermarkets for years and it’s one of the easiest to use. You can generally substitute in at least 50% spelt flour without any changes to the recipe and in some cases you can use even more. The spelt lends a more complex flavour and has an inherent touch of sweetness. For this bread dough I used 100% spelt except for the starter which I maintain with regular white bread flour. If you need a guide to starting a sourdough starter, Doves Farm have a handy little guide.

Spelt Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Spelt Dough
200g sourdough starter (100% hydration)
200ml milk
50g light brown sugar
450ml Doves Farm Organic White Spelt Flour  
1 tsp salt
75g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg

Cinnamon Filling
200g light brown sugar
1 heaped tbsp ground cinnamon
100g unsalted butter, very soft

Cream Cheese Glaze
50g unsalted butter, very soft
65g full fat cream cheese
100g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

To make the dough place all of the ingredients, except the butter, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and on low speed, with the dough hook attached, knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. With the mixer still running add the butter a piece at a time. Once all of the butter has been incorporated knead for a further 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth, elastic and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Spelt makes for a dough with incredible extensibility, that is to say a stretchiness you won’t find with regular wheat dough, so I’ve added an extra step that helps make the dough more manageable which might be a little unusual if you’re not used to working with sourdough.

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and set aside at room temperature for two hours. During this period we are going to give the dough a set of ‘folds’ to build strength in the dough. Basically use a wet hand to scoop up the dough from the side, lifting about 20-30cm high and folding it over to the opposite side. Do this at the north, east, south and west side of the bowl. Do this after an hour’s rest and then again after the two hours have passed, making sure to keep the bowl covered between each set. After the two hours are up set the dough aside for 4-6 hours or until the dough has risen by about 50%. Place the bowl into the refrigerator overnight, up to 24 hours. 

Prepare a 9x13 brownie pan by lightly greasing with butter and lining the base with parchment paper. Take the dough from the fridge and tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle that is roughly 40cm x 50cm. Spread the butter over the entire piece of dough. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle in an even layer over the butter. Roll the dough up into a tight sausage and cut into 12 equal sized pieces (I find unflavoured dental floss to be the absolute best thing for this as it doesn't squash the layers together, this dough is also fairly soft so you’d need to be delicate if using a serrated knife). Place the buns into the prepared pan and cover with clingfilm. Set the buns aside for about 1-2 hours or until risen and puffy, the buns will not double in size but they should be touching at this point. Whilst the buns are proving preheat the oven to 190C (170C Fan).

Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool in the pan before serving. If making the glaze mix all of the ingredients together until smooth. Spread over the cooled buns and serve. 

Once the dough is refrigerated you can leave it there for up to three days but once baked they are best served on the day made.