STARTER RECIPES

'BUTTER' BREAD

Dr Dinah Parums' northern European family cooking motto for any recipe is, “add butter (or cream)." 
This ‘butter bread’ was a childhood treat, often baked with caraway seeds and served with butter, but only the best butter. 
The French have their version called ‘brioche.' 
But as we all now know from TV history documentaries, the ‘Normans’ were ‘Norsemen,'  so assume that the family’s ‘butter bread’ is the real thing. 
You can freeze it, toast it, use it with savory or sweet ‘inclusions’ (fruit, cheese, herbs, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips) or toppings and it makes luxurious sandwiches. 
You could use gluten-free flour. 
It can be made into buns, or into plain or fancy loaves. 
The recipe and method are simple and quick, but you need to ‘prove’ the dough overnight. 
Enjoy, preferably warm, with some more…….. butter.



INGREDIENTS:                                  

• 2 tsp dried yeast
  
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
  
• 100ml warm milk
  
• 400gm white bread flour (or gluten-free flour)
  
• 10gm salt
  
• 100gm softened, best, unsalted butter
  
• 4 medium eggs, lightly beaten
• To glaze: 1 egg & 2 tbsp milk

METHOD:
Put the yeast, warm milk and sugar in a jug; whisk, then leave for about 20 minutes, until frothy.
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl; pour in the yeasty milk mixture, butter and eggs and mix to a dough.
This soft, sticky dough is easy to knead in a mixer with a dough hook, but you can do it by hand.
Knead until smooth and shiny.
Shape and place in a large bowl and cover tightly with cling film.
Leave in the ‘fridge overnight.
The next day, shape the dough into a rough loaf shape or flatten out and at this stage you can add seeds, herbs, 
fruit such as bilberries or redcurrants, grated cheese or even chocolate chips, using a ‘folding’ method.
Place in a loaf tin; or divide in to 8 and shape in to buns; or divide in to 3 and roll in to a plait.
Cover with a plastic bag and leave somewhere warm until almost doubled in size; this can take up to four hours with a cold dough.
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6.
Beat together the egg and milk for the glaze; brush this over the loaf/buns.
Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack.




GLUTEN-FREE BREAD

So many people are sensitive to gluten, so this can be a problem when you want to make a sandwich or have a dinner party starter. 
This is a good recipe for gluten-free bread. It freezes well when sliced so can be stored and used when needed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 200 gms almond flour
  
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
  
• 30 gms cup flaxseed meal
  
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 80 gms coconut oil, melted
  
• 2 tbsp honey
  
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  

METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 180*C.
Grease and line a 7.5" x 3.5" loaf pan with parchment paper.
Combine almond flour, coconut flour, flaxseed meal, nutmeg, baking soda and sea salt in 
the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 
Mix ingredients together.
Mix in the eggs, coconut oil, honey and cider vinegar.
Pour the batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 180*C for 35 minutes until a toothpick or tester comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before lifting out onto a cooling rack.
Cool completely before slicing.

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