Bread baking part 2

So today we are having pizza for dinner and I have taken some pictures as I went along to show how simple it is! Excuse some of the pics- battery ran out so I used my phone for some of them!
I used a recipe from The I Diet , but I have adapted it a bit (made it veggie, removed some of the stuff, swapped the toppings over).
Step 1- Put flour, yeast, salt and tsp oil in a bowl. Mine has 90g strong white flour and 90g strong wholemeal flour.


Step 2- Pour in warm water (I use some from the kettle and some from the cold tap) and mix together a little bit. This needed about 140ml water.
Step 3- Tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and don’t panic when it looks messy! Stretch it about a bit (this works the gluten in the flour) and keep on kneading it, After about 5 minutes you should have a ball of lovely smooth dough.
Step 4- Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and leave to rise for around an hour.


Step 5- Pre-heat the oven. Flatten the dough into the pizza base shape that you want (I like on massive super pizza that I can slice once it comes out the oven), then go crazy with toppings! I spread red pesto over the base then covered it with sliced pepper, sliced courgettes, and light mozzarella.
Step 6- Put in the oven only once the oven is super hot. Cook for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges look brown.
Step 7- Remove from oven, slice up and serve with a massive salad. Yum! I did mean to put some fresh basil on it after (from the window-sill) but I forgot. Oops.

I also experimented today with the blondies from Rachel Allen’s Bake. I have read that you can swap some of the fat in a recipe for apple sauce. After those muffins I made the other week I decided to try it with a different recipe. So I used 50g butter and 50g apple sauce. I also reduced the sugar and used a little agave nectar instead, and used wholegrain spelt flour. They are very tasty still, although I think I would cook them for a little less time as they were a bit more like cake and less like brownie. I do like brownies that are nice and squidgy.

While we are on the subject of food, I made some delicious fake frozen yoghurt today, and I even took a photo! In my mini chopper I put 80g frozen raspberries, whizzed them up a bit, then added 100g Rachel’s low fat cherry yoghurt, whizzed it up some more, and served. I did think it might need some sweetener as the raspberries can be a bit tart, but actually it was good. There is sugar in the yoghurt so that’s probably why it was ok.

I haven’t been up to much else that is of any interest; I did some work, I went on a walk, I went in the garden (the apples on the tree are getting big eeeee- one is the size of a cherry tomato!), I did some housework. I have been drinking lots and trying to get everything ready for my half marathon tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Frozen Yoghurt

OK well Monday I was rather busy (hence no post)- coming home from work I got stuck in a massive traffic jam (in that hot weather too)- had to shop on the way home, then I was busy doing work. I also made some Rachel Allen marmalade gingerbread and some Hummingbird Bakery chocolate cupcakes for work (to bribe people to sponsor my race for life- and so far I have raised quite a bit so a good tactic I feel!). Then I planted some plants (goji berry plants how exciting- they are only plug plants at the moment but the info that came with them says they can get to be 2 metres high if we don’t prune them! My garden isn’t big enough for that. Anyhoo it’s all quite exciting. Then I had a walk in the cooler air.

I also discovered a new fave snack perfect for the hot weather. In my mini chopper I put 80g frozen raspberries, 100g fat free greek yoghurt, and a squirt of agave, whizzed it all up and voila! Raspberry frozen yoghurt! It was so tasty and refreshing- the texture of sorbet or ice cream, yum. The raspberries worked much better than the blueberries.

Today work was busy (as usual!), I normally have aerobics but the instructor is away and they never get a good replacement. So instead I had a quick run after work. It was a good run, mostly in the shade and despite having tight calves I finished in my quickest time. Although I did see a man with no top on (why do men feel the need to walk around topless as soon as it is vaguely warm?) and a few kids who decided to run alongside me for a few metres for their own amusement. These are times when I am very glad to have in earphones- even though I can hear them as I have my music very quiet it means I can ignore them and pretend I don’t hear anything.

Yesterday I had sore shins and thought it was from the 10k on Sunday. In the shower I looked and found a massive bite on my leg- possibly a horsefly bite or something- it is huge and weird looking. Turns out that is what is sore on my leg and not my shin at all!

I have been looking more into re-hydration products and in Women’s Running mag this month they mentioned a company called “nuun” that do little tablets to be put in water to make a drink. They are vegetarian, different flavours, so I am hoping to give them a go. Watch this space!

Gardening on my rest day

Today was a planned rest day, as am doing my long run (another 9 miles I hope) tomorrow and I always struggle if I have even a short run the day before a long one. It was so sunny when I woke up so decided to walk to the garden centre and have a look. It’s a 4 mile round-trip so lovely to stretch the legs and get out in the fresh air (I can get very antsy if I don’t get outside at all during the day). I had a lovely time browsing the “kitchen garden” section and was very tempted by all the different raspberry/ blackberry/ loganberry fruit canes. But as I was walking there was no way I could carry them home!

We are seeing friends tomorrow so after lunch I attempted some peanut toffee brittle from Rachel Allen’s “Home Cooking”; it is setting in the fridge at the moment, although I am not sure how well it went. I did make sure the temperature was correct on the sugar thermometer but it has not set as well as I expected it would. If all else fails I’ll put it in the freezer! Am sure it will make a lovely ice cream topping.

Later on I had a lovely time pottering about in the garden; digging up dead plants (the snow killed quite a few), potting some herbs, planting beetroot seeds and putting my courgette seedlings into bigger pots. I am hoping to grow a few more vegetables and fruits this year. I had a try last year and was quite successful with strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, tomatoes and courgettes. I have already started off some courgette seedlings (including some yellow courgettes which I am very excited about as I have only ever eaten them on holiday) and sweetcorn seedlings. I am going to attempt carrots as well so hopefully I can use these in my baking. Last year I made a courgette chocolate cake which turned out quite tasty, and I love carrot cake so fingers crossed!
I am trying to follow the advice from my favourite gardening book (Carol Kleins’ “Grow Your Own Veg”) and will keep you posted.

Now I am taking it easy after dinner and am going to make sure I drink loads as I often get a headache after my long runs. I am thinking that it might be to do with being dehydrated so am going to make sure I have had enough water the night before too.

Rachel Allen’s Chocolate Cake

Rachel Allen is one of my all time favourite chefs. I have most of her books (Bake
of course being the most-used one!) and also love watching her TV shows. This afternoon I have made the chocolate cake from her Bake book. It seems like a fairly rich cake, with melted chocolate incorporated into the mixture (more like a cross between a brownie and a cake which can only make things better if you ask me!).

It didn’t take too long to make the mixture, and it only baked for 25 minutes (not bad for a big cake- well a cake baked in two tins).

Last time I made butter icing by hand, which was rather hard, so this time I am cracking out the hand-held electric whisk to make it nice and smooth. I also had some mini eggs left over from Easter to decorate! The icing went ok (I had to use 1tbs milk as I didn’t have cream and it seems a waste anyway to buy a pot of cream only to use a tiny amount)- lovely and smooth by the time it was ready. I used Green and Blacks cocoa powder which is so rich and chocolatey- I am sure using this makes a difference (plus it’s fair-trade- bonus). I put the eggs on top, and then (using my brand new mini grater) grated over some white chocolate. It looks so pretty (even if I do say so myself). After dinner no doubt I will be sampling it (the 9 mile run will be worth it I am sure!).