And The Rains Came Down- But we had Excellent Bread

Whangaroa not so pretty today. The promised Cyclone came and has now passed over us. Still blowing a bit but the rain has gone. 24 hours of persistent rain.
Thursday it looked like this

Ms Mary chopping chopping for our Frittata lunch

That was Thursday
This is Friday

Time for soup and bread. It was still a warm day but pretty miserable.

I made a simple Tomato and Bean Soup
2 tbs Olive oil
1 onion chopped
Leftover steak chopped into tiny piece
Can tomatoes
Stock cubes dissolved in a can of water
Can of Cannelini Beans drained
Parsley finely chopped
Basil leaves torn

Heat oil in pan
Add onion and garlic
Cook till soft not brown
Add steak
Season S & P
Add tomatoes break up
Add stock dissolved in water
Bring to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes
Add beans and parsley
Simmer another 15 minutes

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary
Serve with basil leaves torn over the top.
I have been making pizza bread for ages and have a very simple recipe
I decided to use the same recipe and make some Foccacio style bread
The difference was extra time in kneading and rising.
Gave it 3 rises
The result Very Excellent bread

2 cups High Grade flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 sachet dried yeast
Slug of olive oil
around 200 mls hand hot water

Put your flour in a bowl
add the salt sugar yeast and oil

Just place them around the bowl. salt can kill yeast so keep them separate till its time to mix.
Add most of the water, the idea is to have a wettish dough but not sticky
Below... too dry add more water just a little at a time

Easier to add flour than water, When dough leaves the sides of the bowl

Knead until it form a nice ball about 5 minutes

Oil the bowl, Place the dough back in toss around till it is coated in oil
Leave about 45-50 minute still doubled in size
Roll out to a rectangle shape and place into a tin, already oiled

Leave about another 20- 30 minutes

With your fingers make dimples in the dough

drizzle with good olive oil

I sprinkle with salt or you could put some olives in the holes or maybe rosemary and garlic

On this occasion...plain

Leave it to rise another 10 minutes while you heat you oven.

200C

My old oven on the boat is a bit temperamental

It is either hot or not

The bread takes about 15 minutes in this oven

Leave it to rise another 10 minutes while you heat you oven.

200C

My old oven on the boat is a bit temperamental

It is either hot or not

The bread takes about 15 minutes in this oven

We woke up this morning to a muddy bay. It looks like horrible

Looking like The River Plate In Argentina

We want to look like this

Much nicer for swimming etc