White and Rye Sourdough

My love of great bread began a long time ago, in a land far far away...well it was France actually, but you get the idea.

In an attempt to learn French I signed up to spend the summer holidays as a WWOOF volunteer (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) in France, and I learnt much more than just language skills. This was the first time I had heard of 'food miles' or the idea of seasonal eating, I learnt about good French home cooking and the art of using up leftovers.

I stayed at a number of farms, and there was one thing they all had in common: the sourdough bread that accompanied every meal. These breads were as varied as the people who ran the farms. Some made the bread themselves and others had it delivered by local bakeries or exchanged it for their own produce as part of a cooperative scheme. But in all cases this was bread that the whole family ate at every meal, and bread with a flavour and texture unlike anything I'd had at home.

When I got back to the UK I set about trying to find out what this type of bread was, as the majority of the hosts’ explanations had been lost in translation. Once I discovered the secret, I kicked myself for not taking them up on the offer of some of their 20 year old starter, and then I set about making my own.

My first attempts resulted in small amounts of success and large amounts of wasted flour, as the recipe I was using required you to throw out half the starter before refreshing it with more flour and water. After a few months I gave up trying to keep the thing alive, and although I have been meaning to try again ever since, it never quite happened.

When I went on the Hornbeam Bakers Collective bread making course recently, I was reminded how rewarding and enjoyable it is to make bread without having to use commercial yeast. Raju, our bread making teacher, also gave us a recipe that uses very small quantities of flour and water so you don’t end up with a mass of unused starter that has to be chucked.

Keeping a sourdough starter is a bit like having a pet (or at least a house plant) - you need to make sure it is fed and watered otherwise it will die. This starter will keep on giving you loaves of chewy, crusty and wholesome sourdough bread for as long as you can keep it alive, and just like a pet or a plant, you will feel a sense of achievement when you somehow manage to prevent it from dying!

Things I have learnt from making sourdough bread:

A lot of recipes for sourdough add things like grapes, apple or honey to the starter, as this helps encourage the natural yeast to grow. This is necessary if you are making a starter with only white flour, if you are using rye or wholemeal flour as well there is enough natural yeast and good nutrients in there to get the process going without these additions.

I use organic flour for sourdough, as I think if you use flour with extra chemicals in it then you may as well use commercial yeast anyway. Plus I don’t like the idea of chemicals being fermented. There is no scientific basis to my theory, it’s just a feeling I have!

You can replace all or some of the flour with wholemeal or spelt if you prefer. I like to have a white starter though, as I find it more versatile.

As the only raising agent in sourdough is the natural yeast, the time it takes to rise will depend on how lively your starter is – I find it best to leave the production dough overnight, but yours might be different and you may need to experiment a bit to get it right.

I don’t use a proving basket, mostly because I don’t have one, but also because I’m not convinced they make that much difference to how well the loaf keeps it’s shape. I shape it into a round (or often a bloomer shape) then put it straight onto a floured baking tray instead.

Room temperature water is fine, unless you are in a hurry in which case warm water will speed things up. It mustn’t be too hot though, around body temperature is just about right.

Once your starter is established you can put it in the fridge so that you don’t have to refresh it with more flour and water every day. Don’t forget about it completely though, you should still refresh it every 3-4 days to keep it active.

White and Rye Sourdough: makes one large loaf plus a white sourdough starter

(adapted from the recipe we used on the Hornbeam Baker’s bread baking course)

To make the starter:

Day 1:

10g Organic rye flour

30g Organic white bread flour

40g water

Weigh all the ingredients in a plastic pot and mix together thoroughly, cover with a lid and leave in a warm place overnight.

Day 2:

Starter from day 1

10g Organic rye flour

30g Organic white bread flour

40g water

Add all the ingredients to the same plastic pot and mix together thoroughly, cover with a lid and leave in a warm place overnight.

Day 3:

Starter from day 2

10g Organic rye flour

30g Organic white bread flour

40g water

Add all the ingredients to the same plastic pot and mix together thoroughly, cover with a lid and leave in a warm place overnight.

Day 4:

Starter from day 3

10g Organic rye flour

30g Organic white bread flour

40g water

Add all the ingredients to the same plastic pot and mix together thoroughly, cover with a lid and leave in a warm place overnight. By now your starter should be frothy and have an ‘interesting’ sour smell. You can now use it to make a loaf or put it in the fridge until you need it, as explained above.

Production sourdough:

160g of sourdough starter

200g Organic white bread flour (or wholemeal, spelt etc)

120g water

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to form a fairly stiff dough. Cover the bowl with a piece of clingfilm and leave for 4 hours or overnight, until the dough has lots of visible air bubbles and has risen but not collapsed in on itself.

Sourdough loaf:

300g Organic white bread flour (or wholemeal, spelt etc)

7g salt

100-200g water

Production sourdough

• Add the flour and salt to the production dough and begin mixing together, whilst gradually adding in the water
• Keep mixing and adding water until a sticky dough is formed
• Scrape it out of the bowl and on to the work surface, and then knead for 10-15 minutes until it forms a smooth shiny ball of dough
• Shape into a round by pushing the edges of the dough into the middle, working all the way around the edge
• Turn the round of dough over so the smooth bit is on top, place on a well floured baking tray and sift over a small amount of flour
• Leave the dough to prove for around 3 hours
• Preheat the oven to 250C with a deep baking tray or grill pan at the bottom of the oven
• When the dough has risen to twice its original size slash lines in the top with a very sharp knife
• Place the loaf in the oven then immediately tip a pint of water into the preheated tray at the bottom of the oven (or you can use a spray bottle of water to create some steam in the oven)
• Bake for 20-30 minutes, before turning down to 200C and baking for a further 20-30 minutes
• Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool

Sourdough bread will last well for a week or so, and makes the best toast after it goes a bit stale.

The Loaf

Right, lets start at the beginning. This recipe is for the basic loaf; an 'everyday' type of bread perfect for sandwiches or toasting, and a great place to start learning about bread baking.

 

There are 5 stages to making bread: knead, prove, shape, prove, and bake. Each of the proving stages can be lengthened by putting the dough in the fridge, or speeded up by adding warm water and leaving in a warm place, so once you get into the habit of making bread its easy to fit it in around your schedule. I often leave the dough to prove in the fridge overnight, shape it before I go to work, leave in the fridge all day, and then bake it when I get home.

 

The wonderful (and sometimes frustrating) thing about bread baking is that no two loaves will ever come out the same – as they rightly should – if you wanted identical looking loaves you may as well go to a supermarket. So enjoy making your own bread at home and celebrate it's uniqueness!

 

Things I have learnt about baking bread:

This list is enormous so I have divided it in to the different stages to make it easier to follow.

 

Mixing and kneading the dough:

• Keep the salt and yeast on separate sides of the bowl until you have mixed them into the flour as salt can kill the yeast if they come into direct contact.
• Don't forget to put in the salt or try to make it healthier by not putting it in at all. It will taste disgusting and be almost inedible without it!
• The water doesn't need to be warm unless you are in a hurry and need it to rise more quickly.
• The water will be absorbed at different speeds and quantities depending on the type of flour used. For example wholemeal flour takes longer to absorb the water than white.
• If the dough is very stiff and difficult to knead your mix might be a little dry. You can incorporate more water into the dough as you knead it, until you get a soft and slightly sticky dough.
• If the dough is sticking to your hands, resist the urge to add more flour. Keep kneading to see if the dough will absorb the excess water and become smooth. If it doesn't you can add a little flour.
• The dough is ready when it forms a smooth shiny ball, or if it can be stretched without tearing.
• Knead the dough by pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand. The aim is to roll it across the work surface, keeping the dough together, rather than pushing it so hard that it tears or pulls apart.

Dough before kneading

Dough after kneading

Proving the dough:

• Put the dough back in the same bowl that you mixed the dough in – there's no need to clean it out or grease with oil.
• If your hands are covered with dough after kneading, rub some extra flour into your hands and the scraps of dough will come off quite easily.
• The time it takes for your dough to rise will depend on the room temperature, the freshness of the yeast and the water content of the dough. At normal room temperature it should take 2-3 hours.
• If you leave the dough to prove for too long it will begin to collapse in on itself, and once it reaches this stage it will be difficult to shape so try to catch it before it becomes over-proved.

Shaping the dough:

• In order to help the dough hold it's shape on the second prove, you need to create some surface tension.
• If you are using a loaf tin, the shaping is not so important, but for all other types of bread it is worth getting it right.
• Don't forget to prepare the loaf tin or baking tray before you start shaping the dough!
• To make the loaf or bloomer shape, press the proved dough into a rectangle and fold into thirds like you would with puff pastry, then repeat in the other direction. Next, start folding over the long end of the dough, pushing it in on itself as you go, to create a log shape.

• Once the loaf is rolled it can be placed seam-side down in a loaf tin or on a baking tray.
• If the dough is quite sticky when shaping, you can wet your hands and work surface with a little water to prevent it sticking.
• Just before baking slash the dough with a very sharp knife – this is both for decorative and practical purposes as it controls the direction in which the bread rises whilst baking.

 

Baking the dough:

• Put the bread in the oven at a very high temperature to begin with. This helps it to puff up further and creates a good crust.
• To emulate the fancy steam-injecting ovens that bakers use, put a deep baking tray or roasting tin at the bottom of the oven as it preheats, then chuck in a pint of water just after placing the uncooked bread on the shelf above it.
• You can also use a spray bottle of water to create steam, either in place of the tray of water, or to top the steam up as it bakes.
• If baking in a loaf tin, take the bread out of the tin halfway through cooking so the sides that are covered by the tin can get properly cooked as well.
• Some people say you shouldn't cut into a loaf whilst still warm from the oven, but I say if you have made your own bread you can do what you like with it – although a good slathering of butter is non-negotiable!

The basic loaf:

 

500g bread flour (white, wholemeal, malted, seeded or a mixture)

5g salt

7g sachet of instant yeast

250-350ml water

• Put the flour into a large mixing bowl
• Mix the salt into one half of the flour and the yeast into the other, then mix both halves together
• Gradually add the water, stirring with your free hand until it comes together in a rough dough
• Tip it all out onto a work surface and knead, adding more water as necessary
• Continue kneading until the dough forms a smooth, soft ball (about 10-15 minutes)
• Place the dough in the bowl that that you used to mix it in, cover with clingfilm and leave to prove until doubled in size, around 1 ½ to 3 hours
• Grease a loaf tin with some oil and sprinkle with flour
• Dip your hands in some water and scrape the dough out of the bowl
• Knead the dough a couple of times to press out some of the air bubbles
• Shape the dough into a loaf (see notes above) then place in the prepared tin
• Leave to prove until doubled in size again (around 1-2 hours)
• Preheat the oven to 230°C, placing a deep baking tray in the bottom
• Just before it's ready to go in the oven, sprinkle with flour and slash the top with the desired pattern
• Place in the loaf tin in the middle of the oven and throw a glass of water into the baking tray underneath (or spray the inside of the oven with a spray bottle of water) to create steam
• Bake for 20 minutes before taking out of the tin, returning to the oven and turning the temperature down to 200°C
• Bake for a further 20-30 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when the base is tapped
• Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool for as long as you can resist the smell of freshly baked bread!

Notes on Real Bread

The Real Bread Campaign is part of charity called Sustain, which does great things to promote better food and farming practices in the UK.

The aim of the Real Bread Campaign is to encourage bakeries and individuals to bake bread without all the chemicals, additives and other unnecessary rubbish that goes to create the pappy, pasty excuse for bread they sell in supermarkets. And don't even get me started on the abomination that is crustless bread - if it doesn't have a crust it is NOT bread!

To qualify as Real Bread it must be free from artificial additives and contain only the 4 main ingredients of bread (although you can add natural and additive free things such as nuts, seeds, fruit etc.). These are:
Flour
Water
Salt
Yeast

And that's it. Mass produced bread contains all sorts of other nasties to make the dough rise quicker and the loaf last longer. The altering of the bread making process in this way has changed our bread into something that many people find difficult to digest, and it's thought that it has led to the increase in allergies and intolerances to wheat and gluten.

Real Bread requires a longer fermentation process which means that it is much easier to digest and much better for you. The only problem with Real Bread is that once you start eating it, you will never want to go back to the crappy supermarket stuff!

It just so happens that the 11th-17th May is Real Bread Maker Week: a national week of celebration for the wonder that is Real Bread and the people who make it. I'll be celebrating Real Bread Maker Week by posting recipes for different kinds of Real Bread: the basic loaf, sourdough and baguettes, all of which are things I love to eat at home, and I hope you will too!

Happy Real Bread Maker Week everyone!

Welcome to Bread Month!

I've been making my own bread for years, and although the results were often quite tasty, they rarely turned out how I expected them to. One loaf would be as solid as a brick and the next would spread out over the tray as it proved, making something more similar to a paving slab.

I knew that bread reminiscent of building materials would not be good enough for Bread Month, so I decided to cheat a little on the whole 'teach myself how to bake' thing and signed up for a bread baking course with the Hornbeam Baker's Collective.
 

And I was really glad that I did: It would have taken years of trial and error in my own kitchen to work out all the things I was doing wrong! But before I put everyone off giving bread baking a go without attending a course first, I think most of my problems were down to the fact that I never once used a recipe, and therefore didn't understand some basic facts about the process. For example, I had no idea you could add more water as you knead the dough if it's too dry after being mixed, and I didn't know that it should go in the oven at a very high temperature to begin with - I often put the loaf in the oven before even switching it on!

Baking beautiful bread is a science AND an art: you need to have an understanding of the chemical processes taking place as well as an appreciation of the many nuances and variables involved, if you want to perfect your bread baking technique going on a course really is the best way.

So, my challenge this month is to combine what I learnt on the course with everything I've learnt from the many, many mistakes I've made, in order to adequately explain both the art and science of bread baking to help you make a decent loaf at home. Looks like May is going to be a rather busy month then...
 

Happy Bread Month everyone!
 

Gâteau St Honoré

I never understood why croquembouches had become so fashionable until I attempted to make one – I managed to dip the first choux bun in caramel without incident then promptly coated my little finger in caramel on the second. This led to much screaming and swearing and some very impressive burns so I quickly gave up on the idea of making a croquembouche and ate the two caramel covered choux buns to cheer myself up. There is something about the crunch of the caramel when combined with the crème patissière and choux pastry that almost, almost made up for the third degree burns.



Gâteau St Honoré has all the deliciousness of a croquembouche with a lower risk of injury – and what more could you ask for in a dessert? You only need to dip the choux buns in one side at a time and even if they are not very thickly coated they should still form a perfectly stable construction as the Gâteau St Honoré is less vertical than the cone shaped croquembouche.



This is my version of a Gâteau St Honoré flavoured with orange which goes surprisingly well with the caramel and adds a freshness that makes this dessert even easier to eat in large quantities. I’m not sure about the candied orange as decoration here; it looks a little too retro to my tastes, and I’ll be leaving it at a simple layer of crème chantilly next time.

You can make the different components of this the night before, then you just need to make the caramel, pipe the crème patissière into the choux buns and assemble.



Things I have learnt from making Gâteau St Honoré:

Dont pipe the choux buns onto the same tray as the base (as I have done here!). The choux buns will cook more quickly than the base so you need to be able to take them out sooner.

When dipping the choux buns in caramel do not twist them round to prevent caramel dripping on your work surface. You are very likely to end up with caramel stuck to your fingers and it will hurt A LOT. Keep the baking tray close to the saucepan and work quickly to keep mess to a minimum.

Once the buns are dipped in caramel do not put them on a tray lined with greaseproof paper as they will stick and your beautiful shiny tops will have a layer of paper stuck to them – only baking parchment will do for this job.



Gâteau St Honoré à l’orange: serves 8-10
(adapted from various sources but I found Joe Pastry’s step by step instructions very helpful and the candied oranges recipe is from David Lebovitz)

200g puff pastry

For the orange crème patissière:
3 large free range eggs
115g caster sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour
zest of 1 medium orange
100ml double cream
300ml milk

For the choux pastry:
4 egg batch of choux pastry

For the candied oranges (optional):
1 medium orange
160ml caster sugar
130ml water

For the caramel:
225g caster sugar

For the crème chantilly:
300ml double cream
1 tablespoon of icing sugar
¼ tsp of vanilla extract

First make the crème patissiere

• Put the eggs, sugar, cornflour and orange zest into a mixing bowl and beat with whisk until well combined
• Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan until you begin to see steam rising from the surface
• Pour the warm liquid onto the egg mixture whilst whisking constantly with a balloon whisk to prevent it turning into scrambled eggs
• Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and continue to heat, stirring all the time
• When the mixture has become very thick pour it into a bowl, covering the surface with a piece of clingfilm and set aside to cool fully whilst you make the choux pastry

Next make the choux pastry

• Make the choux pastry as per the instructions in the basic choux pastry recipe
• Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a plain nozzle and and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes whilst you pre-heat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with greased parchment
• Roll out the puff pastry then cut out a large circle using a knife to cut around a dinner plate. Prick the surface of the puff pastry with a fork and transfer to a baking tray
• Pipe 16 round shapes onto greased baking parchment onto another baking tra
• Pipe a line of choux pastry around the edge of the puff pastry, it should be 5mm in from the sides as the choux pastry will expand a lot in the oven
• Pipe a spiral of choux pastry inside the previous line of puff pastry. It should expand to form a flattish base
• Bake for around 30-35 minutes until the choux buns are very crisp and golden 
• Take the tray of choux buns out of the oven but leave the base in for a further 15 minutes until it is also very crisp
• Switch the oven off and leave the base and choux buns to cool in the oven with the door left ajar

For the candied orange slices (optional):

• Slice the orange into thin rounds a few millimetres thick
• Place in a saucepan with just enough water to cover then bring to the boil over a medium heat
• Allow the orange slices to simmer for about 10 minutes then drain and add the sugar and 130ml water
• Simmer for a further 10 minutes, or until the liquid reduces down to a syrup
• Leave to cool before using the slices to decorate the top of the gateau

To assemble the Gâteau St Honoré

• Place the choux buns on the base to work out how many will fit around the edge, you may not need all of them and this way you only fill the number you need, depending on how large you piped them, how much they expanded in the oven etc.
• Make a small incision in the base of each of the choux buns you are going to use with a sharp knife
• Prepare a piping bag with a 0.5cm plain nozzle and fill with 3/4 of the crème pâtissière
• Pipe the filling into each of the choux buns and set aside whilst you make the caramel
• Heat the sugar for the caramel in a pan until it is a deep golden brown
• Take the pan off the heat and then dip the tops of each choux bun into the caramel, keeping your fingers well out of the way
• Place each choux bun upside down on a lined baking sheet leaning them against the sides to prevent them falling over. This creates the traditional flat top on the caramel
• If the caramel in the pan solidifies too much, return it to the heat for about 30 seconds to get it back to the right consistency
• Once all the tops are done, begin dipping the bases of the choux buns in the caramel and placing around the edge of the base
• Leave the caramel to cool and set fully whilst you make the crème chantilly
• Whip the cream with the sifted icing sugar and vanilla extract to a good piping consistency
• Prepare a piping bag with a wide star shaped nozzle and fill with the crème chantilly
• Pour the remaining half of the crème patissiere into the base and smooth over with the back of a spoon
• Pipe the crème chantilly on the top and finish with the slices of candied orange

Either serve straight away or place in the fridge for a maximum 6 hours before serving

Earl grey and white chocolate éclairs

Tea is one of an infinite number of flavours that can be paired with chocolate, and a combination that I was convinced I had invented until I typed it into google and realised that many, many other people had all had exactly the same idea. And what a very good idea it is – there are so many ways to combine different kinds of chocolate with different kinds of tea that it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for patisserie and chocolate making.



I had a few issues with the white chocolate ganache icing that I used for these, so ended up going for an ‘informal’ look: in other words I tried to swirl the icing around a bit so it was clearly intentionally messy, rather than just bad icing skills, which may in fact have been the case! The ganache becomes translucent when the chocolate is melted which made me think it needed a really thick layer, but actually once it set I realised that dipping the éclairs in just a thin layer of the ganache would have looked much better.

Even with these icing issues, I was so happy with the finished éclairs: the flavour was delicate and not at all too sweet – the earl grey somehow prevents the white chocolate flavour from becoming cloying and all in all they were very refined pastries indeed.



Things I have learnt from making these éclairs:

I’m so pleased I discovered the clever trick of snipping off the dough with scissors as you are piping; it makes it so much easier to keep the éclairs an even thickness all the way along. Just remember to hold the scissors in your right hand and the piping bag in the left (I’m right handed, so it’s probably the opposite for lefties) as every time I’ve tried it so far I ended up picking them up the wrong way round and having to swap mid-pipe!

The éclairs would look much prettier with a thin even layer of the ganache. Try pouring the ganache onto a plate to make it easier to dip the éclairs.

Normally choux pastry is only good the day it’s made, but I found that these had retained their crispness to the next day, partly because I cooked them for a really long time and partly because there isn’t much liquid in the crème pâtissière. If storing overnight keep them refrigerated.


Earl grey and white chocolate éclairs: makes 8

Earl grey crème pâtissière:
150ml milk
150ml cream
2 earl grey tea bags
3 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
1 tablespoon plain flour
75g white chocolate, chopped

• Warm the milk and cream over a medium heat until it begins to boil
• Add in the two earl grey tea bags and set aside for 20 minutes or so to infuse
• In a large mixing bowl whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar and plain flour
• Remove the tea bags from the milk then reheat until just beginning to simmer
• Pour the hot infused milk over the egg yolks, whisking constantly
• Tip the mixture back into the saucepan and continue to whisk over the heat until the mixture becomes very thick
• Remove from the heat then stir in the chopped white chocolate
• Transfer to a bowl and cover the surface with cling film

Choux buns:
2 egg batch of choux pastry

• Make the choux pastry as per the instructions in the link above
• Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with greased parchment
• Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe 6-8 long thin strips, snipping off the end of the dough with scissors as you finish piping each éclair
• Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until dark golden brown and very crisp
• Switch the oven off and leave the choux buns to cool in the oven with the door propped open by a wooden spoon

White chocolate ganache icing:
100g white chocolate, chopped
75ml double cream

• Put the chocolate and double cream in a heat-proof dish
• Heat in very short bursts in the microwave (if you over-do it the chocolate may become grainy and split)
• Once half the chocolate is melted just keep stirring and the rest of the chocolate should melt to form a smooth ganache

Assembling the éclairs:

• Put the crème pâtissière in a piping bag with a 0.5cm plain nozzle and make small holes in the ends of each éclair
• Pipe the éclairs with the crème pâtissière until they are all full, piping from both ends and checking they are not overflowing
• Dip the tops of the éclairs in the ganache icing and add sprinkles of your choice

 

Rose and Raspberry Religieuse

The name religieuse comes from the way these pastries are said to resemble nuns’ habits, traditionally they would have been in some dull colour similar to a nun’s habit, and I expect they wouldn’t be too impressed if they had to wear the rather fetching shade of pink I used here.

I had fun making these and was particularly pleased with rose and raspberry crème pâtissière which had previously gone a bit wrong, but despite this I can’t help thinking that religieuses are just too complicated for their own good. The various stages of piping, baking and icing make it difficult to control the processes and end up with pastries that are even vaguely similar looking, let alone anything like the uniform rows of perfection you see in Laduree.

Now, I know I’ve said before that perfection in food is all too reminiscent of mass produced supermarket crap, but I think in the case of religieuses they’ve gone too far in the other direction and have way too much ‘rustic charm’ for my liking. I managed to get a couple of decent photos from their good sides, but to be honest when lined up next to each other the nuns looked like they had been dressed by a 4 year old – definitely not the look I was going for.

Next time I’ll use this delightful rose and raspberry crème pâtissière for mini choux buns, dipped in the same pale pink fondant icing, to make something altogether more chic and elegant. The raspberry flavour is super-sharp and tempered by the sweetness of the icing and the floral flavour of the rose water.



Things I have learnt from making religieuses:

Reduce the raspberry purée down so there is almost no liquid left and it is a thick gloopy consistency, otherwise it will make the crème pâtissière too liquid and it will leak out after being piped.

If you are adding liquids such as fruit purées to a crème pâtissière you can add an egg white as well as the yolks as this will help thicken the mixture and prevent it from becoming too runny.

To get a nice even coating of fondant, you can use your finger to wipe off the excess and move the fondant around until you get a neat-edged coat over the dome of the choux bun. This is much better explained by watching this video. Its a very short part of the video, but when I saw it I had one of those ‘oh, that’s how they do it!’ moments.



Rose and Raspberry Religieuse: makes 8
Raspberry purée:
300g frozen raspberries
1 teaspoon sugar

• Put the frozen raspberries in a saucepan and simmer gently
• They will defrost and the water will begin to boil off
• Continue to reduce the purée down to a thick paste like consistency
• Strain through a sieve into a bowl then stir in the sugar
• This makes a little less than 100g of purée

Rose and raspberry crème pâtissière:
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
50g caster sugar
1 tablespoon plain flour
150ml milk
150ml cream
80g raspberry purée
a few drops of rose water

• In a large mixing bowl,whisk together the egg, egg yolks, caster sugar and plain flour
• Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan until just beginning to simmer
• Pour the hot milk/cream over the egg yolks, whisking constantly
• Tip the mixture back into the saucepan and continue to whisk over the heat until the mixture becomes very thick
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before stirring in the raspberry purée
• Add a drop or two of the rose water and mix before tasting and then adding more if necessary

Choux buns:
2 egg batch of choux pastry

• Make the choux pastry as per the instructions in the link above
• Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with greased parchment
• Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe 8 small and 8 large mounds of dough onto the baking tray
• Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until dark golden brown and very crisp
• Switch the oven off and leave the choux buns to cool in the oven with the door propped open by a wooden spoon

Icings:
300g fondant icing
pink food colouring
50g butter, softened
icing sugar, sifted

• Warm the fondant icing in a saucepan over a very low heat with a tablespoon of water
• Once it has reached a good smooth consistency add the pink food colouring, a drop at a time, until you get an appropriate shade of pink
• Fondant should be used at body temperature to get the shiny finish
• Beat the butter together with some icing sugar in a bowl
• Add a teaspoon of water then continue to add icing sugar until it becomes pale and a good thick texture for piping
• Put the buttercream in a piping bag with a small open star shaped nozzle (I used a no.16)

Assembling the religieuses:

• Put the crème pâtissière in a piping bag with a 0.5cm plain nozzle and make small holes in the base of each choux bun
• Pipe the buns with the crème pâtissière until they are all full
• Dip the tops of the buns in the fondant icing and the pair them up and stick the smaller one on top of the other whilst the icing is still wet
• Pipe the buttercream up from the base of the small bun to about half way up the sides
• Finish each religieuse with a sugar sprinkle of choice, mine as always are these tiny gold spheres, then put in the fridge to set

Serve the religieuses soon after they are made, as the pastry will lose it’s crispness if left for more than a few hours after being filled