I'm not being patronising by advising on how to make great toast as from experience when my mother had a young 17 years old carer my mother asked for a boiled egg. I had just arrived at mam's flat and the young girl seriously didn't know how to boil an egg and I had to explain to her how to do this.
My fool proof method for a hard boiled egg is use a small pan three quarters cover the egg with cold water and place on a hot hob for exactly 10 minutes. Plunge in cold water so your can peel it. If you don't to this obviously it will be difficult to peel but also the egg will continue cooking.
For a soft boil, when the water reaches boiling point turn the heat down to a simmer. For a really soft boil wait 3 minutes, 4 minutes for a just set white and cream yolk, 5 minutes for a white and yolk perfectly set with just a bit of centre squidgyness.
She also was unable to use or also work out how to use an electric tin opener. One of the reasons why my faith was a little destroyed by the capabilities of some carers left alone to get on with with caring responsibilities towards my mother. I still suffered from carer's fatigue. So the secret of great toast is:
Whilst bread made with wholemeal flour is undoubtedly a healthy version of a loaf fibre wise there's something about toast made with white bread even though toast made with a wholemeal loaf is still great.
I make my own bread and don't deprive myself so I alternate between the two. For example white bread contains more calcium so there are benefits to both. I am experimenting with all varieties of bread and shall be including new ones on my food blogs.
Simple white bread:
Sift 700g of strong white bread flour into a mixer bowl along with 1tbs salt, 1tsp easy active yeast and 1tsp sugar on top of the yeast. Heat 15fl oz of water in a microwave for 1 min - hand hot temperature. If using a mixer put half of the water over the yeast and mix for 1 min on first setting, add the rest of the water whilst mixing for 1 min on the second setting then 8 mins on 4th setting until a dough ball is formed. Otherwise hand knead for 10 mins.
Place bowl in an enclosed plastic bag with room at the top for expanstion and leave in a warm place for 2hrs to double in size.
Lightly punch dough a few times 'to knock it back'. Pat into a rectangle folding one end to the centre and the other on top of that so it will fit neatly into your 2lb loaf oiled loaf tin. Place tin back into your plastic bag and leave for 1hr at room temperature. Use a flat baking sheet to add a level amount of water and place this in the bottom of the oven to allow water to circulate in the oven whilst baking your bread. Bake in the centre of an over 424f, 220c, 200fan, gas 7 for 40 mins. Turn out, tap the bottom of the loaf and if it sounds hollow it is ready. Place upside down in baking tin and cook a further 5mins to make a nice crust to make great toast.
My easy
wholemeal loaf
NB: I sliced halfway through my loaf in the photogragh to show the baked texture.
Microwaved Blackberry Jam:
Place 450g washed blackberries and 1tbsp lemon juice in a large microwavable bowl and microwave for 6 minutes until soft. Stir in 350g sugar. Microwave uncovered for 7 minutes. Remove and stir well. Microwave again for a further 7 minutes. Remove, stir then microwave for 2 minutes. Cool sightly until able to transfer into clean jars. Makes l lb.
- Make your own bread and jam.
- Cut bread into thick slices.
- Toast bread for exactly 5 minutes.
- Stand bread upright preferable in a toast rack. Why? Freshly made toast contains steam and if you place it vertically the steam escapes and the toast becomes crispy. Putting it on a plate means the steam is trapped underneath making it damp and soggy. If you don't have a toast rack just stand it against a jar or something.
- Wait until bread cools.
- Spread butter not to thickly main secret - onto the toast right to the edges of the bread.
- Spread an even coat of jam.
- Enjoy as soon as possible with a good mug of tea to wash it down but never make it ahead of time. Lush.
Expand your toast capabilities:
Great French Toast is impossible to resist. Unfortunately, in restaurants we too often receive a limp, soggy and eggy excuse for the real thing. It's just sad.
Well, if you want something done right, sometimes you just have to do it yourself! French toast is a perfect lazy Sunday brunch solution. It's quick and easy enough for a late weekend start in the kitchen, but still tastes special enough to merit a leisurely lingering at the breakfast table – the way weekend days are supposed to start off!
Tips that you can use to transform your everyday French Toast into a classic.
6 steps to better French Toast
1. Start with the right bread
Skip the wonder bread and get yourself started right with thick slices of Challah egg bread or brioche. Also, although the name might lead you to contemplate "French Bread" for your French toast, softer Challah or brioche is a much better choice.
Challah bread:
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
For the dough
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1. Pour the water into a large bowl. Dissolve the sugar in the water add the yeast. Let stand for about 10 mins until bubbly.
Or use 7g of quick acting yeast.
2. Mix in 1 cup of the flour and mix well. Add the egg, oil and salt and mix to incorporate into the mixture. Gradually add more flour so long as too hard to stir and add more kneading by hand so long as you have a very slightly sticky ball of dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead for about 5 to 10 mins so long as the dough is smooth and elastic,
an electric mixer using the dough hook makes kneading less tricky with a soft dough.
3. Place into an oiled bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel (or plastic wrap) for about 1 1/2 hours or so long as it has doubled in volume.
4. Knead the dough a second time for 2 minutes and shape into loaves. I divide the ball into two, and each half into three and braid them forming two braided loaves.
5. Put the loaves on a greased cookie sheet or baking stone and cover again, this time for about 45 mins until doubled again.
6. About 15 mins before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 350. Bake for 22-25 mins or until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. You can brush the loaves with an egg wash and coat with sesame or other seeds if you wish or leave without a glaze for a more rustic look.
Steps to better French Toast
Use stale bread
Dry bread provides a much better platform for a French Toast. Cut as many slices as needed before you go to bed on Saturday night for a Sunday morning brunch and leave them out on the counter to dry. The slightly dried slices will soak up the custard much better than freshly cut slices.
Use thick slices of bread
The best French Toast is crispy browned on the outside and creamy rich on the inside. It's hard to achieve this contrast if using thin supermarket breads. Cut your slices almost a full inch thick for the very best French Toast.
Skip the milk and use cream instead
When you soak the bread in the egg mixture, you infuse the bread with a custard. Custards taste better when made with cream. For your next French Toast, substitute Heavy cream or half and half for the milk and see what a difference it makes.
If you like crunchy French toast, use a little flour in your egg/milk mixture. Try:
1 egg
3/4 milk
2 Tbls of sugar
1/3 cup flour
a pinch of salt
a tsp of vanilla
2 Tbls of melted butter
6 slices of bread
Use butter to fry, and use a lot of it
There is no substitute for butter when frying up some French toast. Butter flavour is needed here, and you need enough melted butter in the pan to ensure that your toast gets fried crisped, and not soggy steamed. If you're on a diet, don't eat French toast. If you eat French toast, you might as well do it right – so don't skimp on the butter!
If you're frying for a crowd, keep slices warm in a 300 degree oven as you cook. Serve with good homemade jam, real honey or real maple syrup and a icing sugar sprinkled on top.
Fibre
24/8/15 - New post in my Just Microwave blog -
Orange Meringue Pie
I'm often left with eggs coming near the use-by date so I decided to use up some with this lovely pie. Can hardly believe it comes out perfect using a microwave and the orange is a novel twist on the usual lemon meringue pie. If you want the lemon version just use the rind of 2 lemons and 4fl oz lemon juice. It's a very easy to make pastry which doesn't need rolling!
