I am really bad with things that take time and require patience; knitting, golf and gardening spring to mind as things I’ve tried and given up on due to lack of immediate satisfaction. I love cooking (obviously) but I’ve never been much of a bread-maker, all that proving makes me feel tied down, trapped, like I’m not going to be able to leave the house. So needless to say it was going to take a certain kind of bread to inspire me to bake it. This one was right up my alley; instead of feeling like I was tending to a newborn baby* it was more like I was babysitting an adult – practically looking after itself.
The aroma of baking bread and the comfort of eating it straight out of the oven sealed the deal that bread making will now be a regular ritual.
We had some beautiful mushrooms left over from Urbis Design Day (grown in our office) so I teamed these with a sharp goats feta and heady caraway seeds and stuffed it into the bread as I was plaiting. It was so delicious on its own but also good spread with hummus and topped with pickles.
*For all you mothers out there – I really know that having a baby is harder than baking bread and truly do consider it to be the hardest job in the world.