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Schumacher College Supports Resurgence Slow Sunday
Schumacher College, an initiative of The Dartington Hall Trust, is supporting Resurgence magazine in the first in a series of Slow Sundays. On July 27th 2008, friends, alumni and local residents are being invited to bake their own bread, for themselves, their friends and their neighbours – a simple action that symbolises a respect for the planet, a desire for change and a move towards a more sustainable future.
The idea of a Slow Sunday is to focus on the choices we, as consumers and individuals, make every day of our lives that can make a difference to the current ecological climate. We can make it a day where we consume less, reduce our food miles and our carbon footprint and also make it a day when we engage with our family, friends and local community. This is where small, simple actions can make a significant difference to our immediate environment and the planet as a whole. It’s about acting locally but thinking globally. Every two months one Sunday will be nominated and Resurgence will invite people to take part in a different action.
Here’s a simple, healthy, delicious recipe from Schumacher College chef Julia Ponsonby, for readers to try this Sunday (July 27th). The recipe is from the newly re-released Gaia’s Kitchen cookbook, written by Julia and published by Green Books. At the College baking bread and many other things are approached with mindfulness to both planet and health. Please see the recipe below.
Schumacher College continues a programme of transformative education around food and bread during its November course Slow Food, Real Food: Championing sustainable food. This course will deal with one of the most pressing issues of our time – how to make food production, distribution and consumption more sustainable. This will be discussed alongside practical engagement in the making and enjoying of good quality, local, homemade food for which Schumacher College is so well known.
For more information about Slow Food, Real Food: Championing sustainable food please click here
THREE SEED BROWN BREAD and ROLLS
(An extract from Gaia’s Kitchen, by Julia Ponsonby)
Here is a simple recipe for bread such as we bake every week at the College. I normally combine twenty to fifty per cent white flour with wholewheat or malted brown flour to produce a loaf that rises well and is not too heavy or high in fibre. You can experiment with the ratio of white to brown until you find what suits you, and try out different seeds, such as poppy and caraway. The latter goes well with a loaf that includes a third to a half of rye flour in the mix (though due to its low gluten content, a 100% rye loaf will not rise well, and is best made as a sourdough). Organic strong white and stone ground brown flours are best for bread making, and this will usually be indicated on the label. Bread freezes well, though if it has a 100% wholewheat content it can be a little crumbly when de-frosted. Allow a couple of hours for thawing loaves – rolls, however, can be re-heated in the oven from frozen in about twenty minutes.
Don’t worry if you have no loaf tins – gorgeous round, oval or plaited loaves can be made on baking trays, in defiance of the square look encouraged by our modern pop-up toasters, convenient though they are.
| For 1 loaf (or 10-15 rolls) | For 8 loaves (or 70-80 rolls) |
| 1 lb (450 g/3 slightly rounded cups) strong flour | 8 lb (3.6 kg) |
| e.g. 12 oz (350 g/2 cups) wholewheat & 4 oz (100 g/1 cup) unbleached white flour | e.g. 5 lb (2.25 kg) wholewheat & 3 lb (1.35 kg) unbleached white flour |
| 10 fl oz (300 ml/11/4 cups) warm water approx. | 4 UK pints (2.2 litres /5 US pints) |
| 1 tsp salt | 3 tbsp |
| 1 tsp brown sugar, honey or molasses | 3 tbsp |
| 1/2 oz (10 g/1 tbsp) fresh yeast | 3 oz (85 g/6 tbsp) |
| (or 1 tsp dried yeast) | (or 3 tbsp) |
| 1 tbsp sunflower oil | 1/4 pint (100 ml/1/2 cup) |
| 1-2 tbsp each pumpkin, sesame & sunflower seeds | 1/4 pint (150 ml/2/3 cup) of each |
| 1 × 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin/baking tray | 8 loaf tins/baking trays |
| a little beaten egg for glazing (optional) | 1 egg |
1. If using traditional dried yeast granules, whisk them into the warm water and sugar. Leave in a warm place and allow to froth up for 10-15 minutes.
2. Measure the flour, seeds and salt into a large mixing bowl. If using fresh yeast, crumble this into the bowl and add sugar too. If using fast-acting dried yeast, add this to the flour along with the sugar. Add the sunflower oil.
3. Add the warm water (or frothed-up yeasty water). Begin by stirring the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. When the water has been absorbed, let your hand take over the kneading process and pummel the mixture until it’s smooth and all the flour has been absorbed. The dough should be quite smooth and only slightly sticky – not so sticky that some of it sticks to you if you touch it with a finger. If you have an electric dough hook, this will take care of the whole mixing process and the dough will form into a smooth ball around the hook when it has been kneaded enough.
4. Cover the bowl loosely. Leave in a warm place to rise for an hour until doubled in size.
5. Prepare loaf tins or baking tray using oil/parchment so the bread won’t stick.
6. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured clean surface and begin to punch down. Divide into 8 large pieces or 10/80 approx. smaller pieces if making rolls. A handful of dough the size of a small tangerine will make a roll the size of a large orange. Begin to re-knead and shape the dough, pummelling it with your knuckles until it is smooth on top. This won’t take as long as the first kneading, and you won’t need much flour for this if the ratio of water to flour in the dough is correct. Incorporating too much extra flour can lead to a stiff dry dough that won’t rise so well.
7. Place your cocoon of dough in the tin (or on a tray). Paint with egg/milk and sprinkle with the three seeds, largest first. Press down a little with the palms of your hands so that the dough fills the tin better and the seeds are secured. Leave the uncooked loaves to rise in a warm place for 25-40 minutes, depending on the season. If you don’t want to paint them with egg or stick on any seeds, you’ll need to spray them with water to prevent a skin forming which will inhibit the rising process.
8. At completion of its second rising, the bread loaf dough should look plumper, almost doubled in size, but still ‘on the rise’. It’s now ready to bake at 180°C (350°F, gas mark 5). Once in the oven, the shock of the heat will force the dough to rise up to at least double its size and begin cooking. The baking process should take 40-50 minutes. Test bread for readiness by knocking the base of the loaf to see if you get a hollow sound. Cool on baking tray.
9. If making rolls, place the small dough balls at least 1” (3 cm) apart from each other on the baking tray. Flatten slightly. Again, have the smooth side up and any joints where the dough has been pressed together facing downwards. Paint the dough with beaten egg. This glazes the crust and acts as a glue to keep seeds stuck down. Milk (cow or soya) can also be used, but won’t be so shiny. Sprinkle with seeds if you like.
10. You can either put the rolls in the oven straight away, or, if you have time, leave them to rise for 15-20 minutes to allow a gentler and more even rising effect. Within half an hour of baking they will have doubled in size and turned golden brown. Remove from oven. Delicious served warm.
Schumacher College is part of the Dartington Hall Trust, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and as a charity (company no. 1485560, charity no. 279756). Registered office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL, UK.