The thing is that the little runt everyone felt sorry for is now a big fat bruiser who bodes fair to rival his new little boy in his propensity for mischief. And they are only seven weeks and 6 years old, respectively. A match that is, dare I say it, Perfect!

I left the exhausted adventurer to sleep and came back home to check on my Chocolate Bread. I made it for my daughter who had her school performance of Joseph yesterday. My husband, on a rare day of working from home was able to attend the matinée with me, where he held my hand as I teared up and sobbed (semi-unobtrusively) from the opening number. I am now officially the most embarrassing mother at school. I am also the proudest, hence the chocolate bread treat.

She had a sleepover last night and a birthday party today, but chocolate bread should remind her that home is a good place to be too, and the enticing cocoa overtones are wafting beckoning fingers out the door already.

I’ve just tested it by toasting a slice, smearing it with homemade cream cheese, topping it with slices of ripe apricots and drizzling the whole with local heather honey. Mmmm! One more time. Just Perfect….

For the recipe check vkcb in the sidebar or click the Chocolate Bread link above.

This is a very quick and easy loaf, enriched with a little butter and sugar and flavoured with cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips.  It is not as sweet as you might think, and is delicious as toast or with cream cheese or mascarpone as a snack.

• Sift 3 cups of organic strong white flour (bread flour) into a bowl
• Add a good pinch of salt, 2 Tablespoons of caster sugar and 2 Tablespoons of good quality dark cocoa powder and mix.
• Cream 15g of fresh yeast with 1/4 cup of warm water
• Make a well in the middle of the flour and add 3/4 cup of warm water and the yeast mix.
• Start drawing in the flour and mix until you have a dough.
• Add 30g of softened butter and knead into the dough.  Continue kneading on a floured surface until you have a smooth and elastic dough.
• Leave to prove in a lightly oiled, covered bowl, until almost doubled in bulk.  Depending on how warm your kitchen this should be about an hour.
• Turn out and gently knock back, using a little more flour if necessary.
• Knead a handful of organic dark choc chips or pieces into the dough, then cover with a lightly oiled piece of clingfilm and leave to rest for a few minutes.
• Shape the dough into a round loaf and place in a buttered round cake tin to rise.
• Once again it should nearly double in bulk (about 45 mins).
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 220*C for the first 10 minutes then turn the oven down to 190*C and bake for another 20 minutes.
• If the bread is coming away from the sides of the tin you can turn it out gently and lightly tap the bottom to make sure it is cooked.  If not return it to the oven for 5 minute increments to finish cooking.
• Brush the finished loaf with a little melted butter and allow to cool on a rack before cutting.

Day 1:The Chef (Chief leavening agent)

• Make a fountain inside a handful (about 1/2 cup) of organic wholewheat flour
• add about 1/2 teaspoon of milk, a pinch of cumin and 3 tablespoons of warm water
• Mix together and knead with two fingers until your paste comes together as a firm dough, adding a little more water if needed.
• knead for several minutes then place in a ceramic bowl, cover with a cloth spritzed with water and leave in a warm place for 2 or 3 days. I use my airing cupboard as it is draft free.

Day 2 & 3:

• Make sure the cloth remains damp but leave the chef undisturbed.

Day 4: First refreshment

• The outside of your chef will have formed a hard crust but the inside should smell sweet and be nice and bubbly.
  
• Scoop this out (about 1 oz)
  
• Make a fountain of a large handful (3/4 cup) of wholewheat flour and break the chef up into little pieces.
• Add to the well.
• Pour in 1/3 of a cup of warm water and work the chef into the water.
• Once the chef is dissolved into the water start drawing in the flour from around it.
• Knead until the dough is firm (but not too dry) and springs back when touched.
• Return to the ceramic bowl and allow to rise for 18 – 24 hours. It shoudl have risen, and fallen a little and have tiny air bubbles inside it.
• Your chef is now a levain (leavener)

Day 5: Second refreshment

• Using the exact same method as the first refreshment make a fountain with 1/2 cup wholewheat and 1/2 cup white flour.
• Add four ounces of the levain and 1/2 cup of warm water.
• Once the dough has come together use 1/4 cup more of wholewheat flour to knead the dough.
• Let this levain rise for 10 – 12 hours. When it is ready it should have almost doubled in bulk and should not spring back when you press a finger into it.
• Your levain is now ready to be mixed into a dough.

This is a firm starter but can still be easily kept in a mason jar in the fridge. Just refresh every second day as for the second refreshment, discarding anything over 4 oz of the levain. Bring to room temperature before proceeding to the dough stage, and watch your rising times as they will be shortened considerably as the starter will be quite fresh.

Pain de Campagne is a French country loaf with fabulous staying power because of its sourdough origins. It is one of my favourites with it’s lovely sour smell and deeply crunchy crust. Once your sourdough starter is ready you can proceed with the recipe below. This is a rather firm starter, not the soupy kind of starter used in poolish breads. This means that your starter will be raring to go after a week, instead of waiting several weeks for it to develop some flavour.

• Make a fountain with 3 cups of organic strong white flour (bread flour)
• Pour 1 1/4 cups of hand hot water into the well
• break up 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) of the levain, into little pieces and dissolve into the water, working the gluten and pulling in little of the surrounding flour until you have a wet and sticky, but cohesive mixture.
• Add 2 – 3 teaspoons of maldon salt and work it into the dough.
• Slowly work in the surrounding flour, scraping down your hands and the counter top as you go.
• Once you have a firm dough, knead for about 5 minutes until it starts to spring back when touched.
• Roll it into a ball and let it rise for around 8 hours at room temp. Make sure it is covered with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out.
• By the time it has nearly doubled in size it will be ready to knock back and shape.
• If you wish to save some starter for your next loaf take out 2 oz now and keep in a mason jar in the fridge. Unless you wish to make another loaf the following day, in which case let it sit at room temp for 4 – 8 hours then use it as the chef for the first refreshment. Watch your rising times as they will be approximately halved.
  
• Flatten it out, then fold the edges in to the centre, pressing down with the heel of your hand to seal it.
• Repeat this several times until you have a tight loaf.
• Put it into a floured banneton (linen lined basket) for the final rise (8-10 hours)
• When your loaf is ready to bake, heat your oven to 220*C, making sure you have a baking stone in it.
• Turn your loaf gently out of the banneton onto a flat baking sheet dusted with semolina. The grains act as mini ball bearings in helping the loaf to slide off onto the baking stone.
• Slash the top of your loaf with a razor blade or sharp knife to allow the bread to rise evenly in the oven.
• Spritz the oven with water, and slide the loaf from the baking sheet to the baking stone.
• Turn the oven down to 200*C and bake for an hour.
• If the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base, take it out and let it cool.
• If not, cook further in five minute increments until done.
• Allow to cool fully before slicing and enjoying with some fresh salted butter
  

Saturday mornings are my favourite ‘me-time’ . My husband normally sleeps in after a week of getting up at 5am, my daughter is usually playing with the kids next door, or listening to music and reading or drawing in her room, and I get to do my own thing. But it feels different to the rest of the week when Rory is away and Dakota is at school. It feels less alone.

Some weeks I get up early and visit the local farmer’s market. It is a small but satisfying treasure trove of fresh Cornish fish, organic fruit and veg, artisan olives and cheeses. Often I round this up with fresh baked almond croissants from the health food shop, or a quick Italian coffee and a flip through OK! magazine at the local coffee shop. Other Saturdays I stay in my jammies and settle down to trawl the blogosphere with a cup of hot coffee and a slice of toast with homemade marmalade, and some mornings I bake. I always do my best cooking when all is right with my world and for me that means:

All the people I love are close at hand, the house is full but peaceful and it is the perfect time for making bread. Today it was a quick process. I let my sourdough overnight in the fridge and all I had to do this morning was bring it to room temp while the oven heated, slash it, spritz the oven and bake. A quick refreshment for tomorrow’s loaf and I’m set.

An hour later and I am sitting at my kitchen counter with a hot cup of coffee, a pile of recipe books and the heavenly sweet sour smell of a warm loaf offering me inspiration for lunch. My mind wanders over the contents of my fridge and quickly settles on all Rory and Kody’s favourites.

Charcuterie, cheese, homemade piccalilli and fresh salad leaves. Shavings of Parmiggiano Reggiano, a sprinkling of Maldon salt, a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar on the Parma ham and a drizzle of grassy green extra virgin olive oil on the Bresaola. Easy peasy, now I can concentrate on important things like Jamie, Yotam and Hugh, booking flights to Cape Town, and what to make for dessert.

Sigh! I love Saturdays.

As I make bread so often I have decided to start a bread page. So please visit it for a recipes and inspiration on a selection of my favourite loaves. Starting with today’s French country sourdough. (coming soon)