Because Nicola says you can never have too much bread. And we were going round to her place to have ham and bread and potatoes and salad and lots of wine. The in between times are such fun for lunch parties.
I know we should be weighing the flour but; new kitchen – lost stuff – needs must.
Bread for Lunch with Nicola
Ingredients:
- 5 cups white flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 cups water plus a bit
- ½ teaspoon yeast
Instructions:
- Mix: Combine everything in a bowl until shaggy. For this country loaf I combine the flours in a big wide bowl, make a well in the middle add the water, sprinkle the yeast into the water and sprinkle the salt around the dry edges of the bowl. Whisk with a fork until too hard to manage then use your hands and a bowl scraper.
- Stretch & Fold: Once combined; stretch the dough up and fold it over itself every 30 minutes for 90 minutes— three rounds total.
- Rest: Cover with a damp towel and refrigerate for overnight retard.
- Shape & Score: Next morning, shape the dough and score the top.
- Bake: Preheat your oven to 450/500°F 240C. Bake in a preheated dutch oven—30 minutes lid on, 20 minutes lid off.
- Cool & Serve: Let it cool completely before slicing.
The perfect lunch is when everyone brings something. And a freshly baked loaf of bread is a welcome something.
I think our perceptions of strangers has changed markedly in the last ten years do you? Mine anyway. I think since the me-too movement, recent elections, dating apps, riots, blatant disrespect of women in our politicians, this shocking (to me) subservient rise of trad wives, white slavers, these have changed how I respond to a new spark of a friendship. I see men feeling nervous to approach a woman and rightly or wrongly I second guess all their words, everything goes under a microscope which is understandable but a shame too.
This post was written years ago, before I began to feel a bit fearful of strange men. We go back the time when I would talk to strange men in bars. Now- not so much.
ALSO IN this post is the link to the latest chapter in Alice in Wonderland – Chapter Nine.
My grand-daughter’s bedroom in California. The little artist.
Just love her set-up. She will paint on anything, this child. Just joyous!
The backyard neighbours here in Sunbury popped over the other day and asked if we had seen their rabbits. Evidently they had been letting them run free then – horrors – they must have heard us letting out the dog to ‘play with his bunny’. Oops. The white rabbit and TimTam had this odd thing going where it sat in the corner of another neighbours yard and TimTam could just see it through a hole in the fence from our backyard. It never ventured through again (rabbit) because TimTam nearly caught it the last time it did that – but even through the little gap in the fence TT would be en pointe. And the rabbit would be feigning sleep.
So they hunted through the neighbours yards and collected their rabbits back up and popped them back in their cages. Then we heard them shoveling stones into the holes under the fences. So we will see. TimTam is a very quiet dog so at least they can have no complaints. Their dog is a yapper!
Here is TimTam. He watches me write in the day time.
A rose. Beautifully scented. I bet the rabbit won’t eat this!
Left over bananas, going over ripe on the bench, are great for smoothies. Peel, chop and freeze- flow freeze them if you can – they are great for smoothies and banana cake and instant ice cream (more on that on Wednesday and a flour free chocolate cake too!
The chopped up banana peels go to my worms or get tucked into the soil around the roses.
So nice to be able to grow roses.
I am going back to the winter prairies in exactly a week. I will be there (on the farm) for two months then over to NZ in March and back here to Australia in April. This has been such a special time for my daughter and I. It is all very well to visit but wonderful to arrive to a list of stuff a person can do to help. I like to help. To be useful. and I will be returning to be useful some more. More on that soon.
Good morning! How are you all?
It is New Year’s Eve here in Australia. Tomorrow will be 2025. That went fast! There will be lots of travel and lots of food in 2025 so hold onto your hats!
Take care and Talk soon!
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
16 responses to “bread for lunch at nicola’s”
That bread sounds good. Handy to have put it together ahead of time and then bake it the next day. Bread just out of the oven is delicious! I will have to try it. I don’t have a dutch oven but do have a terra-cotta baker, bottom plate with a domed lid. Think that would work?
Absolutely yes. That will work.if you are concerned screw a little baking paper into a ball twice and lay it in the bottom of your baking dish. Wonderful.
The bread looks great! I was given a sourdough making kit for Christmas last year and it is still in the cupboard. I used to bake a lot of bread growing up. We had a big atlas of breads from around the world and, for fun, I’d choose a different recipe for a challenge each time. I remember getting up at 5 am one morning to make Mallorcan ensaïmadas (sweet buns dusted with icing sugar). I was about 14. I loved my country childhood. No screens!
Happy New Year to you!
I would LOVE to see that book! It sounds like my kind of book. Is it still in your family?
It is 🙂 It’s called The World Encyclopedia of Bread and Bread Making, by Christine Ingram.
My sister Nicola, says you can never have too much cake and chocolate! Personally, I’d rather eat your bread!
Hopefully your neighburs will control their rabbits in future – they love to eat roses 😳
Oh dear. 😒
Flowers and stems!
Timtam i love him. Lovely post
what lovely bread and such a great room. this year has flown
wooshed past.
Bread baking is kinder and more intuitive than its reputation although it took quite a few less than perfect loaves along with the better ones for me to say that with conviction, and be able to eye it if things go awry as they sometimes do.
Encounters with people new… and old can be a bit of a conversational minefield. I prefer to discuss bread & gardens!
You appear to be quite at home in Sunbury. Happy New Year.
Bread and gardens are lovely subjects for discussion. Food and flowers!
I am so fortunate as My John makes sourdough bread weekly. And it is wonderful! It’s the first thing I eat with coffee every morning. I am very spoiled! 🙂 Wishing you and the Fellowship of the Farmy the Happiest of New Yearsl
I have an identical rose and it’s one of my favorites..the scent, Oh my! We have bunnies too but thankfully they cannot reach the roses…but the deer can! Acck!
I totally agree about how the landscape has drastically changed in regards to talking to men..even some of the ones you know. 😦 However, I never drink while flying as it’s so dehydrating and I also like to have my wits about me traveling so unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet a man in an airport bar. Frankly I’d rather strike up a conversation with a woman in a bar…they are much more interesting and non threatening to chat with. 🙂
And who wants to pay $10.00 for a beer in an airport? Lol!
Your bread looks fabulous..and so does the dog!
I do like that you are able to do things for your daughter and also of course the rest of your family. When visiting my son and daughter-in-law I’m not allowed to do anything. They just say sit down grandma we’ll do it. It’s not that they think I’m decrepit. It’s just that they want to do things for me. My daughter on the other hand who lives upstairs recognises that I’m able to do everything for myself and if I do need help, I will ask for it.
I have never made bread but that loaf looks fabulous. Perhaps it’s a bit complicated for me to use to start making bread. Happy New Year to you and yours