Thursday 17 February 2011

Baking Bread with Lorraine Pascale.

Since the beginning of the year Monday evenings have found me sitting comfortably on the sofa in front of the TV, glass of wine to hand, whilst the BBC's new chef glamourous, former model Lorraine Pascale demonstrates how easy baking really is.
 "Baking is fun, it's easy, it's therapeutic, it's relaxing, it's a joy really," she said.
Her ideal meal would start with roasted camembert and garlic followed by a beef fillet baked in the oven with pepper and cognac. It would be finished off with some fondant fancies or a passion and lemon meringue pie. (BBC website)

I enjoy baking very much but normally my repertoire consists of cakes, pies and sweet treats and until Lorraine showed me how easy it was, I had never considered baking my own bread.
Too much kneading, proving, more kneading, and waiting around for the dough to rise.

First of all I downloaded the recipe for the
 "Doris Grant Loaf  
a no - need - to - knead bread adapted from a 1940's recipe by healthy eating evangelist Doris Grant, who believed white flour - and its lack of nutrients - was the enemy".
Click here to get the recipe for yourself.
LP was right, it was very easy to make - indeed.

Delicious served with Mr B's homemade winter vegetable soup.

Click here for details of all six episodes of Baking Made Easy by Lorraine Pascale.

Flushed with success, after baking the Doris Grant loaf, I ordered the BME book of 100 recipes, released to coincide with the TV series, at Amazon. Click here to buy the book now at half price!
Yesterday, I baked soda bread.
Click here for the recipe.


Perfect for a simple ploughmans lunch served with a small salad, cornichons, English cheddar cheese and of course, Branston pickle.
A nostalgic taste of England in rural Normandy.
(Apologies for lack of ploughmans pix, DH was hungry!)


Linking this post to Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage.

Full Plate Thursday Background Story
When we were young and just starting out in life sometimes we did not have a lot of money.
 Most of our friends were having to stretch the dollars at the end of the month just like us. My girlfriends and I decided that we would pool our food for some of the evening meals right before payday... the last week of the month. I have some of the fondest memories from those days. We would all bring our food together and we had some great food and great fellowship. We would get the food on the table and everything ready, someone would bless the food and then the hostess would say "come fill your plate".
Why not head over there and see how Miz Helen filled her plate last week and what's on the menu today.

Also joining in with Show & Tell Friday with Cindy @ My Romantic Home
and with
 Sherry and Home Sweet Home Friday @ The Charm of Home.
Thanks for hosting, ladies.


18 comments:

  1. We have really enjoyed Lorraine's series. She makes it all so easy without any prancing around. I must get her book!

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  2. I've not heard of this series, but it sounds good. I love to bake bread, but do it seldom these days. The smell in the house is wonderful isn't it?

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  3. Bonjour!
    I'm glad that you commented my blog - because now I can explore yours. That BBC website quote really does sum up baking and how wonderful it is!

    Bon weekend,
    Brittany.

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  4. We aren't getting this series here yet...maybe eventually. The bread looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing.(-:

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  5. Hello Maggie,
    I really enjoyed your blog. I have also been watching this programme and found Lorraine very inspiring.

    Another cooking programme on the BBC that I enjoyed is Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers.

    This is my first comment to a blog as I first had to work out how to get set-up! Now I seem to be up and running!

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  6. Maggie, it looks positively mouth watering. I love home baked breads but confess I don't do a lot of it. I've a friend in Ohio who would love seeing this, as she has been bread baking too, getting me to find her cook books on bread making.

    Enjoy!

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  7. Hi Maggie,
    Just look at that bread, it looks amazing. I just know it would be delicious.I will have to take a look at that book. Thank you so much for bringing it to Full Plate Thursday and please come back!

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  8. I love the Grant Loaf too. I am so glad people are rediscovering the joy of homemade bread.

    thanks for this post!

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  9. Maggie, looks like an interesting series. Soup and a slice of fresh baked bread sounds like the perfect meal to me. My "chef" used to bake bread weekly, but hasn't done so in many years. Probably a good thing as I could live on bread alone. ;-)
    ~ Sarah

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  10. Wow that's some beautiful bread. I haven't heard of this series either, but I'll have to check it out.

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  11. Oh, I'm inspired! I've never, never attempted to make bread. Seems waaaaaaaaay too scary to me. So kudos to you for taking on bread making. Looks delicious!!

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  12. Homemade bread! Ok, I feel like a total slacker. Looks so delish! I can just taste some hot out of the oven with a big slather of butter, Paula Deen style! lol

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  13. Maggie,
    This is wonderful. I will have to try it. There is nothing more perfect with soup that bread like this.
    Thanks for linking up!
    Sherry

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  14. Hi Maggie,
    The bread you baked looks delicious!! I'm a bread nut....love any and all breads. I hope this is as easy as you say because I'm going to give it a try.
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Jane

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  15. Hi Maggie...

    Oooh...your homemade bread looks sooo yummy, my friend! Bet it was delish with your winter soup! What a pretty table setting! I was also admiring your beautiful kitchen and looking past all the food ingredients to that pretty herb border that you have painted on the wall! It's lovely, my friend! Did you paint it?

    It has been some time since I have made homemade bread. When my three daughters were still at home (I homeschooled them)...every Friday was baking bread day. We took orders and made loaves of bread and cinnamon rolls. Ohhh boy, we really turned out the bread! Hehe! But my girls all know how to make it now! I am thinking that it may very well be a lost art. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us! I would love to give this bread a try!

    I hope that my note is finding you and your honey both doing well, my friend!

    Warmest wishes,
    Chari @Happy To Design

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  16. I have a question - what are "cornichons"? That bread looks so delicious! And to answer your question - my heart is Murano glass - given to me by my daughter after her second trip to Italy. It's a real treasure.

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  17. Hi Maggie....isn't making home made bread very rewarding...I have been baking the No-knead recipe from the NY Times for about three years now...Baked in a pre-heated Dutch oven, if you haven't tried that version you need to...it is fabulous...you can e-mail me and I will send you my post that I wrote about it...once you try it you'll be baking it everyday!! Sue
    sueadivari@bellsouth.net

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  18. Just found your site. Love it....I'm going to go and see if you have a 'follow' button...

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