Rosemary and Caramelised Onion Foccacia Bread

• 500g strong white bread flour
• 500g semolina flour or plain flour
• 30g live yeast or 3 sachets (7g) dried yeast
• 30g honey or sugar
• sprinkle of sea salt
• 625ml tepid water
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red wine
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 large cloves garlic, chopped into chunky slices
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
• maldon sea salt flakes

Mix together the yeast, honey (or sugar) and the water.

If using a bread machine put all the flour in the machine with the salt then add the water mix and switch machine on for a dough setting.

If not using a bread machine follow the instructions here

Whilst the machine is doing it's work, or the bread is rising, heat the splash of oil in a frying pan and add the onion and saute on a medium heat. Once the onion is soft, add the vinegar, wine and sugar and simmer until the onion takes on all the juices and becomes caramalised. Leave to cool.

Once the bread dough has been through the first rise, place on a floured surface and knead it back. Roll it out to a rough shape about 1/2 to 1cm thick. Place on a baking tray and pour over a good amount of olive oil and massage into surface so all is covered. Then spread the caramalised onions over the top, and sprinkle over the chunks of garlic and the rosemary. Put your fingers into the bread to form small holes all over the surface, creating little wells where oil can pool. I sprinkle a small amount of sea salt flakes over the bread at this time.

Then cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise again.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Once bread has risen again, place in oven and bake for 20 mins until brown and crispy on the outside.

Sprinkle again with a little amount of sea salt flakes, then cut up into squares and serve warm.

Bread and Butter Pudding

It's a recipe from Jamie Oliver with my usual meddling

• 100g unsalted butter
• large pinch of grated nutmeg
• large pinch of cinnamon
• zest of one large orange
• 16 slices Warburtons Raisin bread
• 9 large eggs
• 140g caster sugar
• 500ml whole milk (I did use 250ml semi skimmed and 250ml Elmlea 55% less fat cream here)
• 565ml double cream
• 1 vanilla pod (or I used 2tsp vanilla extract)
• 4 tbsp fine cut marmalade
• Whiskey

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Make a flavoured butter by mixing the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Use some of it to butter a largish shallow ovenproof dish (I used one of my smaller lasagne dishes).

Butter the bread using the flavoured butter, then cut each slice in half diagonally, place these in the buttered dish and drizzled whiskey over the top.

Separate the eggs, keep 9 yolks and 1 white (freeze the other 8 egg whites and use them at a later date, good for meringues). Which together the 9 yolks and one white with the caster sugar.

Gently heat the milk and cream and add the vanilla pod (don't boil the milk, just heat it slowly). Pour this warm mix into the eggs and mix together. Remove the vanilla pod and pour the mix over the bread and leave to soak for 20 mins.

Put the dish in a roasting tin and pour boiling water in to cover it up to halfway up the side of the dish. Cook in oven for 45 mins until the custard is set.

After 45 mins warm the marmalade in a saucepan or microwave, remove the dish from the oven and brush the marmalade over the top of the bread. Put the pudding back in the oven for 5-10 mins to glaze. Allow to cool and firm up slightly before serving.

Soda Bread

Unusual combination of soda bread recipes - There was no buttermilk at tesco but managed to find a recipe that used yoghurt so tried something based on that!

• 125g wholemeal flour
• 125g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8fl oz Natural Greek yoghurt (I used low fat but dont suppose it will matter....)
• 2 teaspoons soft brown sugar

Preheat oven to gas 8 or 230 deg and lightly grease a baking tray

Sieve and mix all the dry ingredients


Then add the yoghurt - Mix with a wooden spoon first then use your hands. Keep mixing until firm but not sticky - I needed to add a bit more flour at this point.

Knead for about a minute then make into a ball



Score a deep cross in top


Bake on gas 8 / 230 deg for 12 minutes then reduce to gas 6 or 200 deg for a further 15-20 minutes - should look good and sound hollow when tapped underneath when it's ready.

Leave to cool until you cant wait any longer then smother with butter/jam etc and enjoy!