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Picnic loaves | Dan Lepard | Life and style | The Guardian

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Dan Lepard's picnic loaves

When making a loaf for picnic sandwiches, it pays to add a little flavour that'll complement your chosen fillings
Dan Lepard The Guardian, Friday 1 0 August 2 01 2 2 2 .59 BST

Dan Lepard's chiv e, oat and y oghurt bloom er: Turn a sim ple sandwich into a feast. Photograph: Colin Cam pbell for the Guardian

It's summer time, when you want to be out of the kitchen and into the countryside. But a homemade loaf turns a simple sandwich picnic into a feast to be proud of, especially if the loaf contains a little extra flavour to complement the sandwich filling. These loaves are simple to make, with quantities that can be doubled or tripled if you're feeding a crowd. (Bigger loaves take longer to bake, about 50-60 minutes for a kilo loaf.)

Chive, oat and yoghurt bloomer

Use any herb you like, or even a little finely chopped white or spring onion in place of the chives. Good with soft cheese, salmon or trout, or just butter and slices of salted cucumber.

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01/03/2013

Picnic loaves | Dan Lepard | Life and style | The Guardian

200ml warm water 1 tsp fast action yeast 1 small bunch chives, finely chopped 200ml yoghurt 400g strong white flour 100g spelt or wholemeal flour 2 tsp fine salt Oil, for kneading Oats, to finish Pour the water into a large bowl, add the yeast and chives, and mix. Whisk in the yoghurt, add the flours and salt, and mix again. If the dough seems a bit dry, add water until it has a soft, slightly sticky feel but still holds its shape. Cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Lightly oil a patch of worktop, knead the dough gently for 10 seconds, return to the bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Lightly knead once more, return the dough to the bowl, cover, and leave for 90 minutes until risen by half. Get ready two dinner plates: cover one with a sheet of kitchen towel or cloth wet with water, the other with a thick layer of oats. Also have ready a baking tray lined with nonstick baking paper. Using a little flour, shape the loaf into an oval, roll it first over the wet-towel plate, then on the oat plate, and place seam-side down on the tray (this ensures the oats stay stuck to the dough as it bakes). Cover with a cloth and leave for about an hour to rise by half. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan-assisted)/425F/gas mark 7, cut five or six diagonally slashes in the top, and bake for 40 minutes, until golden.

Wheat, spelt and rye cider loaf

Alter the proportions of the rye and spelt to white flour, if you like, as this changes the density of the crumb. Less of the white and more of the others will make the texture more compact and moist. Replace the golden syrup with honey, or leave it out, if you prefer a plainer flavour, but I like the gentle sweetness. 1 tsp fast-action yeast 1 tbsp golden syrup or agave nectar 150ml warm water 175ml dry cider (one with flavour) 350g strong white flour, plus extra to shape 75g rye flour 75g wholemeal spelt or wheat flour 50g melted butter or olive oil 2 tsp fine salt
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Picnic loaves | Dan Lepard | Life and style | The Guardian

Oil, for kneading In a bowl, stir the yeast and syrup into the water and cider until dissolved, then measure the flours, melt the butter, and add both to the bowl with the salt. Stir quickly and evenly to mix everything together. Scrape any dough from your fingers, cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Lightly oil a patch of worktop, scoop the dough out of the bowl and knead lightly for 10 seconds. Return the dough to the bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Repeat this twice more at 10-minute intervals, then pop the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave for an hour, until risen by about half or until it looks a bit puffy and risen. Lightly flour a worktop just enough to shape the loaf then pat out the dough into a rough rectangle and roll it up snugly into a tight scroll. Place this seam-side down on a tray lined with nonstick baking paper, cover with a cloth and leave to rise for about an hour. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan-assisted)/425F/gas mark 7, cut a 1cm-deep slash down the centre and bake for about 40 minutes, until golden. danlepard.com/guardian On 13 August this article was amended to reduce the amount of water in the chive, oat and yoghurt bloomer recipe.

2 0 1 3 Gu a r dia n New s a n d Media Lim it ed or it s a ffilia t ed com pa n ies. A ll r ig h t s r eser v ed.

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