A new delivery of type 00 flour has arrived from Shipton Mill. So its time for more lockdown baking.
The 00 is perfect for making ciabatta, step 1 make a biga or starter with flour, yeast and water leave for 3 or 4 hours in a warm place
2. Mix biga, more flour, oil, warm milky water together and stand. 3. Fold in on itself, in quarters every 20 mins or so for two hours, 4. divide using lots of flour, it's very sticky and soft, put on floured tray (ciabatta means slipper in Italian)
5. bake for 25 mins. 6. slice and eat, in this case for breakfast with butter and apricot jam !
Now the duck in pancakes that we normally get at UK Chinese restaurants is a poor cousin of real thing in Beijing. We are working on the original but still have some way to go, here's our latest trial.
To make pancakes - flour and boiling water dough - make a sausage and divide into 15 g portions - roll two together with toasted sesame oil in between - cook in dry pan - peal apart and fold.
To fill - slow cook duck legs in soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, chilli, star anise, Sichuan pepper - shred. - finely sliced raw leek - carrot marinated in beetroot pickle juice (don't ask) - the sticky juice from the slow cooking.
Present to official Beijing taster for approval - load up your pancake and eat.
Approved !!