Wednesday 12 November 2008

You Say Quickbread, I Say Crackbread


...No, I haven't forgotten about you. And I haven't forgotten to eat. I haven't even forgotten to blog.

I've just forgotten to write an essay comparing two of Shakespeare's poems. Dang.

My Big Scary Essay Number One was in at the start of last week, meaning I spent the rest of the week happily cavorting around, learning every dance routine in High School Musical and probably getting through several bottles' worth of wine: as you can imagine, baking takes a back seat. I've given up on diluting my excesses and now eat my chocolate whole and my flour in handfuls straight from the bag (not really, because this would be disgusting).

This week I realised that although Big Scary Essay #1 was done, I did actually have several more assignments and a Slighter Shorter but Still Angsty poetry essay to write. Time to take my hand out of the flour bag, methinks (oh god, look what Shakespeare has done to me. I wrote a sonnet yesterday. It wasn't even about an aubergine).

So, back to business, if by business you mean, 'procrastination' (which I do).


Baking is more or less my default method of procrastination (followed by typing all this up: my essay document is open, so I'm practically working on it, right?) but deciding a sugar high was not in my best interests (what you want is not always what you need; a wise man told me that once. Or possibly a Disney film) I went for a savoury quickbread. Vegetables, and everything.

Never mind that the person who wrote this recipe was blatently on crack (the original recipe had NINE EGGS. NINE. The fuck?). I halved it, and then took out 2.5 eggs and added a few splashes of milk instead, because despite evidence to the contrary, I'm actually not insane. I also made it vegetarian, and changed the herbs, and the cheese, and the cooking time, and the method; and let's be honest, this isn't really the same as the original in any way. I didn't want to subject you all to some drug-dealer-written recipe.

Thank me later.



Savoury Breakfast Bread
Developed from a crazy recipe on Cooking Bread

140g (1c.) plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1/2 a medium red pepper, chopped (about 1/2 c.)
1/2 a medium courgette, chopped (about 3/4 c.)
115g (1 stick) soft butter (you probably don't need quite this much)
1-2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
about 80g (1/2 c.) grated cheddar cheese
twist of ground pepper
2 eggs
120ml (1/2c.) milk
1. In a bowl combine the flour, herbs, baking powder, pepper and courgette. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, butter and mustard. There is no chance of you combining butter with this shit unless you bash it up in a kitchen mixer or else microwave it in 20 second bursts to melt it in a bit; I did the latter. Add milk & mix until well blended. Season with pepper.

2. Pour half the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until just blended. Add the cheese, mix, then add the rest of the flour and stir until again just blended. Don't be put off if it kind of looks like vomit at this point, and don't overmix.

3. Pour into a greased & lined 8x4" loaf pan and bake at 180C for about 35 mins. I needed a bit longer cause it stayed soggy in the middle, but I fixed this by leaving the tin in the oven for a while after I'd turned the oven off to let it dry out a big more. Allow to cool for 10 mins and remove from the tin.


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

a) FIRST COMMENT YAY!

b) oh boo hoo you had one essay, try 2 a week. or 3 in a difficult week, plus learning italian from scratch and reading critics and making notes on poetry. 1 essay? NADA. NOTHING.

but I'm sure it was a lovely essay.

c) ooooh yum LOVE IT.

d) I HEART HSM3! d'ya want number 3's coundtrack? I'll send it to you =]

much love from me x

also e) WHERE'S MY POSTCARD/FOOD PACKAGE? x

Y said...

9 Eggs!? Sounds like an omelette to me! Too bad there's no such thing as a university essay requiring you to compare two quickbreads.. I say you would've aced this one ;P

Anna said...

Soph -
b)that's one essay that counts for 45%, thankyou. I also get two assignments a week on top of that, plus learning Japanese and reading critics and making notes on poetry. OH LOOK, WE MATCH.

But it WAS a lovely essay XD.

d) YES I DO WANT THE SOUNDTRACK PLEASE. I SAW IT TONIGHT AND ALMOST DIED OF LUST KDJSGNKDN YUM YUM.

e) Sooon!

Y - That's what I thought! Cheers, haha.

Clumbsy Cookie said...

Good job on the first essay! It's all down hill from the first essay I tell you, ahahah! But you can hab«dle it I think. Man eating flour as is sounds... well, disgusting! I thing you should get you flous and do great things like this bread and keep not following recipes cause it obviosly works!

Anonymous said...

Despite the changes (or maybe thanks to them) it looks really really good. Go on making this kind of changes, please... ;-) the result worth it.

Finla said...

I would love to have them with butter, love the last picture.

grace said...

9 eggs? can we say overkill? i think so. good call.
you don't see many savory quickbreads, but i like it. i like it a lot. :)

Emily Rose said...

haha this title made me laugh out loud when I read it! The bread looks great- 9 eggs sounds more like a quiche than a bread- I think you did the right thing because your bread looks great!

Cakelaw said...

This savoury bread looks delish! My favourite method of procrastination as a student was the dusting.

Aimei said...

This is interesting! I've taken interest to baking savoury quick breads for breakfast lately too.

I've tagged you to do a meme. Hehe... Have fun!

Anonymous said...

MOOOOMIN!!

I'm liking the courgettes and red pepper muchly; the pictures make me v v hungry. I'm planning to invest in a loaf tin sometime soon, though, and I've worked out how to used the oven-combi thing and all, so am thinking I'll try me a quick/crackbread thing =D

Baked a victoria sponge in the ovenrowave yesterday; it was amazing! It rose and everything, and didn't burn but gently crisped. Unfortunately I didn't have a wire cooling rack, so contented myself with greaseproof paper, and when half of the top of each sandwich-bit stuck to the greaseproof, I contented myself to eat it there and then. Good times.

Hope life is goodum, and will speak muchos soonios,

Boy x

Rosie said...

This savoury bread looks stunning!

Rosie x