Saturday 17 September 2011

Foraging Diary: Wild Marjoram & Sage Flat Bread

Marjoram is one of our most pleasantly fragrant wild herbs. It is easy to spot, growing up to 3ft tall with striking pinkisk-purple flowers. It can be used fresh but does become a little sweeter if dried.


Wild marjoram is common on grasslands, hedge banks, road verges and scrubland but remember to forage it responsibly. The plant strongly relies on its seeds for reproduction so never take all of the plant, just pick fresh looking sprigs from some of the plants.


Look out for plants like the ones below:




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Ingredients:
25g fresh yeast
1tsp sugar
250-300ml warm water
2tbsp olive oil
500g strong white flour
1/4 tsp salt
15 fresh sage leaves
5 sprigs of marjoram
For topping:
1tbsp olive oil
Coarse sea salt to taste

Method:
-     Put yeast into a small bowl. Add the sugar and cream together. Stir in half of the warmed water until thoroughly mixed. Set aside for approximately 15 minutes somewhere warm.


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-     Put the flour into a large bowl, sprinkle on ¼ tsp salt.
-     Make a hollow in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture, the olive oil, the coarsely chopped herbs and the remaining water.



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-     Stir quickly until the liquid is incorporated into the flour.
-     Form the mixture into a ball. If the dough appears too dry, add a little extra warm water as required. The dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky.
-     Sprinkle flour onto the work surface and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic and spring back if you flatten it with your palm.
-     Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with oiled cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.



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-     Uncover the bowl and push your fist into the risen dough to knock out the air.
-     Remove the dough from the bowl and knead gently for 10-20 seconds.
-     Oil a baking sheet and press the dough out into a rectangle approximately 30cm x 20cm.
-     Using your little finger press small dimples across the surface of the dough



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-     Brush 1tsbp of olive oil across the surface of the bread and sprinkle sea salt to taste.
-     Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown, at gas mark 7/450oF/220oC.

The finished product!

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