Pane casereccio, chocolate and beetroot bread, and other things...

Hi folks

I thought I'd share this with you. My main interest in bread is not in the wonderful artisan creations I see on here (of which I'm in total awe!), but in using it as a medium for other ingredients.

I do make my own wholemeal rolls (with ground flaxseeds), adding some sourdough and using the cloche method.

But, in the main, I'm interested in filled breads, fruit breads, savoury breads, etc. Anything that can be wrapped in dough; placed on top of dough - or beneath - it; or mixed into a dough, and I’m your man! (I'm also a firm believer that anything you can make with pastry, you can make with a bread dough!)

This last week I’ve made a couple of types of bread which will illustrate what I mean:

Pane casereccio – a filled, rolled pizza; and,

Chocolate and beetroot bread. (Wonderfully moist.)

The PC was a picnic loaf made for a day out in London. The C&B was made in one of the teaching sessions I hold in a care home every Thursday.

I also take pleasure in combining recipes and techniques – recently I made a pane al cioccolato dough, which I shaped into a Swedish tea ring. And Chelsea buns made with curried onions are a joy!

Most of these ideas are up on my blog – I try and add to it frequently:

http://nobreadisanisland.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-daily-bread_10.html

Cheers, Paul