Breakfast!

What a lovely day in Dublin today - not!. So I decided why not make the most of a bad day and have a good start... with a good breakfast. I went with the rich option of Eggs Benedict. I made mine without the bacon, but with some homemade basil bread and some poached eggs and Hollandaise it makes the perfect breakfast, just finished off with some sea salt and cracked black pepper. - Yum!

Bread Recipe:

560g Strong Flour
10g Sea Salt
5g Dried Yeast
300ml Luke-Warm Water
20ml Oil
20g Pesto

Method:

1. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and using the dough hook mix in the combined yeast and water, the pesto. Mix until the dough forms a smooth appearance.
2. Leave to prove in a warm area for 40 minutes or until doubled in size, then form the dough into the desired shape and leave to prove again for 40 minutes or until doubled in size. then cook for 40 minutes in a preheated oven at gas mark 6/ 220 degrees. 

*To check the bread is thoroughly cooked, wen you take it from the oven, knock on the base of the bread and if it sounds hollow it is ready, leave to cool slightly before cutting.


Hollandaise:

This is the french classic accompaniment to most fish dishes, it can be tricky to make but to make it once is all it takes. It goes well with some egg dishes too.

Hollandaise Sauce

114g Unsalted Butter

2 Crushed White Peppercorns

20ml Vinegar

2 Egg Yolks

Method:

1. Place the butter in a heatproof bowl and gently melt in the microwave.
2. Add the eggs, vinegar and pepper to a mixing bowl and using a electric hand blander whiz the egg yolk mixture and slowly add the butter until all combined. 
3. Check the seasoning. Leave at room temperature until needed.

Eggs:

After watching Heston's new show "How to cook like Heston" he made poached eggs on the first episode and I thought yeah I'm gonna have to do something with this using his full proof never fail method. You need a large pot of water a thermometer some eggs. 

Method:

Add the eggs to the almost boiled water approx. 80 degrees and cook for 2 minutes. Then remove and set aside.

Assembly:

Toast some of the bread you have made, (you could be toasting while poaching the eggs). Place the eggs on top then you put some of the hollandaise on top then garnish with some sea salt and cracked pepper, some fresh herbs couldn't hurt too.

Brown Bread

This brown bread recipe can be altered if you want to add seeds you may just need to add a little extra buttermilk. This recipe makes 1 large loaf.

550g Coarse Whole Meal Flour       

100g Plain Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt  

2 Teaspoons Sugar

750ml Buttermilk               

25g Melted Butter

1 Teaspoon Bread Soda   

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees /Gas Mark 7.
2. Heat a 2 litre loaf tin.
3. Mix the flours, soda, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl; add the buttermilk and mix thoroughly to make a very wet mixture.
4. Mix in the melted butter and turn into the hot tin, then bake in the hot oven for an hour, removing the tin for the last 10 minutes to allow to brown.
5. Remove from the oven and turn the loaf onto a rack; wrap in a damp tea towel and leave to cool.
6. If you can resist eating it immediately, allowing freshly baked bread to “settle” for an hour or two will make it easier to slice.