Well, whaddya know, kitchen wishes really can come true. Where once there was a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon, there is now, in my kitchen, a shiny new stand mixer. It’s all thanks to some more than generous wand-waving by the Fairy Hobmother.
My new shiny
Er, the Fairy Who?
‘Tis well you might ask.
The Fairy Hobmother has been winging her way around cyberspace of late, granting wishes to bloggers on behalf of the folks at Appliances Online. A few weeks back, I left a comment for her regarding my mixerless state over on Smörgåsblog. Lo and behold, just a little while later, my wish was granted, and then some.
Better again, though, is that it could be you next. Leave a comment on this post describing your kitchen wish and she just might visit you too.
As for the wished-for mixer, it seemed only right and proper to put it straight to work.
Mixer job #1: potato tomato bread
Potato Tomato Bread
Figuring that I could get my new machine to handle what was previously manual kneading, I decided to get mixer operations underway with some yeasty bread.
The recipe below is really just an adaptation of this one for potato bread, with freshly puréed tomatoes added instead of milk, along with a good handful of grated parmesan and some fennel seeds. Use for sandwiches or have some lightly toasted and buttered.
You’ll need:
- 450g strong white bread flour
- 1.5 tsp fine-grained salt
- 1x7g sachet fast action / easy blend yeast
- 120g cooked potato, mashed finely using a ricer or sieve, and preferably used while still warm
- 50g finely grated parmesan
- 1 tsp lightly crushed fennel seeds
- 150g tomatoes, skinned and puréed
- 140ml warm water
You’ll also need:
- A loaf tin, approx 2.5 to 3 pint capacity
The Steps:
- Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large, warm mixing bowl.
- Add the still-warm cooked, sieved potato to the flour and, using your hands, rub the potatoes into the flour (in the same way you would rub in fat), so that they are thoroughly mixed. Stir in the grated parmesan and fennel seeds.
- Mix together the puréed tomatoes and warm water. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the water and tomato mixture. Mix to form a soft dough with your hands. If it feels too wet and sticky, sprinkle with some more flour.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic, or go ahead and knead using your mixer and dough hook for about 5 minutes.
- Now place the dough into a warmed and greased loaf tin. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise until about doubled in bulk (this will take longer than for ordinary yeast bread, anything up to 2 hours). The use of a damp cloth is important, as this dough tends to form a skin, which can inhibit rising when put in the oven and makes for a tougher crust.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 220C, then bake the loaf for about 35-45 minutes. The bread should make a hollow sound when tapped. Don’t let the crust get too browned or hard.
The Variations:
- You can leave the parmesan out if you like, and leave out the fennel, or substitute with other herbs of your choosing. You can also shape the bread into around 8 individual bread rolls instead of a single loaf, in which case, they’ll only need about 15-20 mins baking time.
The Results:
- One loaf of potato tomato bread
That is a gorgeous shiny toy, but it is the tomato potato bread that I want! I just broke our kitchen stab blender so could really use one of those if the fairy hob mother is feeling generous. It would get me out of a lot of hot water with the chef :0)
Hey Móna – I hope that the fairy hobmother is feeling generous too! If not, I’m sure I can arrange to get you some of the potato tomato bread instead :)
Shiny new kitchen items are Wonderful. FREE shiny new kitchen items are even better!! Now, you can make the potato baba from the #TaytoRiCo challenge! :)
I know Jenni, aren’t they just the best! The possibilities for this baby are endless :)
I need a fairy hob mother. I have been cooking for years but very little baking this would be so up my alley..
So I take it, Mike, that a stand mixer like the one above wouldn’t go astray… stay tuned, you never know your luck
Ooo, that is a pretty mixer! After four years using the sad food processor that came with our apartment, we’re about to move into a house and have been talking about the appliance upgrade that could happen. Bill’s been eying a Kitchen Aid food processor. That would awesome!
Now that would be awesome, Sharon – would be great to get some help with the appliance upgrade alright!
Wowzas!! Stand mixer, oh my! The Fairy Hobmother is quite generous, she gave me a food processor. Will be trying this tomato bread shortly :).
I know Clare, she certainly is! Now I just need to get busy using it :)
Oh wow the bread looks delicious. And how generous of the Fairy Hobmother to grant you that wish. You must be pleased as punch!!
Seeing as we’ve just moved to Ireland from England with just the contents of one suitcase my list of kitchen wishes is long… But for some reason most of the new recipe ideas I have seem to call for the use of a mini deep fat fryer so that would be top of my wish list. Either that or some digital kitchen scales (I have simple tastes you see Fairy Hobmother!).
I want a food processor. Nay, I need a food processor!
This bread looks amazing and as soon as I am permitted to eat solid food again it will be baked…OK, I COULD bake it now for the Hussyband, but there is no fun in making what I cannot eat at the moment!
The FairyHobMother has been very nice to you. I must ask, have you named your mixer yet? I called mine Mistress Fifi La Rouge L’Amore (Mistress for short).
If the Fairy should wave her magic wand my way, I would love an icecream attachment for her – then I can freeze these boring liquidised messes and have ice-creamy goodness again!
Hollie: Best of luck with getting settled in here in Ireland – hopefully the Fairy Hobmother will be able to help you out with something!
Aine: I hear ya! :)
AussieFoodie: Ooh, no fun in making what you’re not able to eat yourself, that’s for sure. Meanwhile, I have not named the mixer yet (unless ‘Shiny’ counts), so I should really get on the case for that…
thats amazing – and beautifully shiny! What a wonderful fairy Hobmother to have in your life! i have been long dreaming of a food processor that can make nut butters.. oh how my life would improve… but now I am dreaming of potato tomato bread and some allergy friendly substitutes! yum
How very generous of the Fairy Hobmother! If she’s still in a generous mood, I could surely use a food processor. Never have had a good one and my current one has a cracked bowl. Poor little me :-)
Aurea: It’s always good to dream, and you just never know when that dream might come true :)
Lana: Very generous indeed – I hope her generous mood continues!
My wish is for a 3-speed blender (high/low/ice). My Bravetti pitcher broke last week on mine. The replacement parts are discontinued.
oh. my. goodness. that potato-tomato bread is absolutely calling my name . . . regardless of the new shiney, my eyes are fixed on that bread!! if there really is a Fairy Hobmother, my kitchen could use a nice rice cooker . . . the one i have is at least 20 years old and plastic . . .
Flash: I hate when machines break like that – hope your wish for a new one is granted!
Smith Bites: Thanks so much for stopping by – I guess that potato-tomato bread can shout pretty loudly when it wants :D
Ooooh soooo shiny and lovely. :)
So it is, Gaga Lady! Of course I will be out with my silvo polish daily to keep it in said shiny state :D
Such a creative bread recipe….sounds amazing!
Thanks Maria, glad you think so!
This is not bad, what I would do differently is add a good 2/3 cup of sugar. I made recipe as instructed, also used some for pizza dough. One could use a little less or more but I strongly recommend sugar; unless one is seeking to empty their refrigerator of jellies and jams