Autumn

Lent

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us now and in the hour of our need!

• St. Michael’s Lent Prayers for Protection and Reparation
• St. Michael Prayer. Guardian Angel Prayer. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be

Michalmas

Aug 15 - Sept 29

Aug 15 26 or 27

Sept 8 12 14 - Feast of the Triumph of the Cross https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Cross

15 17 22 29

Struan Loaf

Makes 1 large loaf – double the quantity for 2, which means you’ll have one to freeze. Worthwhile, as it takes effort to assemble all the ingredients and time to prepare the dough. SOAKER 3 tablespoons polenta 30-40gm 3 tablespoons rolled oats 25 gm 2 tablespoons wheat bran 10gm 1/4 cup water 60ml

DOUGH 3 cups unbleached bread flour 380-400gm (You can substitute up to 25% wholemeal if you wish) 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1.5 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon instant yeast 3 tablespoons cooked brown rice 50gm (Short grain is good but long grain is fine) 1.5 tablespoons honey Half a cup buttermilk (130 ml, or use a little more and reduce water) 3/4 cup water 170ml – Add carefully; you probably won’t need it all

TOPPING 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (If you don’t have poppy seeds, use another seed like sunflower) Mix together the ingredients for the soaker. Cover and allow to soak for at least half an hour or as long as overnight.

METHOD In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then stir in wet ingredients and soaker. Add more flour or water until the dough can be formed into a ball that is neither too dry nor too loose in texture. Try to keep it so that you can still handle the dough, even if it is a little sticky. Knead the ball of dough for 10 to 12 minutes, (8-10 in a food processor with dough mixer) then return it to the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and allow the dough to ferment until doubled in size, approximately 60 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, knock it down briefly to take out the air, and put it into a greased bread pan. Sprinkle a little water on top, followed by a dusting of poppy seeds.

Cover the dough in the pan loosely again and allow the loaves to rise until doubled in size again, approximately 40-60 minutes.

Bake these loaves at 180 degrees (356 F) for about 40-45 minutes. (I used a fan oven; you might need to use 190 in a non-fan one.) It will achieve a high bake colour so don’t be tempted to take it out too early. Test in the usual way, by tapping the bottom of the loaf when you think it’s ready to see if it sounds hollow. Reinhart gives a useful suggestion for his recipe, which is that if the top of the loaf is dark but it’s not sounding hollow, take it out of the tin and bake it a little while longer, bearing in mind that it’s likely to finish cooking very quickly this way.