Braided Bread

I had a baking binge when I was home last this weekend, having been making mental lists all week. Top of my list was having a go at the gorgeous braided bread from this wonderful blog.
The recipe and technique are here, and I did exactly as I was told. It's not quite as smooth and sexy-looking as the model bread loaf, but I'm still pretty pleased with my efforts!

The recipe is a delicious, rich dough, which I am definitely planning to tuck away for future use. There are tons of different ways to braid bread, that I never even knew existed! I can't wait to have a go at a new style this weekend, I've got challah in my sights...

Spring Garden Salad

Two of the things I miss most about living away from home at the moment, is my garden and kitchen. I love to cook, and I especially love to cook with ingredients from my own garden. I have been sitting on this salad recipe for a while, and finally today, all the stars aligned, and I was able to give it a go. All ingredients were picked fresh from my garden, except for the apple, which was from my local Farmer's Market.


 Spring Garden Salad (serves one)

- a handful of spinach
- 1 small beetroot
- 1 small fennel bulb, save some tips too
- 1 apple
- mint leaves
Dressing
- equal parts of plain yoghurt and mayonnaise (about 1 Tbsp of each)
- drizzle of mint syrup
- squeeze of lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste

Chop apple, beetroot and fennel into bite sized pieces. Finely shred mint and fennel tips, and rip spinach leaves into a desirable size. Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake; dress salad. Serve immediately.

This was the epitome of fresh, crispy, seasonal flavours, I loved it! I look forward to more meals cooked from my garden, in my kitchen, throughout the rest of spring and summer!