Summer baking + traveling to Macedonia and Greece 🍩🍰⛱

ok, here I am with some new bakes and some new photos from the summer  

 🍩🍰⛱

Bagels 

These bagels are made using:

200g wholemeal flour

300g white flour

1 pack of instant yeast, 7g

1 tsp salt

325ml warm water

1 egg for glazing

seeds for topping 

Sieve the flour into a big mixing bowl, add the yeast, salt and the water.

Knead the dough for 10 minutes if doing by hands.

Divide the dough into eight equal-size pieces.

Take one piece and roll it into a ball then dip your finger in a little flour and push it through the centre of the dough ball. Make the hole about 4cm wide by spinning it around.

Place the bagel into a baking tray and repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

Spray the bagels with oil and cover with plastic wrap.

Leave to rise for about 40 minutes.

Then brush the bagels with whisk egg and sprinkle some seeds of your choice.

I have used sesame, onion and caraway seeds.

Bake the bagels for 25 - 30 minutes on 200 C 

Birthday cake for my mother in law 

Raspberry, vanilla & white chocolate cake with almond flowers by Lorraine Pescale

Almond twists 

I can only say these almond bakes are divine:

dough; 250ml lukewarm milk

1 egg, beaten

85g sugar

1 tsp salt

1 or 2 tsp crushed cardamom seeds

7g instant yeast

500g white flour

75g butter, room temperature 

filling: 25g ground almonds

25g sugar

50g soft butter

1 egg for glazing

20g almond flakes

Whisk together the milk, egg, sugar, salt and cardamom.

Mix the flour and yeast, add the liquid and mix with a wooden spoon.

Finally add the butter and knead it into the dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.

Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover with clean tea towel and leave it to rise for 1 hour.

After that, divide the dough into 2 pieces, using a rolling pin, roll each dough into a rectangle size 15x25 cm.

Spread the butter over the dough and scatter the almonds and sugar. Place one dough on top of the other, buttered side down.

Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 15 strips.

Twist each strip into a knot and place it on a baking tray.

Brush the beaten egg over the top and sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes on 200 C 

Sunrise over Macedonia

Olympia, Greece 

The starfish was picked by my brother in law 

Beach read

Skopje, Macedonia

Turkish coffee made on outdoor fire 💜

My dad's chilies 

The basil 

The tomatoes 

The peaches

The 12 kg watermelon 

Интегрален ѓеврек леб /Wholemeal bagel bread

Ѓеврек, pronounce as Gevrek is very similar in taste to bagels. I  grew up eating these breads and every time I am in Macedonia I am  searching for the right taste, the one I am craving when I am not there!

Inspired by this blog

Потребни состојки:

500 гр брашно, пола интегрално

1 сув квасец

1 лажиче сол 

1 лажица масло

350 мл топла вода

 ************************

2 литри вода

2 лажички сода

1 лажица шеќер

интегрален сусам

Во подлабок сад ставете ги сувите состојки, додајте го маслото и водата и замесете меко тесто. Додајте вода/брашно по потреба.

Ставете го тестото во намрсен сад, покријте го со најлонска фолија и оставете го да се крева еден час.

Потоа поделете го на 5 дела, месете го секој дел и оформите 5 округли теста.

Покријте ги со најлон фолија и оставете ги да се кренат уште половина час.

Во меѓувреме ставете 2 литра вода да зоврие, додајте го шеќерот и содата.

Калап за леб намрсете со масло или путер и посипете го со сусам.

Тестата малку развлечете ги со раце и потоа спуштајте ги во зовриената вода.

По една минута вадете ги со цедалка-лажица и наредете ги во калапот за печење.

Оставете го калапот на топло уште половина час. 

Печете го лебот на 200 степени 15 минути а потоа намалете ја температурата на 180 и допечете го лебот уште 30-40 минути.

Ingredients:


500 gr flour, half wholemeal 
1 pack instant yeast 
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
350 ml lukewarm water
***********************************
2 liter water
2 tsp soda bicarbonate 
1 tbsp sugar
integral sesame seeds 


In a big mixing bowl add the dry ingredients, add the oil and water and make a dough.
Add water/flour if you need.
Kneed it on floured surface until smooth and place it back in the mixing bowl.
Oil it and cover with cling film.
Leave the dough to rest for one hour.
After that, put the dough back to the floured surface and divide it into 5 balls.
Kneed each ball, cover again with cling film and leave to rest for 30 min.
Prepare the loaf tin, oil it and floured it with lots of sesame seeds.
Now bring 2 liters of water to boil, add soda and sugar and get the dough ready to be dropped in.
Take each ball, form a round shape with your hands and slowly drop each dough into the water.
After one minute get them out using a slotted spoon and place them into the loaf tin.
Cover the dough with tea towel and leave it to rise once more for 30 min.
Bake the bread on pre-heated oven on 200 C for 15 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 180 and bake the bread for 30 - 40 minutes.